Author Archives: marcia

El Hierro Update — 6/14

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El Hierro Volcano : Green and Yellow alert – 19 Earthquakes today, some of M 2.5+

Last update: June 14, 2012 at 2:54 pm by By

Update 14/06 – 13:00 UTC
– An increasing number of earthquakes, what is called an earthquake swarm, took place in the early hours this morning. Up to 19 earthquakes in less than 3 hours. Magnitudes have been high, with one reaching M 2.8. All  depths in between 19 and 26 km. According to IGN this is normal and part of the seismic process and not the eruption.
-Map done by AVCAN website with full list of earthquakes here:

Event Date Time Lat Lon Depth
(km)		 Mag Location
1148498 14/06/2012 04:00:02 27.7251 -17.9972 20 0.5 NW EL PINAR.IHI
1148500 14/06/2012 04:32:09 27.7622 -18.0380 22 1.5 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148507 14/06/2012 04:40:20 27.7481 -18.0339 20 2.3 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148514 14/06/2012 04:46:49 27.7432 -18.0379 23 1.4 SW FRONTERA.IHI
1148515 14/06/2012 04:52:39 27.7834 -18.0411 24 1.9 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148530 14/06/2012 04:59:27 27.7873 -18.0422 21 1.3 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148531 14/06/2012 05:00:00 27.7596 -18.0381 26 1.4 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148542 14/06/2012 05:14:10 27.7519 -18.0415 22 1.6 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148536 14/06/2012 05:15:10 27.7306 -18.0264 22 1.9 SW FRONTERA.IHI
1148544 14/06/2012 05:22:16 27.7896 -18.0447 20 1.7 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148546 14/06/2012 05:27:00 27.7569 -18.0432 23 1.3 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148547 14/06/2012 05:34:31 27.8004 -18.0500 19 1.3 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148549 14/06/2012 05:34:56 27.7735 -18.0356 21 1.5 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148559 14/06/2012 05:41:04 27.7853 -18.0509 21 1.8 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148561 14/06/2012 05:54:22 27.8062 -18.0488 20 1.8 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148562 14/06/2012 06:01:52 27.7644 -18.0395 22 2.3 W FRONTERA.IHI
1148563 14/06/2012 06:05:07 27.7794 -18.0525 22 2.8 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148565 14/06/2012 06:06:20 27.7726 -18.0591 23 2.7 NW FRONTERA.IHI
1148568 14/06/2012 07:48:40 27.8015 -18.0680 21 2.1 NW FRONTERA.IHI

 

Update 13/06 – 13:00 UTC
– 2 Earthquakes today after 5 days without any, making a total of 36 earthquakes registered by IGN since 1st June 2012.
– The strongest at 04:57 UTC with a Magnitude 1.8 and depth 25km. At 08:10 UTC a soft movement of Magnitude 0.3 and depth unknown. Both similar location, N Frontera.

Update 10/06 – 15:00 UTC
– Following the update containing the document from ULPGC, here is the video, showing the volcano at different depth, bubbles and fish swimming along. Recorded by the Qstar Crew of the Atlantic Explorer.

Update 09/06
– Joke Volta made a summary of events for the past week which can be download here. Also, here photographs from these days can be downloaded in this zip file here.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/

Turkey/Syria Border — Earthquake

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Strong damaging earthquake hits Turkey near Sirnak and Syria border – 18 injured.

Last update: June 14, 2012 at 2:23 pm by By

The Kandilli Observatory seismology center said a magnitude 5.5 quake struck at a depth of 5.4 kilometers (3.3 miles) on Thursday morning at 8:52 am. ( 05:52 GMT)

At least 18 people have been injured by jumping out of windows and general panic in Silopi. Part of a minaret has also collapsed. This has been deemed CATDAT Orange.

The 18 people wounded in various parts by the panic caused by the earthquake have been discharged from hospital. Aftershocks continue to occur and people are waiting outside. People have been warned not to go back into their homes. The Silopi State Hospital patients due to the earthquake were administered aid in tents.

An initial damage assessment will be undertaken with some slight damage to houses.

Does not enter people’s homes are often warned of the Mayor’s announcement devices. Silopi State Hospital patients due to the earthquake, both installed to discharge into the tent.

