New source of lead in drinking water identified: Galvanized steel pipe coatings
When unsafe levels of lead are found in drinking water, the culprit has typically been lead pipes or lead-containing brass and bronze fittings, but in a new study researchers clearly show that lead present in the zinc coating of galvanized steel pipes can be a very sign
July 23, 2015
Northern China facing soil drying issues: Increased farming activities a leading cause
Newly published research, investigating the relationship between increased food production and soil drying issues in northern China, suggest the increase in agricultural activities may be responsible for the strong decreasing trends of soil moisture. The research sugges
July 23, 2015
Omnidirectional wireless charging technology for mobile devices developed
A new wireless power transfer (WPT) system developed by a group of researchers at The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is capable of charging multiple mobile devices concurrently and with unprecedented freedom in any direction, even while holdi
July 23, 2015
Severe floods continue to affect southern Brazil: Death toll rises to 45
Severe rainstorms and strong winds have continued to batter southern Brazil since last week, causing more floods and damage across the States of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Around 140 states are on state of alert, and several have declared a sta
July 22, 2015
Predicting floods: Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS)
Floods are one of the most devastating and costly natural disasters, each year on average affecting 96.9 million people worldwide and causing $13.7 billion in damage, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. They wash away or destroy homes, po
July 22, 2015
Smoke goes around the world
Wildfire smoke is a combination of gases and aerosols - tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in air - and can have an effect on cloud formation, atmospheric cooling and heating, and human health, NASA's Earth Observatory explains. The animated series of images
July 22, 2015
Monsoon showers bring flash floods to Pakistan: 12 people dead, 200 000 displaced
Seasonal monsoon heavy rainfall has caused severe flash floods across Pakistan, starting July 16, 2015. The authorities issued flood warnings and declared a state of emergency, as a number of villages and cities across the country were hit by the bad weather conditions.
July 21, 2015
Record rainfall: Over 268 mm (10.6 inches) of rain floods drought stricken California
Remnants of Hurricane "Dolores" reached southern California on July 19, 2015 dropping record breaking rainfall and causing heavy flooding. Los Angeles, San Diego and over a dozen other California cities set all-time rainfall records for the month of July.The
July 21, 2015
Severe flooding in Ohio, US: 3 people die as their mobile home is swept away
Strong flash flood event hit Ohio region late Saturday, July 18, 2015. Three people died, as their home was swept away in the Brown County, after the nearby creek flooded. A severe rainfall drenched the Brown County in Ohio on Saturday evening. When the waters of Redoak
July 20, 2015
DSCOVR's EPIC camera returns its first image of entire sunlit side of Earth
NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) has finally captured and returned its first view of the entire sunlit side of Earth. DSCOVR, launched February 11, 2015, reached its final destination on June 7 when it entered orbit around the 1st Lagrange point (L1),
July 20, 2015
Flash floods across northern Iran kill 20 people, 12 remain missing
A severe thunderstorm brought heavy rainfall, flash floods and strong winds to northern Iran on Sunday, July 19, 2015. Resulting flash floods and landslides have caused damage to infrastructure and power cutoff. 20 people were reported dead and at least 12 missing in th
July 20, 2015
People near fracking wells show higher hospitalization rates
Over the past ten years in the United States, unconventional gas and oil drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has experienced a meteoric increase. Since well drilling requires an influx of water, materials and workers into yotherwise rural and remote
July 20, 2015
Tornado sweeps the grounds of Twin Cities: 225 000 left without electricity, Minnesota
A severe thunderstorm accompanied with heavy rainfall, large hail, strong winds, and EF-1 tornado battered the Twin Cities Friday night, July 17 and Saturday morning, July 18, tearing down trees and cutting down power supplies.Xcel Energy reported 225 000 customers were
July 19, 2015
Multiple funnel clouds and waterspouts spotted on Chesapeake Bay, US
Multiple funnel clouds and waterspouts were observed near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, off the coast of Annapolis, Maryland, US on Friday, July 17, 2015. Additionally, a funnel cloud associated with thunderstorm was also seen in Virginia Beach.According to the The Washing
July 18, 2015
Over 25 000 people affected, 7 900 houses damaged by the floods in western Indonesia
Heavy rainfall on July 14 and 15, 2015 has caused several rivers to overflow simultaneously in the Aceh disctricts of western Indonesia.According to Indonesia's disaster management agency (BNPB), no fatalities have been reported, although 25 765 people were affected
July 18, 2015
Very strong and shallow M7.3 earthquake registered near Santa Cruz Islands
Geoscience Australia recorded a very strong earthquake measuring M7.3 at a depth of 4 km (2.5 miles) off the coast of Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands, at 02:27 UTC on July 18, 2015. USGS is reporting M7.0 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).Accord
July 18, 2015
State of the climate in 2014
The key parameters which indicate the Earth's changing climate, including land and ocean temperature, sea level and greenhouse gases, have set new records in the year 2014, according to "State of the climate in 2014" - Special Supplement to the Bulletin of
July 18, 2015
Australia covered in white: The biggest snow fall since 1984
