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WEATHER | NATURAL DISASTERS | EARTHQUAKES | TSUNAMIS
WEATHER & NATURAL DISASTERS
Mongol Empire rode wave of mild climate, but warming now may be tipping region into unparalleled drought
Researchers studying the rings of ancient trees in mountainous central Mongolia think they may have gotten at the mystery of how small bands of nomadic Mongol horsemen united to conquer much of the world within a span of decades, 800 years ago. The rise of the great leader Genghis Khan and the start of the largest contiguous empire in human history was propelled by a temporary run of nice weather.
Microwave radar monitors sliding slopes: Geodesists research in the Alps
The “Steinlehnen” slope in Northern Tyrol (Austria) started to move in 2003. Rockfalls threatened people, streets and buildings. Meanwhile, peace has returned; although the slope is merely “creeping”, Steinlehnen has become an interesting research object for scientists in recent years.
New NASA Van Allen Probes observations helping to improve space weather models
Using data from NASA’s Van Allen Probes, researchers have tested and improved a model to help forecast what’s happening in the radiation environment of near-Earth space — a place seething with fast-moving particles and a space weather system that varies in response to incoming energy and particles from the sun.
Over demanding market affects fisheries more than climate change
Fisheries that rely on short life species, such as shrimp or sardine, have been more affected by climate change, because this phenomenon affects chlorophyll production, which is vital for phytoplankton, the main food for both species.
Plasma plumes help shield Earth from damaging solar storms
Scientists have identified a plasma plume that naturally protects the Earth against solar storms. Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetosphere, stretches from the planet’s core out into space, where it meets the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun. For the most part, the magnetosphere acts as a shield to protect Earth from this high-energy solar activity. But when this field comes into contact with the sun’s magnetic field — a process called “magnetic reconnection” — powerful electrical currents from the sun can stream into Earth’s atmosphere, whipping up geomagnetic storms and space weather phenomena that can affect high-altitude aircraft, as well as astronauts on the International Space Station. Now scientists have identified a process in Earth’s magnetosphere that reinforces its shielding effect, keeping incoming solar energy at bay.
Remote sensing moisture model could aid farmers
Global farmers could get better decision-making help as refinements are made to North Alabama soil moisture modeling research being done by an atmospheric science doctoral student. The models, using satellite data, indicate how much added moisture would be needed in a given area versus historical data to achieve various crop yields, and they could aid in making expensive infrastructure investments by helping to determine their economic viability.
How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe’s climate
The open air plays of the ancient Greeks may offer us a valuable insight into the Mediterranean climate of the time, reports new research. Using historical observations from artwork and plays, scientists identified ‘halcyon days’, of theater friendly weather in mid-winter.
EARTHQUAKES
After major earthquake, silence: Dynamic stressing of a global system of faults results in rare seismic silence
In the global aftershock zone that followed the major April 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake, seismologists noticed an unusual pattern — a dynamic ‘stress shadow,’ or period of seismic silence when some faults near failure were temporarily rendered incapable of a large rupture. Why did this rare period of quiet occur?
Urbanization exposes French cities to greater seismic risk
French researchers have looked into data mining to develop a method for extracting information on the vulnerability of cities in regions of moderate risk, creating a proxy for assessing the probable resilience of buildings and infrastructure despite incomplete seismic inventories of buildings. The research exposes significant vulnerability in regions that have experienced an ‘explosion of urbanization.’
Activity more than location affects perception of earthquakes
A new study by Italian researchers suggests that a person’s activity at the time of the quake influences their perception of shaking more than their location. Whether a person is at rest or walking plays a greater role in their perception of ground motion than whether they were asleep on the first or sixth floor of a building. People in motion had the worst perception.
Japanese Town: Half the survivors of mega-earthquake, tsunami, have PTSD symptoms
A new study shows that more than half the survivors in one Japanese town exhibited ‘clinically concerning’ symptoms of PTSD following the country’s mega-earthquake and tsunami. Two-thirds of survivors also reported symptoms of depression. Having work to do has proven important in increasing resilience.
When disaster strikes: Safeguarding networks
Disasters both natural and human-caused can damage or destroy data and communications networks. New information on strategies that can mitigate the impacts of these disasters.
Insights into plate tectonics, the forces behind earthquakes, volcanoes
The Earth’s outer layer is made up of a series of moving, interacting plates whose motion at the surface generates earthquakes, creates volcanoes and builds mountains. Geoscientists have long sought to understand the plates’ fundamental properties and the mechanisms that cause them to move and drift, and the questions have become the subjects of lively debate. A new study is a significant step toward answering those questions.
Gauging what it takes to heal a disaster-ravaged forest: Case study in China
Recovering from natural disasters usually means rebuilding infrastructure and reassembling human lives. Yet ecologically sensitive areas need to heal, too, and scientists are pioneering new methods to assess nature’s recovery and guide human intervention. A new study focused on the epicenter of China’s devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, a globally important valuable biodiversity hotspot and home to the beloved and endangered giant pandas. Not only did the quake devastate villages and roads, but the earth split open and swallowed sections of the forests and bamboo groves that shelter and feed pandas and other endangered wildlife. The study indicated that forest restoration after natural disasters should not only consider the forest itself, but also take into account the animals inhabiting the ecosystem and human livelihoods.
TSUNAMIS
After major earthquake, silence: Dynamic stressing of a global system of faults results in rare seismic silence
In the global aftershock zone that followed the major April 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake, seismologists noticed an unusual pattern — a dynamic ‘stress shadow,’ or period of seismic silence when some faults near failure were temporarily rendered incapable of a large rupture. Why did this rare period of quiet occur?
Japanese Town: Half the survivors of mega-earthquake, tsunami, have PTSD symptoms
A new study shows that more than half the survivors in one Japanese town exhibited ‘clinically concerning’ symptoms of PTSD following the country’s mega-earthquake and tsunami. Two-thirds of survivors also reported symptoms of depression. Having work to do has proven important in increasing resilience.
What has happened to the tsunami debris from Japan?
The amount of debris in the ocean is growing exponentially, becoming more and more hazardous and harmful to marine life and therefore to our ocean food source. Measuring and tracking the movements of such debris are still in their infancy. The driftage generated by the tragic 2011 tsunami in Japan gave scientists a unique chance to learn about the effects of the ocean and wind on floating materials as they move across the North Pacific Ocean.
Outsmarting nature during disasters: Instead of winging it, planners need to think carefully about costs and benefits
The dramatic images of natural disasters, including hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the Tohoku, Japan, earthquake and tsunami, show that nature, not the people preparing for hazards, often wins the high-stakes game of chance. In a recent presentation, a geophysicist uses general principles and case studies to explore how communities can do better by taking an integrated view of natural hazards issues, rather than treating the relevant geoscience, engineering, economics and policy formulation separately.
Indigenous response to natural disaster illuminated by study
When a tsunami struck American Samoa in 2009, indigenous institutions on the islands provided effective disaster relief that could help federal emergency managers in similar communities nationwide, according to a study.
Is there an ocean beneath our feet? Ocean water may reach upper mantle through deep sea faults
Scientists have shown that deep sea fault zones could transport much larger amounts of water from Earth’s oceans to the upper mantle than previously thought.
Scientists anticipated size and location of 2012 Costa Rica earthquake
Scientists using GPS to study changes in the Earth’s shape accurately forecasted the size and location of the magnitude 7.6 Nicoya earthquake that occurred in 2012 in Costa Rica.
