Disasters Archives - Page 34 of 42

Jun152024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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

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

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

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...

Jun122024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Research Highlights Earthquake Threat in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Breaking News, Disasters

The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), a major geological faultline stretching 1,000 kilometers from Northern California to British Columbia, Canada, is under renewed scientific scrutiny. This zone, marking the boundary between the Juan de Fuca and North American tectonic plates, is not only a key interest for geologists but also a potential source of one of the most powerful earthquakes and tsunamis the world could experience. A new study published in Science Advances on June 7, has brought this peril into sharper focus, indicating that regions within the CSZ might rupture individually or simultaneously, leading to varying impacts. The study underscores the significant threat posed by the CSZ, where massive earthquakes have the potential to generate tsunamis over 100 feet high. Harold Tob...

Jun112024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Progress and Challenges in Disaster Management Amid Climate Change

Breaking News, Disasters

Despite the increasing intensity and frequency of climate-related disasters such as cyclones, floods, and droughts, global deaths from these catastrophes are decreasing thanks to improved warning systems, planning, and resilience measures, according to Kamal Kishore, the new United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for disaster risk reduction. Kishore highlights a significant shift in disaster outcomes: "Twenty years ago, there was no tsunami early warning system except for one small part of the world. Now the whole world is covered by a tsunami warning system." This improvement has drastically reduced fatalities from tsunamis since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed approximately 230,000 lives. Similarly, early warnings for tropical cyclones have significantly d...

Jun92024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Cascadia Subduction Zone One of Earth’s Top Hazards, Comes into Sharper Focus

Breaking News, Disasters, Idea & Innovations

Off the coasts of southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northern California lies a 600-mile-long strip where the Pacific Ocean floor is slowly diving eastward under North America. This area, called the Cascadia Subduction Zone, hosts a megathrust fault, a place where tectonic plates move against each other in a highly dangerous way. The plates can periodically lock up and build stress over wide areas eventually to be released when they finally lurch against each other. The result: the world's greatest earthquakes, shaking both seabed and land, and generating tsunamis 100 feet high or more. Such a fault off Japan caused the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Similar zones exist off Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand, among other places. At Cascadia, big quakes are believed to c...

Jun82024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Mysterious Neutron Star Emits Unprecedented Signals, Baffling Astronomers

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

Astronomers are grappling with a perplexing signal emanating from a distant neutron star, ASKAP J193505.1+214841.0 (ASKAP J1935+2148), located about 15,820 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way's plane. The enigmatic star emits a series of pulses ranging from strong to weak, interspersed with periods of silence that challenge existing models of neutron star behavior. An Unprecedented Signal The peculiar signals from ASKAP J1935+2148 were first detected serendipitously during observations for another project. Follow-up studies using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa revealed a regular 53.8-minute pulsation period. However, the nature of these pulses deviates significantly from known neutron star patterns. Neut...

Jun72024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Delhi to Establish heatstroke rooms with fire precautions at health care facilities amid to National heat crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters

As heat waves grip many parts of the country, the Center has directed states and Union Territories to review and ensure the establishment of dedicated heatstroke rooms in all healthcare facilities, along with critical fire and electrical safety measures. The temperature goes rise up from 46 degree Celsius above to 51 degree Celsius in various districts in Delhi state. The red alert were already given to the general public and municipalities. Dr. Atul Goel of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) held a virtual meeting with state and UT officials to review preparedness for heat conditions and review fire safety protocols at health facilities across the country. The Center has issued recommendations to state health departments to strengthen health systems against heat-relat...

Jun42024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

El Nino Weather Pattern Cause High Global temperatures and Extreme Hearwave in 2024

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters

Record warmth has been easing as El Niño shows signs of ending. The return of the cold weather phenomenon La Nina this year should help bring down temperatures after several months of record global heat, the United Nations Weather Agency said on Monday. The impact is likely to be felt in the coming months as the El Nino weather pattern that causes global temperatures and extreme weather from mid-2023 "shows signs of ending," the UN's World Meteorological Organization said in its latest update. The WMO warns, however, that global temperatures will rise in the long term due to human-caused climate change, which continues to worsen extreme climates and increase seasonal rainfall and weather. La Nina is associated with cooling sea surface temperatures, changes in wind, rainfall, and ...