A 7.2 earthquake was reported by the U.S Geological Survey off the coast of Indonesia. The quake was 96 miles deep, too deep to cause a tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/2012121072-magnitude_earthquake_reported_off_indonesia/srvc=news&position=recent_bullet
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/10/72-quake-hits-off-coast-indonesia/
Monday, December 10, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Cheatgrass making wildfires worse
Cheatgrass thrives in arid climates and grows as high as a horses knee. A major problem that comes with the growth of cheatgrass is that it burns a lot. It grows fast in spring and spreads out between native plants. By summer the grass has died and becomes a serious fire hazard.
Jennifer Blanch studies fires says that cheatgrass doubles the chance of fire in the Great Basin. When the grass dies it becomes a blanket of fuel. Ways to try and prevent fire from spreading would be to plant vegetation around the cheatgrass that is less flammable. They also mention a fungus called "black fingers of death" that kills cheatgrass, but what it could do with other plants could be a big risk if it's introduced to the area.
http://www.npr.org/2012/12/05/166574589/in-arid-west-cheatgrass-turns-fires-into-infernos
7.3 Earthquake in Japan
The northeast coast of Japan was hit with a 7.3 earthquake Friday. The earthquake resulted in a one meter (three foot) tsunami. Last year this same area was hit with a much larger earthquake and tsunami that caused a nucular crisis and killed thousands. This earthquake was farther out to sea, about 22 miles from Tokyo.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Earthquake in Guatemala
On Wednesday a 7.4 earthquake was reported 15 miles offshore of Guatemala. So far the death toll is at 45 people. The earthquake caused landslides. These landslides have cut off highways in the western portion of the country. It is expected to take 24 hours to get roads ready for travel, until then citizens are encouraged not to travel and avoid tall buildings.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-earthquake-rocks-guatem/1236750
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-earthquake-rocks-guatem/1236750
Brutus... Snow in West and Midwest
In the western portion of the country, winter storm Brutus is brewing.
With this storm there will be snow and wind on the cold side and a warm sector with potential sever weather.
Currently there is a strong low pressure system over the Rockies and a strong high pressure zone in Canada. These two coming together will create wind driven snow.
Montana is expected to get hit with the worst of it. There are already blizzard warnings going through Saturday. Parts of Montana and North Dakota are expected to get over a foot of snow.
Into the weekend, the storm will move into the Plains and Midwestern states. As it does this it will come in contact with warm air coming from the Gulf of Mexico. The cold front going into the warm air will create a lot of energy in the upper atmosphere. This then has the potential for severe thunderstorms stretching from Minneapolis to Dallas.
This storm is something to keep an eye on because it could be affecting us here in Wisconsin. We could be receiving some thunderstorms with damaging winds.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-brutus-snow-blizzard
With this storm there will be snow and wind on the cold side and a warm sector with potential sever weather.
Currently there is a strong low pressure system over the Rockies and a strong high pressure zone in Canada. These two coming together will create wind driven snow.
Montana is expected to get hit with the worst of it. There are already blizzard warnings going through Saturday. Parts of Montana and North Dakota are expected to get over a foot of snow.
Into the weekend, the storm will move into the Plains and Midwestern states. As it does this it will come in contact with warm air coming from the Gulf of Mexico. The cold front going into the warm air will create a lot of energy in the upper atmosphere. This then has the potential for severe thunderstorms stretching from Minneapolis to Dallas.
This storm is something to keep an eye on because it could be affecting us here in Wisconsin. We could be receiving some thunderstorms with damaging winds.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-brutus-snow-blizzard
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Huge plugs could have spared subway flooding...
The federal government is creating inflatable plugs to protect subway tunnels from terrorist attacks. The cool thing about these plugs is that they could also be used to protect the subways from flooding during natural disasters.
In January a plug was successfully tested by the Department of Homeland Security using pressurized water. Another test is scheduled for next week for the Resilient Tunnel Project.
Only one plug has been manufactured so far and it will be a couple years before the product is ready to be marketed to the nation's transit and highway authorities.
Greg Holter of the Pacific Northwest National Labority said "If we would have had these things installed in the right places (New York), they could have made a terrific difference. The problem is we don't have a stock of things that we could put in place. It's not like we have a bunch of these sitting in a warehouse. It's a little frustrating really that we weren't at a better stage at this thing."
