- Special to The Dispatch
Warming Migration
Global warming has sent nearly two-thirds of the North Sea?s fish population northward in search of cooler waters, according to a report in the journal Science. Marine biologist Alison Perry, of the University of East Anglia, writes that if the trend continues, species such as cod, sole and whiting could disappear entirely from the North Sea by 2050. Perry and her team analyzed data on 90 species of the region?s fish over 25 years, as well as water temperatures, which rose 1 degree Fahrenheit between 1962 and 2001. ?It isn?t just a case of individual fish choosing to move towards colder waters. It points towards an entire population of fish becoming less viable in response to warming,? said Perry.
Solar Storm
A massive burst of energy from the sun on May 15 created one of the most intense solar storms ever recorded in Earth?s geomagnetic field on. The stream of charged particles brought displays of the aurora borealis as far south as Arizona and disrupted high-frequency radio communication worldwide.
Cross-Species Infection
The World Health Organization confirmed that the hemorrhagic disease responsible for nine human deaths in the remote northwest of the Republic of Congo was caused by the Ebola virus. Health experts believe the victims contracted the disease from an infected primate. ?The first cases apparently appeared among Itoumbi villagers, who had gone elephant hunting and who touched and ate a dead monkey they found in the forest,? said South African travel health specialist Dr. Andrew Jamieson. Health officials were trying to track down 56 people suspected of close contact with the victims to ensure early diagnosis and to contain the spread of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever.
Desert Swarms
A new wave of desert locusts has gathered in southeast Niger, threatening to devour crops in the region as well as parts of neighboring Nigeria. The swarms mainly consist of immature locusts bred during last year?s severe infestation, which stretched across western and northern Africa. According to the African Agrometeorology Center, the insects have already caused minor damage to staple crops in southern Niger. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization made another appeal for donor nations to help locust-threatened countries deal with the new swarms, which could bring a second year of acute food shortages.
Wayward Storm
A rare, early-season tropical storm formed off Central America?s Pacific coast, then moved toward shore rather than on a path out to sea, which is normally expected at this time of year. Tropical Storm Adrian was predicted to come ashore in El Salvador at near hurricane strength late in the week.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.9 temblor in the northwest Sumatra aftershock zone triggered panic across a large part of the disaster zone. There were no reports of additional damage or casualties from the latest shaking.
? Earth movements were also felt in northeastern Japan, southeastern Iran, southern and central Turkey, northeastern Romania, southwestern Germany, central Sweden, Oklahoma, central California, the California-Mexico border region, El Salvador and Hawaii?s Big Island.
Eruptions
A volcano on an uninhabited island of the Galapagos Islands chain erupted with flows of lava that killed some of Galapagos? unique wildlife. The Geophysical Institute of Ecuador reported that Cumbre Volcano sent a 4-mile-long river of magma down its slopes, which eventually reached the Pacific. Cumbre last erupted 10 years ago.
? A thick pall of smoke from Anatahan Volcano in the Northern Mariana Islands drifted westward 1,400 miles, almost reaching the Philippines. Ships passing through the ?vog? reported visibility as low as 2.5 miles, while ash from Anatahan soared 8,000 feet above the U.S. Pacific territory volcano.
Solar Interference
A report in the Journal of Sea Research suggests that surges in solar activity may be why whales run aground in some parts of the world. A team from the University of Kiel compared records of sperm whale strandings in the North Sea between 1712 and 2003 with observations of the sun during the same period. They found that of the 97 stranding events reported around the North Sea over the 291 years, 90 percent occurred when sun cycles were below average in duration - an event associated with stronger energy from the sun. The researchers believe geomagnetic storms may disrupt the whales? internal compasses, causing them to run aground.
- Steve Newman
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