Areas of southern Queensland, New South Wales, west and northwest area of Sydney, Australia, were completely wrapped in a snow blanket on Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17, 2015. This rare event was considered by some to be the country's most significant snow fa
July 18, 2015
Nepal floods leave 2 people dead and hundreds displaced
Heavy rainfall, across Nepal, triggered floods and landslides in Kathmandu on July 16, 2015. So far, two young people fell victims to the floods, hundreds of families were displaced, and several roads were heavily damaged. Two children, aged 11 and 12 were swept away by
July 17, 2015
Huge wildfire breaks out near Athens blanketing it in thick smoke, Greece
A huge wildfire has broken out on the outskirts of Mount Hymettus, near capital Athens, Greece on Friday, July 17 rapidly spreading over mountainsides overlooking the city and blanketing it in thick smoke.The fire started around 09:00 UTC (12:00 local time) and grew mas
July 17, 2015
Continued destruction of Earth’s plant life places humankind in jeopardy
If humans continue destroying plants at the current pace, the lack of irreplaceable biomass may soon endanger present human civilization and make it unsustainable - according to a paper published recently by University of Georgia researchers in the Proceedings of the Na
July 17, 2015
Severe weather across southern Brazil leaves 3 people dead, over 30 000 affected
Southern Brazil was heavily affected by the heavy rain and resulting floods, since July 10, 2015. As of July 16, more than 30 000 people have been affected, 3 have died, over 70 people have been injured, over 600 people have been displaced and over 3 000 homes have
July 16, 2015
STEREO-A spacecraft returns data from the far side of the Sun
On July 11, 2015 we received our first images in over three months from NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory Ahead spacecraft, or STEREO-A. Since March 24, 2015, STEREO-A has been on the far side of the sun, where it has had to operate in safe mode, collec
July 16, 2015
Active volcanoes in the world: July 8 - 14, 2015
New activity/unrest was observed at 5 volcanoes from July 8 - 14, 2015. During the same period, ongoing activity was observed at 10 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Colima, Mexico | Hakoneyama, Honshu (Japan) | Raung, Eastern Java (Indonesia) | Sangeang Api, Indonesia |
July 16, 2015
Strong and shallow M6.4 earthquake registered off the coast of Barbados
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by USGS as M6.4 hit off the coast Barbados at 15:16 UTC on July 16, 2015. USGS is reporting depth of 5.6 km (3.5 miles). EMSC is reporting Mw6.4 at a depth of 2 km (1.2 miles).According to the USGS, epicenter was located 116 km
July 16, 2015
Mystery of equatorial noise solved
A team from MIT, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Sheffield, and elsewhere has detected a remarkably orderly pattern amid the "equatorial noise." The discovery may help scientists to more accurately model the space environment an
July 16, 2015
Heat wave in Japan leaves 5 people dead, 3 200 hospitalized
Monday, July 13, 2015 was the hottest day in Japan so far, this summer, with temperatures hitting 35 °C and above in over 120 meteorological observatories across the country. Five people died and at least 3 200 people were hospitalized due to the consequences of
July 16, 2015
Record rainfall: Freak storm dumps 102 mm of rain in 1 hour, Norway
On Monday afternoon, July 13, 2015, a sudden storm hit the village of Ogndal, north of Trondheim in central Norway, dumping 102 mm (4.01 inches) of rain in just one hour. The storm was followed by heavy hail which left a layer of ice across the area. Government meteorol
July 15, 2015
State of emergency declared for eastern Kentucky: Severe flooding leaves 2 people dead
Heavy rainstorm between Monday, July 13 and Tuesday, July 14, caused major flash flooding in the area of Eastern Kentucky. At least 150 homes have been damaged in Johnson County and about 60 houses in Rowan County while 19 000 people remain without electricity. At least
July 15, 2015
New Horizons accomplished the historic first-ever flyby of Pluto
New Horizons spacecraft phoned home around 01:00 UTC on July 15, 2015 telling the mission control and the world it had accomplished the historic first-ever flyby of Pluto.The flyby began at 11:49 UTC on July 14 and the spacecraft has been instructed to spend the day gat
July 15, 2015
Landslide forces 350 people to evacuate, Guatemala
A landslide caused by recent heavy rainfall, has prompted authorities to evacuate 350 people in the province of Chinautla, Guatemala on Saturday morning, July 11.The landslide completely destroyed 10 houses and moderately damaged further 11, according to the country'
July 14, 2015
Cold snap breaks temperature records across New Zealand
Record-breaking low temperatures were measured by meteorological stations across New Zealand last week, following the outburst of cold weather conditions across the country.NIWA office reported record low temperatures have been measured in Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Warkworth,
July 14, 2015
Helium leaking from the Earth's mantle in the Los Angeles Basin: The Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone much deeper than previously thought
Professor Jim Boles of the University of California, Santa Barbara's Department of Earth Science, and his team, have found proof of helium leakage from the Earth's mantle along the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. Discovery indicates the cu
July 14, 2015
Typhoon "Nangka" to make landfall on Shikoku island late July 16, Japan
Tropical depression which later became Super Typhoon "Nangka" was formed on July 3, 2015 north of Marshall Islands, North Pacific Ocean. By July 6 at 06:00 UTC, Nangka reached typhoon strength with maximum sustained winds of 129 km/h (80 mph) and was heading t
July 14, 2015
A week of heavy flooding leaves 27 people dead in India and Pakistan
Heavy rainfall has lashed several states across the northern and eastern India and Pakistan, in the last couple of days, causing floods and landslides. At least 19 people were reported dead by July 13, 2015, in northern India, and 8 in Pakistan.The River Kabul at Nowshe
July 13, 2015
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