Municipal teams had alerted all of the units with their own means creating a crisis desk. Municipality initiated a damage is detected.

 

 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.5Ml (KOERI), 5.3Mb (USGS)
UTC Time : 05:52:53 AM, Thursday, June 14th 2012
Local time at epicenter : 08:52:53 AM, Thursday, June 14th 2012
Depth (Hypocenter) : 5.4km, 9km
Geo-location(s) :

  1. 2km (1mi) ESE of Silopi, Turkey
  2. 20km (12mi) WNW of Zakhu, Iraq
  3. 28km (17mi) ESE of Cizre, Turkey
  4. 31km (19mi) S of Sirnak, Turkey

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/06/14/strong-damaging-earthquake-hits-turkey-near-sirnak-and-syria-border/

 

Vertical Farming

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The Problem

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world’s urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans are protected against the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigors of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate regime, that is not what follows. Massive floods, protracted droughts, class 4-5 hurricanes, and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops. Don’t our harvestable plants deserve the same level of comfort and protection that we now enjoy? The time is at hand for us to learn how to safely grow our food inside environmentally controlled multistory buildings within urban centers. If we do not, then in just another 50 years, the next 3 billion people will surely go hungry, and the world will become a much more unpleasant place in which to live.

 

     

 

Advantages of Vertical Farming

  • Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
  • No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
  • All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
  • VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
  • VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
  • VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
  • VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
    evapotranspiration
  • VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
    parts of plants and animals
  • VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
  • VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
  • VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
  • VF creates new employment opportunities
  • We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
    earth
  • VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
  • VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
    LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
  • VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
    and land for agriculture

from:    http://www.verticalfarm.com/more

 

Turkey – Earthquake 6/11

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Very strong earthquake along the Fethiye, Turkey coast creates panic among tourists and injures +50 people

Last update: June 11, 2012 at 1:18 pm by By

Earthquake overview :  A very strong dangerous earthquake occurred on June 10 at 15:44 local time along the Turkey and Greece Coast and scared hundred thousands of people in tourist destinations like Dalaman, Oludeniz and Fethiye. the earthquake was also well felt in many of the Greek Islands.

: As can be seen on the seismic hazard map below, today’s earthquake does not come as a surprise. The hardest hit locations like Fethiye, Oludeniz and Dalaman are very close to an important fault zone (as well as Rhodos in Greece). Powerful earthquakes may occur up to several tens of km distance from the fault line.

 

Seismic hazard map including the faulting zone

Update : Based on the many reports from earthquake-report.com readers, the highest intensity (shaking) values are reported from Calis, Oludeniz and Fethiye.

Update : Awaiting further news from the epicenter area and because the epicenter looks to be closer to the coast than initially expected, we have raised the Alert status of this earthquake to RED.

Update : A reader in Oludenir reports : Standing on the beach, heard buildings rattle, people shouting then vibration that lasted around 2 seconds. Very slight rock disturbance on mountain to south of beach.

Update : Many aftershocks have been noticed so far and will continue the following hours and days. Tourists will not be sleeping well tonight, locals are more used to earthquakes but are seldom confronted with heavy earthquakes like this one.

Update : USGS has increased his Magnitude to M 5.8, but – good news – the depth was decreased to 39 km (less dangerous). USGS puts his epicenter at only 24 km Oludinez.

Update : Electricity and Mobile communications have been lost in Fethiye. Our readers are reporting heavy shaking in Damalan and Fethiye.

Update : USGS reports a M5.7 Magnitude at a depth of 20 km. 275,000 people will (according to USGS) have felt a moderate shaking. If USGS is right in his expected intensity, earthquake-report.com believes this earthquake not to generate serious damage.
The epicenter of the earthquake is only 31 km SW Fethiye, Turkey (pop 60,437)
Luckily the epicenter is below the sea floor, but the impact will still be considerable in the Turkish cities of Fethiye and Dalaman. Both cities are also Tourist destinations.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw 5.8 to M6.0 depending on the reporting agency
UTC Time :  Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 12:44:17 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 03:44:17 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 39.6 to 43 km depending on the reporting agency
Geo-location(s) :
Approx. 25 km from Oludeniz
31 km SW Fethiye (pop 60,437)
40 km from Dalaman
63 km (39 miles) E of Rodos, Dodecanese Islands, Greece

