Thursday, December 19News That Matters

Tag: coastal disaster

Cyclone Dana Hits India’s East Coast Massive Evacuations and Restoration Efforts Underway

Cyclone Dana Hits India’s East Coast Massive Evacuations and Restoration Efforts Underway

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
Cyclone Dana, which struck India’s eastern coast late Thursday night, brought heavy rains and fierce winds, impacting daily life in Odisha and West Bengal. With extensive civic disruptions, damage to crops, and uprooted trees, over 700,000 residents have been evacuated to shelters in anticipation of the cyclone’s severe effects. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi praised the state’s successful ‘Zero Casualty’ mission, confirming no fatalities were reported. Here's a concise update on Cyclone Dana’s impact and recovery efforts: •Cyclone Dana’s landfall started just after midnight and continued for nearly 10 hours, heavily impacting Odisha and West Bengal coasts. •In Odisha, close to 600,000 people were evacuated, including 6,000 pregnant women moved to health facilities. •Restor...
Cyclone Dana Approaches Odisha and West Bengal: Heavy Rainfall and Evacuations Underway

Cyclone Dana Approaches Odisha and West Bengal: Heavy Rainfall and Evacuations Underway

Breaking News, Disasters
Cyclone Dana is inching closer to the coast of Odisha and West Bengal, bringing with it heavy rainfall and high-speed winds, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclone, which has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, is expected to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha early Friday, with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph). The storm is currently positioned 280 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 370 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal) as of Thursday morning. Several districts in both states, including Kolkata, are already experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall as the cyclone approaches. Heavy Rainfall and Wind Alerts The IMD has issued warnings of gale winds reaching speeds of 90-100 ...
Scientists Explore Diamonds in the Sky Could Nanoparticles Help Cool the Planet?

Scientists Explore Diamonds in the Sky Could Nanoparticles Help Cool the Planet?

Breaking News, Idea & Innovations
Diamonds Heist movies are seldom about solving climate change, and for a good reason. Nobody wants to hear a voice murmur from the back seat as George Clooney tears down the highway with a dump truck full of stolen diamonds, "Hey, let's crush these sparkle-puppies into powder and scatter them through the stratosphere to cool the planet." However, a team of researchers, led by climate scientist Sandro Vattioni from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, have done the math on which materials would be most suitable for a stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) method of global cooling, concluding that a few hundred trillion dollars' worth of diamond nanoparticles could be a viable solution. Before you start looking for a wise-cracking safe-cracker, a silent contortionist, and a wily femme fatale to c...
Crucial Climate Processes Weaken as CO2 Absorption by Trees Collapses, Study Reveals

Crucial Climate Processes Weaken as CO2 Absorption by Trees Collapses, Study Reveals

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
The natural processes that help regulate Earth’s temperature are showing signs of alarming decline, according to a recent study that reports a sharp drop in the ability of trees and land to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). In 2023, almost no CO2 was absorbed by forests and other land-based ecosystems, one of the planet’s crucial mechanisms for cooling the atmosphere. The weakening of these carbon sinks raises concerns over the increasing impact of climate change. The study, titled "Low Latency Carbon Budget Analysis Reveals a Large Decline of the Land Carbon Sink in 2023," highlights a record-breaking rise in CO2 levels. It recorded an unprecedented CO2 growth rate of 3.37 parts per million (PPM) at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, marking an 86% increase compared to the previous year and th...
Revolutionizing Seismology: Machine Learning in Earthquake Detection

Revolutionizing Seismology: Machine Learning in Earthquake Detection

Breaking News, Disasters
In 2017, Ross experienced a breakthrough that could reshape the field of seismology. Observing the prowess of machine learning programs in processing and categorizing vast sets of images with unmatched speed and accuracy, he wondered: could this technology be adapted to detect earthquakes? Ross and his team began their innovative journey by collecting seismic waveforms from across Southern California, using data previously identified by scientists as genuine earthquakes. They created templates—essentially, snapshots of each earthquake's unique seismic wave pattern. With these templates in hand, they developed an algorithm designed to comb through seismic records, searching for quakes that matched these specific patterns. However, the initial program had its limitations. It was a prec...
Northeast Monsoon Intensifies Over Tamil Nadu: Heavy Rains Expected in Chennai and Surrounding Districts