The plugs are like inflatable balloons that fit to the shape of the tunnel. Team members working on the project say these plugs could have prevented flooding in some tunnels under New York's East River, but not in the porous subway stations. Plug would be made to fit the specific dimensions of the tunnels with the ability to expand or contrast at less than 1%. It is estimated to be cheaper than installing floodgates at $400,000 and with the possibility of being cheaper if manufactured in quantities.
This new technology could be part of future security and prevention.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/us/new-york-subway-plugs/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
There is a video on the webpage that shows the plug being inflated.
In January a plug was successfully tested by the Department of Homeland Security using pressurized water. Another test is scheduled for next week for the Resilient Tunnel Project.
Only one plug has been manufactured so far and it will be a couple years before the product is ready to be marketed to the nation's transit and highway authorities.
Greg Holter of the Pacific Northwest National Labority said "If we would have had these things installed in the right places (New York), they could have made a terrific difference. The problem is we don't have a stock of things that we could put in place. It's not like we have a bunch of these sitting in a warehouse. It's a little frustrating really that we weren't at a better stage at this thing."
The plugs are like inflatable balloons that fit to the shape of the tunnel. Team members working on the project say these plugs could have prevented flooding in some tunnels under New York's East River, but not in the porous subway stations. Plug would be made to fit the specific dimensions of the tunnels with the ability to expand or contrast at less than 1%. It is estimated to be cheaper than installing floodgates at $400,000 and with the possibility of being cheaper if manufactured in quantities.
This new technology could be part of future security and prevention.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/us/new-york-subway-plugs/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
There is a video on the webpage that shows the plug being inflated.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Food Distribution Disrupted by Sandy
"Thousands of truckloads of food that were headed for stores in the Northeast are stuck on roadsides and in warehouses following the crippling blow Hurricane Sandy dealt to the nation's food distribution system."
Hurricane Sandy has halted the distribution of food to affected areas, but no one is concerned about major short-term food shortages.
One main issue is that businesses are out of power and have not reopened their doors. Preparations made before the storm have many grocery stores and warehouses stocked with a couple weeks worth of food, these places are equipped with back up generators. Ed Chouinard of Perishable Distribution Solutions (PDS) says "...people don't shop much for food if they've got no power. There's more likely to be a surge in demand when the power comes back on, because then everyone is restocking. But there wont be a shortage."
97 grocery stores were forced to close in New Jersey and now some have reopened and according to one New Jersey resident they were stocked with firewood and ice, along with food.
Charles Wilson, VP of corporate communications at Sysco, said they worked prior to the storm to make sure their clients had enough supplies in advance, until they could get back on the roads. He also said they have been working with disaster relief agencies to make sure we are one of the first responders and we're ready to go back in as soon as it's safe."
Prolonged power outages are a problem for perishable foods and the spread of food born illnesses. Making sure food is kept cold enough so bacteria does not spread is important for stores, businesses, and individuals.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/hurricane-sandy-disrupts-food-distribution_n_2049778.html?1351703911
Hurricane Sandy has halted the distribution of food to affected areas, but no one is concerned about major short-term food shortages.
One main issue is that businesses are out of power and have not reopened their doors. Preparations made before the storm have many grocery stores and warehouses stocked with a couple weeks worth of food, these places are equipped with back up generators. Ed Chouinard of Perishable Distribution Solutions (PDS) says "...people don't shop much for food if they've got no power. There's more likely to be a surge in demand when the power comes back on, because then everyone is restocking. But there wont be a shortage."
97 grocery stores were forced to close in New Jersey and now some have reopened and according to one New Jersey resident they were stocked with firewood and ice, along with food.
Charles Wilson, VP of corporate communications at Sysco, said they worked prior to the storm to make sure their clients had enough supplies in advance, until they could get back on the roads. He also said they have been working with disaster relief agencies to make sure we are one of the first responders and we're ready to go back in as soon as it's safe."
Prolonged power outages are a problem for perishable foods and the spread of food born illnesses. Making sure food is kept cold enough so bacteria does not spread is important for stores, businesses, and individuals.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/hurricane-sandy-disrupts-food-distribution_n_2049778.html?1351703911
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