Update 11/06 – 13:16 UTC  :
– 64 people were treated in the hospitals for “jumping” injuries.
– A big rock avalanche in Fethiye was a major concern but had a happy end
– Some minor damage occurred near the epicenter area

Update : The Turkish authorities told the press that 57 people were counted as injured (52 from Fethiye and 5 from neighboring villages). They said NO tourists were among the wounded …

Update : Earthquake-report.com does thank the many ER readers who have shared their experience with the rest of Turkey, their homeland and the world. We truly appreciate it.

Update 23:55 UTC : At least 51 injured so far. All of the injured have been linked to jumping from balconies and windows. No collapsed houses but cracks have appeared in some walls. The shaking was said to last 1 minute.
As said earlier, Fethiye and Oludeniz are most hurt by this earthquake. More than 30 aftershocks have been reported.

7-8 citizens have been transferred to the hospital. They jumped off their balconies in fear. Apart from that, no damage has yet been reported.

Update 14:28 UTC : At least 15 aftershocks have been noticed so far. Turkish press talks about 7 injured people who are treated in hospitals. All of them have been jumping from their balconies! The Turkish specialized earthquake forces are currently making assessments of eventual damage, but we have no reports from them so far.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/06/11/very-strong-earthquake-along-the-fethiye-turkey-coast-creates-panic-among-tourists-and-injures-50-people/

Dangerous Earthquakes in Afghanistan

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Afghanistan – 2 strong earthquakes hit a populated area! 3+ fatalities + 70 feared dead after landslide

Last update: June 11, 2012 at 3:35 pm by By

On 6/11/2012 5:02:17 AM UTC (about 09:32h local time) an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 occurred in the highly populated region of Baghlan in Afghanistan. The earthquake happened 169km from Kabul.

27 minutes later, a stronger shallower earthquake has occurred. Most people would have been out of their house by the second quake, reducing casualty potential.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 1st- 5.4 Mb AND 2nd- 5.6 Mw
UTC Time : 05:02:17AM, Monday, June 11th, 2012 AND 05:29:14AM, Monday, June 11th, 2012
Local time at epicenter : 09:32:17AM, Monday, June 11th, 2012 AND 09:59:14AM, Monday, June 11th, 2012
Depth (Hypocenter) : 49km (USGS) AND 31km (USGS)
Geo-location(s) : The nearest populated places are: Yakhpaj (19km), Khoshkak (17km), Gavmordeh (8km), Wuch (14km), Daragi (14km), Pashakhana (6km), Godri (2km), Gozar-e Langar (19km), Nahrin (15km), Aqsay (20km), Saqaw (13km), Chashmeh-ye Rabat (16km), Gawmurda (16km), Larak (13km), Akakhel (20km). The closest civilian airport is Kunduz (77km).

IMPORTANT UPDATE 15:30 UTC :
– Rescuers have so far pulled two bodies of women from the rubble of the landslide in Baghlan province and expect many others were buried.
– Afghanistan officials said on Monday that some 70 people were trapped in rubble after mud houses collapsed from two strong earthquakes. Landslides typically cause many deaths from earthquakes.
– The U.N. confirmed one other death and said houses were destroyed across five districts.

IMPORTANT UPDATE 13:30 UTC :
– 3 people have been confirmed dead so far
– More than 20 houses have been buried in a landslide .
– some mud houses have been severely damaged
– Afghan SAR forces are searching the rubble to find corpses and even more survivors of the earthquake.
– Similar earthquakes in the past have also been devastating and caused a lot of fatalities
– 10 houses had been destroyed in Ishkamish district in neighbouring Takhar province. No news of injured or death from this area.

UPDATE: The earthquake has been felt III in Kabul, and III-IV in Bagram Airfield (about 120-130km from the earthquake epicenter)

UPDATE: We hope to get some confirmation from military forces in the area as to the effects of this earthquake.