Northeast Monsoon Intensifies Over Tamil Nadu: Heavy Rains Expected in Chennai and Surrounding Districts

Breaking News, Disasters
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Wednesday that the Northeast Monsoon is in full force over Tamil Nadu, predicting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in certain districts, including Chennai, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, and Kanchipuram. Over the past 24 hours, several areas in the state have already experienced significant rainfall, with five locations recording extremely heavy rains, 48 recording very heavy rains, and 21 reporting heavy rainfall. S Balachandran, Director of the Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre, confirmed that the recorded rainfall for Tamil Nadu since October 1 has reached 138 mm. A depression is currently moving towards the northwest, with expectations that it will cross the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Nellore and P...
China’s $300 Million Neutrino Observatory to Launch Soon, Aiming to Solve Particle Physics Mysteries

China’s $300 Million Neutrino Observatory to Launch Soon, Aiming to Solve Particle Physics Mysteries

Breaking News, Environment, Space
In a monumental step for particle physics, China's Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), located 700 meters underground in southern Guangdong province, is set to begin gathering data on one of the most elusive subatomic particles neutrinos. The $300 million facility, which has been under construction for years, aims to shed light on some of the biggest mysteries in the universe, including the mass hierarchy of neutrinos and their role in the early stages of cosmic evolution. JUNO’s centerpiece is a giant spherical detector, surrounded by thousands of light-detecting tubes, encased in a 12-story cylindrical water pool. This sophisticated apparatus will help scientists track and analyze neutrinos, particles generated by nuclear reactions, such as those occurring in the sun or ...
FEMA Opens New Disaster Recovery Centers in the CSRA Following Hurricane Damage

FEMA Opens New Disaster Recovery Centers in the CSRA Following Hurricane Damage

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
FEMA has established new Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) across the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) to assist residents affected by the recent hurricane. A new center opened at the Nancy Carson Library in Aiken County, adding to the existing centers in Barnwell, Richmond, and Washington Counties. FEMA’s goal is to establish a DRC in every county impacted by the hurricane, and more centers are expected to open soon. Nikki Gaskins-Campbell, FEMA’s Media Relations Specialist, highlighted the importance of these centers in providing disaster relief. "If you suffered damage to your primary residence in South Carolina or Georgia and live in one of the eligible counties, you may be eligible for disaster assistance. Come out and get in touch with FEMA," she said. At the North Augusta cen...
How Climate Change is Fueling Unpredictable and Intensified Storms: Urgent Need for Adaptation and Advanced Forecasting

How Climate Change is Fueling Unpredictable and Intensified Storms: Urgent Need for Adaptation and Advanced Forecasting

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
As global temperatures rise and ocean heat reaches record levels, the world’s most powerful storms hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones are undergoing unprecedented transformations. These changes are pushing scientists to rethink how we understand and predict these storms, often called “nature’s steam engines” due to their ability to convert ocean heat into massive kinetic energy. The consequences of these more intense, unpredictable storms are severe, and scientists are racing to understand the evolving patterns to adapt and protect vulnerable communities. How Climate Change is Redefining Storm Dynamics Rising Ocean Temperatures Hurricanes draw their energy from warm ocean waters. As global warming drives sea temperatures to new highs, the energy available for storms in...
Study Links Microplastics to Urinary Tract Health Risks, Urges Global Action

Study Links Microplastics to Urinary Tract Health Risks, Urges Global Action

Breaking News, Disasters, Environment
A new study has found alarming evidence of microplastic contamination in human organs, challenging previous reports that downplayed the health risks associated with these pollutants. Led by researchers from Bond University, the study reviewed 18 earlier investigations and discovered the presence of microplastics in kidney, urine, and bladder cancer samples, raising concerns about their potential impact on human health. Microplastics tiny plastic particles resulting from the global use and disposal of plastics have already been detected in the air, water, soil, food, and even human tissues. The 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) report claimed that microplastics in drinking water posed no significant risk to human health, but this new research suggests otherwise. Key Findings: Micro...