Week ending Friday, April 2, 2021
Ursine Illness
California wildlife officials warn that a new unexplained neurological illness is causing some black bear cubs in the state to exhibit overly friendly “doglike” behavior with humans. Several have been fearlessly eating and camping out in backyards as humans look on. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says one young bear that was picked up was lethargic and underweight, displaying head tremors and a subtle head tilt. Encephalitis, or brain inflammation, appears to be the cause. “At this point, we don’t know what causes the encephalitis, so we don’t know what, if any, health risks these bears might pose to other animals,” CDFW wildlife veterinarian Brandon Munk said.
Earthquakes
Tokyo and surrounding areas were jolted by a moderate tremor centered beneath the Pacific.
• Earth movements were also felt in northern Taiwan, central New Guinea and along the California-Baja California border.
Arctic Lightning
With the region around the North Pole heating up much faster than any other area of the planet due to climate change, atmospheric and space physicists from the University of Washington say the amount of lightning in the Arctic has grown by more than 300 percent during the past 11 years. They made the conclusion by looking at data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network. While the scientists say they have no proof of a link between the warming and lightning increase, it is well known that the Arctic has typically been far too cold in the past to support the kind of updrafts that create thunderstorms and the accompanying lightning.
Stronger Cyclones
An international analysis of 90 studies on global heating and tropical cyclone intensity found evidence that climate change from carbon emissions is probably fueling more powerful hurricanes and typhoons. Writing in the journal ScienceBrief Review, researchers say the recent trend of explosive tropical cyclone strengthening along with their formation and paths across new regions are consistent with the predictions for our warming planet. They say that since about 1980, the intensity of tropical cyclones has increased globally, especially in the North Atlantic basin.
Towering Disease
The Kenya Wildlife Service is investigating a mysterious skin disease that has killed more than 10 giraffes in the far northeast of the country. The illness was first reported last May, with six of the animals dying within the following five months. It eventually spreads to the mouth, where it interferes with the giraffes’ ability to eat. The local reticulated giraffes, also known as Somali giraffes, have been recently under threat from poaching because livestock markets in the region have been closed due to the pandemic. Locals also believe the animals’ meat boosts libido, making them a target for slaughter.
Coldest Ever
A U.S. research satellite detected a record-low temperature for the planet, which occurred atop a supercharged thunderstorm in the tropical Pacific just over three years ago. Sensors aboard the NOAA-20 spacecraft found the temperature in an “overshooting top” of a soaring cumulonimbus cloud plunged to -160 degrees F. While overshooting tops are common in thunderstorms, intense updrafts inside a thunderhead on Dec. 29, 2018, about 300 miles south of Naura Island in Micronesia, sent the top of the cloud punching into the lower stratosphere. This was in part due to the very warm ocean waters below. Such intense storms have become more frequent.
Eruptions
The eruption of Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano has continued for two months, with its ash destroying avocado and coffee crops and blanketing villages.
• The latest eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Merapi sent lava and superheated clouds of ash and vapor down its flanks in central Java.
Dist. by: Andrews McMeel Syndication
©MMXXI Earth Environment Service