UPDATE: 50 deaths and 150 injuries were seen from a 2002 earthquake occurring very close to the present epicenter with Mw5.8. Almost 1200 fatalities were also seen from the 25 March 2002 event.  (The number of fatalities in this earthquake was uncertain due to political situation in Afghanistan at the time of the earthquake. However, United Nations figures estimate approximately 1,200 fatalities in the Nahrin region with at least 100 deaths in the town of Nahrin itself. Another 7,000 people were injured and more than 20,000 were rendered homeless. Many of the injured were flown out by helicopter to the neighbouring towns of Baghlan and Pol-e Khomri.) – ASC-India.

UPDATE: The CATDAT Damaging Earthquakes Database has seen over16 damaging earthquakes within 100km of the epicenter since 1900. An earthquake in 1972 in Baghlan of Mw6.4, a destructive earthquake in north Afghanistan occurred. It destroyed approximately 7,000 houses, killing 450 and injuring 3,000 people in the Baghlan district. The shock caused serious damage and loss of life in the coal mines in the district. The earthquake was felt as far as Tashkent, Murgab and Tarbela, over an area of a radius of 520 km.

UPDATE: The earthquake was felt strongly in Baghlan Province. PAGER is indicating only a 35% chance of fatalities.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 occurred in the highly populated region of Baghlan in Afghanistan. The earthquake happened 173km from Kabol. The nearest populated places are: Gavmordeh (12km), Wuch (15km), Daragi (17km), Pashakhana (7km), Godri (5km), Gozar-e Langar (18km), Nahrin (17km), Safedreg (18km), Saqaw (13km), Chashmeh-ye Rabat (13km), Gawmurda (14km), Larak (10km), Akakhel (17km). The closest civilian airport is Kunduz (74km).

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/06/11/afghanistan-strong-earthquake-hits-populated-area/

 

 

June 10-16

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Lighthouse Cat:  

Overall Color for the Week:    Rose Purple

You may find that the things you once thought were so interesting or important are beginning to lose their attraction.  This is all part of the current energy.  As things shift and change, you are seeing things from a different angle, one which shows up heretofore unseen points, trivialities, elements which you had not noticed before.  This is true also in relationships.  Priorities are shifting.  You are asking yourself some questions that you had put off for a long time, and the answers are making you think twice.  Interestingly, they resonate somewhere within your core, and because that is so, you cannot deny them.

The Earth is going through some soul-searching on her own.  This can result in some pretty dramatic upheavals this week.  The tropical storms will begin to make themselves known, along with tornadic activity in the Mid West.  Politicians will be tripping up this week, so expect some interesting revelations to come out.  There are some blatant lies that have been bandied about as truth for quite some time.  These will be uncovered this week.  Other things that will come forth this week have to do with things that have been hidden from the consumer in terms of food safety and drug interactions.  These will come forth due to some unfortunate events that will be tied to the foods and drugs.  This will bring into question the government’s true motivations in these areas, leading to questions of who exactly is pulling the strings.  This ball will be put in motion this week and continue to gain momentum throughout the year.  Communities are forming, slowly, but inevitably.  People are coming together based on common concerns, needs, and desires.  This is a positive trend as much of the former bickering is being forgotten.  The media, etc., have tried to foment dissension and distraction.  Little by little, person by person, people are becoming aware of this.  Important questions are being asked.  The activities of the Stock Market this week are going to be somewhat drastic, with the end of the week bringing a leveling.  People are going to look at that and ask some important questions also.  Listen, too, for some reports of new archaeological discoveries that can alter the accepted view of pre-history.

Sunday, June 10:    Fire Engine Red

What are you waiting for?  everything is out there for you, but you must accept that as true and go for it.  The longer you wait, the farther away things move.  They are still available, however the current energy favors a swift and relatively easy acquisition of that which is truly important to you.  And that is the key — truly important.  In this energetic shift, a lot of things that you had thought were necessary, critical, crucial are no longer so.  It is time to release, to let go of all that old stuff.  This will call for a change of attitude, a change of mindset.  It is not always that easy, but you know within your Heart that the change is a first step.  Moreover, you basically desire it.  Let go of the old patterning, let the scales fall from your eyes, and look again.  The fire that is characteristic of the day’s energy will assist in burning out the old.

