June 2024 - Page 4 of 7 - Disasters News

Jun162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Neptune Changes Color From Blue to Pale Yellow in image shown by NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) often captures stunning images of our universe that amaze space enthusiasts. NASA's social media accounts are gold for those who love educational videos and fun pictures of Earth and space. The agency's Voyager 2 spacecraft shared a photo of Neptune's south pole in its latest post. The image shows Neptune's south pole. NASA aptly described the image as "the curve at the bottom of the image is like a smile. From left to right, the planet changes color from blue to pale yellow." The space agency wrote on Instagram: "Our Voyager 2 spacecraft took this image of Neptune's south pole as it flew past the planet in 1989. Here's an interesting fact about Neptune's south pole: It's about 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer tha...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Slowing of Earth’s Inner Core May Alter Length of Days, Study Reveals

Breaking News, Space

A groundbreaking study has found "clear evidence" that the Earth's inner core has slowed its rotation relative to the planet's surface since 2010, potentially affecting the length of a day by a fraction of a second. The inner core, a solid sphere of iron and nickel, is encased within the liquid outer core and stabilized by gravity. Researchers typically study the core through seismograms, which record waves generated by earthquakes. "When I first saw the seismograms showing these changes, I was shocked," said John Widale, Earth sciences professor at the University of Southern California. "But after finding dozens more observations with the same pattern, the conclusion was inescapable. The inner core has slowed down for the first time in decades," added Widale, co-author of the study ...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Microplastics Detected in Human Semen: Scientists Sound Alarm Over Pervasive Pollution’s Potential Reproductive Impact

Breaking News, Disasters, Environment

Scientists are finding microplastics in virtually every nook and cranny they inspect in the human body. The alarming discoveries are now stacking up with such speed, there's barely any time to let the news sink in before another part of our anatomy joins the list of contaminated sites. Shortly after researchers in the US confirmed that microplastics had infiltrated the tissue in human testicles, researchers in China have now detected the pollutants in sperm as well. The team found microscopic fragments of plastic in every sample of seminal fluid supplied by 36 male participants from inland China. Polystyrene (PS) particles were the most abundant type found, making up nearly a third of the plastic identified in the average sample. Researchers aren't sure, but they suspect that the ...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Haryana Chief Secretary Declares Solid Waste Emergency in Gurugram: Urgent Measures Launched Following Supreme Court Directive

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad announced that there is a huge amount of solid waste in Gurugram due to the large amount of untreated sewage, which is adversely affecting the environment and public health. The move is in response to the Supreme Court's May 13 judgment and the National Green Tribunal's observations on the need for a cleaner environment. In its May 13 decision, the Supreme Court said that a large amount of unprocessed solid waste destroys the environment, which is the main factor affecting the unpolluted life of citizens guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution. The NGT, in its order dated September 23, 2022, observed that the situation is an environmental emergency, but the required seriousness has not yet been resolved. The chief secretary, in an order issued...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Huge Success for Ozone Layer: Scientists Hail Rapid Decline in Harmful Gases, Thanks to Montreal Protocol

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Scientists said on Tuesday that international efforts to protect the ozone layer had been a "huge success" after they revealed that the harmful gas in the atmosphere is declining faster than previously thought. The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, aims to detect ozone-depleting substances found mainly in refrigerants, air conditioners, and aerosol sprays. New research has found that atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), harmful gases that cause holes in the ozone layer, will rise in 2021—five years earlier than predicted. "This is a big achievement. We can see that things are going in the right direction," the lead author of the study, Luke Western, from the from the University of Bristol in England, told AFP. The most harmful CFCs were phased out in 2010 to...

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Scientists Warn Cascadia Faultline Could Trigger Catastrophic Earthquake and Tsunami on West Coast

Breaking News, Disasters

Scientists have raised alarms about the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an underwater faultline off the west coast of America, that could unleash a devastating earthquake and tsunami at any moment. This faultline spans 600 miles (966 kilometers) from Southern Canada to Northern California. Recent underwater mapping has revealed that this faultline, typically divided into two parts, is now splitting into four sections, indicating heightened risk. The Cascadia Subduction Zone has been identified as a major geological threat due to its immense potential for seismic activity. If there is even slight movement in the tectonic plates here, it could trigger catastrophic destruction. Scientists warn that this faultline could generate an earthquake with a magnitude exceeding 9.0, far surpassing the cap...

Jun142024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Machine Learning Revolutionizes Climate Modeling: Faster, Cheaper, and More Accurate Predictions for Cities

Breaking News, Climate Actions

New Study Finds Breakthrough in Using AI for Detailed Climate Forecasting. Climate models are a key technology in predicting the impacts of climate change. By running simulations of the Earth's climate, scientists and policymakers can estimate conditions like sea level rise, flooding, and rising temperatures, and make decisions about how to appropriately respond. However, current climate models struggle to provide this information quickly or affordably enough to be useful on smaller scales, such as the size of a city. Now, authors of a new open-access paper published in the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems have found a method to leverage machine learning to utilize the benefits of current climate models while reducing the computational costs needed to run them. "It turns...

Jun142024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

NASA Confirms Disturbing Climate Milestone: 12 Consecutive Months of Record High Temperatures

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Understanding the current climate crisis isn't just about grasping complex variables it's about confronting stark facts. Here's one that should grab attention: every single month over the past year has set a new global temperature record for that month. NASA's latest data for May 2024 continues a worrying trend of record-breaking temperatures observed since June 2023. April, March, February, and January all saw unprecedented highs, following a similar pattern throughout 2023, from June to December. "This streak is unprecedented in our records and signals a deepening climate crisis," states NASA administrator Bill Nelson. "Communities worldwide, from Arizona to California to Nevada, are experiencing extreme heat at levels never before seen." Clear Alarming Trend The graph depict...

Jun142024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Massive Teesta Valley Floods: What Happened and What Needs to Be Done Now

Breaking News, Disasters

The Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative (DHI) recently submitted a comprehensive report to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) of West Bengal and Sikkim regarding the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) that ravaged the Teesta Valley in October 2023. This report, based on observations and interactions with affected individuals, was created in collaboration with SaveTheHills and contains vital recommendations to mitigate future disasters. Background of the Disaster In the early hours of October 4, 2023, a catastrophic GLOF event occurred from the South Lhonak Glacier. This disaster, compounded by a massive dam breach at Chungthang, unleashed devastating floods across the Teesta Valley, resulting in significant loss of life ...

Jun132024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Emergency on the ISS? Leaked Audio of Training Exercise Triggers Brief Earth Panic

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

Audio of a flight surgeon dealing with an emergency on the International Space Station (ISS) while she was stuck in traffic triggered a brief panic on the evening of June 12 CDT. The unnamed speaker appeared to be conducting a phone call with an unheard conversant, discussing a situation in which an unnamed commander would require hyperbaric treatment after an event that left them with decompression sickness. "Unfortunately, the prognosis for commander is relatively tenuous, I'll say, to keep it generic," the speaker is heard saying. ISS mission control has now confirmed that the audio was a ground simulation that was broadcast to the ISS livestream channel by mistake, and all crew members were safely asleep at the time of the broadcast. The audio, clipped from the livestream a...