Earth & Space Weather

Underwater eruption of Mount Hobal - Iliwerung volcano, Indonesia

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THEWATCHERS-Adonai Aug 20,2013

A submarine eruption at Mount Hobal, underwater flank of Iliwerung volcano, Indonesia, has occurred on August 19/20, 2013. VSI raised the alert level of Iliwerung volcano from 1 (normal) to 2 (watch) following increased seismic and visual activity from Hobal.

Iliwerung volcano forms a peninsula on the south coast of Lembata island, formerly Lomblen. Mount Hobal (Gunung Hobal) is located about 800 m from the coast. 

A total of 181 earthquakes were reported at Hobal flank on August 19, 2013.

The latest bulletin of VSI issued on August 20 describes that the water around Hobal has recently shown significant color changes to yellow, intense bubbling and white steam plumes rising up to about 1000-2000 m from 07:14 local time on August 20 (22:14 UTC on August 19, 2013). Half an hour later, from 07:46 am, glow even began to be visible.

~ Space Weather Update~SUNDIVING COMET AND FULL-HALO CME:

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OFF-TARGET CME COULD SPARK STORMS: According to NOAA analysts, a CME hurled into space by an M3-class solar flare on August 17th will probably miss Earth. However, Earth will likely pass through the wake of the CME after the cloud itself passes by. This could trigger polar geomagnetic storms despite the CME being off-target. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on August 20-21. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

SUNDIVING COMET AND FULL-HALO CME: A small comet plunged into the sun this morning, and just before it arrived, the sun expelled a magnificent full-halo CME. Click to view a movie from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):

In the final frames of the movie, the comet can be seen furiously vaporizing. Indeed, those were the comet's final frames. It did not emerge again from its flyby of the hot sun. "With a diameter of perhaps a few tens of meters, this comet was clearly far too small to survive the intense bombardment of solar radiation," comments Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab, who studies sungrazing comets.

Giant Redwoods Growth Spurt Tied to Climate Change: Study

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Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Weather.com- 8/20/13, Associated Press

 

Redwood trees in Richardson Grove State Park in Garberville, Calif. California's beloved giant redwood trees are in the midst of an unprecedented growth spurt, according to a climate study released Aug. 14.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California's beloved giant redwood trees are in the midst of an unprecedented growth spurt, according to a climate study released Wednesday.

The ancient trees have produced more wood over the past century than they have during any other time in their lives, according to findings by the Save the Redwoods League and a team of renowned scientists.

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Blue Moon Coming Up Tomorrow Night

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Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.org - 8/19/13

Blue Moon coming up tomorrow night – August 20-21.

Image credit: VegaStar Carpentier

Image credit: VegaStar Carpentier. Thank you!

And remember it’s a “seasonal” Blue Moon … the third of four full moons in a season, coming up on the night of August 20-21.

So maybe you’re saying, “But I thought a Blue Moon was the second full moon of a month.”

Yes, it is. The name Blue Moon is part of folklore. Like all folklore, there are alternate versions of the story.

Female frogs prefer males who can multitask

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Earthsky.org, 8/19/13

gray treefrog

The study supports the multitasking hypothesis, which suggests that females prefer males who can do two or more hard-to-do things at the same time because these are especially good quality males.

From frogs to humans, selecting a mate is complicated. Females of many species judge suitors based on many indicators of health or parenting potential. But it can be difficult for males to produce multiple signals that demonstrate these qualities simultaneously.

In a study of gray tree frogs, a team of University of Minnesota researchers discovered that females prefer males whose calls reflect the ability to multitask effectively. In this species (Hyla chrysoscelis) males produce “trilled” mating calls that consist of a string of pulses

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Flooding In the Phillipines Forces Financial Markets to Close

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Accuweather.com, 8/19/13, Eric Lester

The flooding was so bad in and around Manila that the financial markets for the country were shut down on Monday. Government offices, schools, universities and many businesses were also forced to close.

As of Monday afternoon, local time, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported three deaths from the heavy rainfall. Several people have been reported missing while at least 11 have been hospitalized with various injuries.

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Idaho Wildfire: More Crews Called to Fight Under Cloud Cover

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Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Weather.com, 8/19/13, Associated Press

Western Wildfires

BOISE, Idaho -- Fire managers expressed optimism Sunday in their battle against a wildfire that has scorched nearly 160 square miles and forced the evacuation of 2,300 homes near the central Idaho resort communities of Ketchum and Sun Valley.

Officials said the blaze had grown by only about 12 square miles because of cloud cover the day before and the arrival of additional crews and equipment. Many firefighters worked Sunday to create protective firebreaks, or gaps in vegetation.

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~Space Weather Update~ Solar Wind, and Incoming CME~ Earth Directed

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SOLAR WIND: Earth is inside a fast-moving stream of solar wind that is putting pressure on our planet's magnetosphere. A gust or shift in the wind's magnetic polarity could spark a geomagnetic storm. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance that this could happen on August 18th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

INCOMING CME: A CME might be heading for Earth. It was propelled into space by a double-blast of M-class solar flares (M3 and M1) on August 17th around 1830 UT. SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) caught the CME emerging from the blast site, sunspot AR1818:

The expanding cloud is not squarely Earth-directed. If it hits our planet's magnetic field, the blow will probably be a glancing one. Estimated time of arrival: August 19th or 20th. Stay tuned for a more precise forecast later today. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

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