Monday, June 11:   Sapphire Blue

What was old is new again.  And that is because there are some things out there that you just never let get old.  Take a look at them.  See them for what they are, and then see the deeper meaning inside.  You have moved forward to a point at which your history is behind you, there for you to read, to reminisce and to do what it is right for you to do.  Choices.  There are so many in the air today.  Plans are changing.  There are new players and new messages.  Take time to be in the moment and see all that is there.  The n find what it is that will bring you fulfillment.  Go for it.  There are surprises in things you thought would be ordinary.  And then, that is all part of the nature of the Trickster.

Tuesday, July 12:    Orange Flame

If your heart is not aligned with your connection to All, well then things today can be a bit confusing.  This is a day for going within, for knowing what the larger pattern is, for knowing your part in it all.  We all spend time interpreting things to ourselves as we wish them to be.  That translation is no longer working.  The light is shining.  Things are clearer.  Take the current energy to choose, choose what it is that you are wanting at this time and where you want it to go.  Be pure in intent and not deluded by the things that can delude.  You know what they are.  You can accept or not.  It is up to you.  There is no judgment for it is all about you.

Wednesday, July 13:    Light Rose

There is a lot of distraction in the air today.  What are you hearing?  What are you seeing?  What is that smell? Interesting that no one but you seems to be aware, but that is how things go today.  It is time to know just who your PEEPS are.   There are surprises in the air today, but ultimately, you will realize that you knew it all along.  So, sit back, relax, and watch the day unfold.  You can jump in when you want or leave it all to be just what it is.  It is all okay.  This is a time to reminisce.  So go for it.  There are memories to savor and to let go. Other memories to look at, turn over in your head, and put them aside as just what they were.  It does not matter anymore.

Thursday, June 14:    Yellow

So much has come to this, and you will know what that means as the day goes on.  This is a time for being the observer, for looking around, for seeing what it is that is defining you in terms of the stuff you have, the place you live, the aspirations you harbor, the people you admire. There are things that can be understood and clarified by this kind of a rumination.  Take the time.  This is a step back energy.  It is allowing for you to be open to trends, ideas, and patterns that have been scratching at the back of your mind, perhaps coming to fore briefly as you dream.  They are there now for you to catch onto, to hold, to understand.  Things are shifting and what you thought to be the way it is is not necessarily so.  Remember also, that there is help for you when you need if you will just ask for and be open to it.

 

 

Warmest Spring on Record

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Warmest Spring on Record Hits Continental US

Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer
Date: 08 June 2012 Time: 11:20 AM ET
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Significant weather events for May 2012 in the U.S.

Significant weather events for May 2012 in the U.S.
CREDIT: NOAA

Warmth across much of the continental U.S. last month secured an impressive list of weather records. So far, the lower 48 have seen their warmest spring on record, as well as the warmest year-to-date, and the warmest 12-month since record keeping began in 1895. ‘

These records derive from the unusual warmth the eastern two-thirds of the lower 48 states have been experiencing. In May, only the northwestern states did not experience warmer-than-average temperatures, according to the U.S. the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Adminstration.

For the season overall, 31 states had record warmth for the season, and 11 others had spring temperatures that ranked among their 10 warmest. Only Oregon and Washington had spring temperatures near their averages.

Warmest Spring on Record Hits Continental US

Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer
Date: 08 June 2012
Significant weather events for May 2012 in the U.S.
Significant weather events for May 2012 in the U.S.
CREDIT: NOAA

Warmth across much of the continental U.S. last month secured an impressive list of weather records. So far, the lower 48 have seen their warmest spring on record, as well as the warmest year-to-date, and the warmest 12-month since record keeping began in 1895. ‘

These records derive from the unusual warmth the eastern two-thirds of the lower 48 states have been experiencing. In May, only the northwestern states did not experience warmer-than-average temperatures, according to the U.S. the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Adminstration.

For the season overall, 31 states had record warmth for the season, and 11 others had spring temperatures that ranked among their 10 warmest. Only Oregon and Washington had spring temperatures near their averages.

Earlier this year, NOAA named winter — December, January and February cumulatively — as the fourth-warmest for the lower 48. Meteorologists and climate experts attributed this unusually mild winter to the configuration of the jet stream, a band of westerly high-altitude winds.

Last month itself ranked as the second warmest May on record. Meanwhile, April ranked as the third warmest for the lower 48 on record, following the warmest March on record for more than a century.

May saw cooler-than-average conditions in Alaska and drought in Hawaii. Precipitation patterns across the country were mixed; rainfall improved drought conditions in the Northeast, for example, but ongoing drought, combined with windy conditions, created ideal wildfire conditions across the Southwest, NOAA’s monthly report stated.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/20838-2012-warmest-record-continental.html

 

Do Dogs Read Emotions

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Canine Comfort: Do Dogs Know When You’re Sad?

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Date: 07 June 2012
A dog comforting his owner.

Do dogs understand when their owners are sad?
CREDIT: Igor Normann, Shutterstock

Plenty of pet owners are comforted by a pair of puppy-dog eyes or a swipe of the tongue when their dog catches them crying. Now, new research suggests that dogs really do respond uniquely to tears. But whether pets have empathy for human pain is less clear.

In a study published online May 30 in the journal Animal Cognition, University of London researchers found that dogs were more likely to approach a crying person than someone who was humming or talking, and that they normally responded to weeping with submissive behaviors. The results are what you might expect if dogs understand our pain, the researchers wrote, but it’s not proof that they do.

“The humming was designed to be a relatively novel behavior, which might be likely to pique the dogs’ curiosity,” study researcher and psychologist Deborah Custance said in a statement. “The fact that the dogs differentiated between crying and humming indicates that their response to crying was not purely driven by curiosity. Rather, the crying carried greater emotional meaning for the dogs and provoked a stronger overall response than either humming or talking.”

Humans domesticated dogs at least 15,000 years ago, and many a pet owner has a tale of their canine offering comfort in tough times. Studies have shown that dogs are experts at human communication, but scientists haven’t been able to show conclusively that dogs feel empathy or truly understand the pain of others. In one 2006 study, researchers had owners fake heart attacks or pretend to be pinned beneath furniture, and learned that pet dogs failed to go for help (so much for Lassie saving Timmy from the well).

But seeking out assistance is a complex task, and Custance and her colleague Jennifer Mayer wanted to keep it simple. They recruited 18 pet dogs and their owners to test whether dogs would respond to crying with empathetic behaviors. The dogs included a mix of mutts, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and a few other common breeds. [What Your Dog’s Breed Says About You]

The experiment took place in the owners’ living rooms. Mayer would arrive and ignore the dog so that it would have little interest in her. Then she and the owner would take turns talking, fake-crying and humming.

Of the 18 dogs in the study, 15 approached their owner or Mayer during crying fits, while only six approached during humming. That suggests that it’s emotional content, not curiosity, that brings the dogs running. Likewise, the dogs always approached the crying person, never the quiet person, as one might expect if the dog was seeking (rather than trying to provide) comfort.

“The dogs approached whoever was crying regardless of their identity. Thus they were responding to the person’s emotion, not their own needs, which is suggestive of empathic-like comfort-offering behavior,” Mayer said in a statement.

Of the 15 dogs that approached a crying owner or stranger, 13 did so with submissive body language, such as tucked tails and bowed heads, another behavior consistent with empathy (the other two were alert or playful). Still, the researchers aren’t dog whisperers, and they can’t prove conclusively what the dogs were thinking. It’s possible that dogs learn to approach crying people because their owners give them affection when they do, the researchers wrote.

“We in no way claim that the present study provides definitive answers to the question of empathy in dogs,” Mayer and Custance wrote. Nevertheless, they said, their experiment opens the door for more study of dogs’ emotional lives, from whether different breeds respond to emotional owners differently to whether dogs understand the difference between laughter and tears.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/20823-canine-comfort-dogs-understand-emotion.html

More Solar Flares

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M-FLARES: New sunspot AR1504 is crackling with impulsive M-class solar flares, including two on June 9th (1132 UT and 1650 UT) and one on June 10th (0645 UT). So far none of the blasts have been Earth directed.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the extreme UV flash from an M2-class flare this morning:

NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of more M-flares today. Geoeffective eruptions are possible in the days ahead as AR1504 turns toward Earth.

from: spaceweather.com