SA Weather and Disaster Observation Service

German paraglider crashes in Cape Town

2012-02-28T11:23:00.001+02:00

Cape Town - A German tourist was seriously injured when his paraglider folded and he crashed near Camps Bay, Cape Town, according to a report on Tuesday.

The Cape Times reported that the tourist, known only as Mr Ulrich, had taken off on his second flight of the day from Lion's Head on Monday.

Birdmen Paragliding owner Barry Pedersen told the newspaper that by the time he opened his parachute it was too late as he was near the ground.

He crash-landed at Maiden's Cove, near Camps Bay, injuring his leg.

"He has been paragliding for years, but this was his first time piloting in South Africa. It was an isolated accident... usually turbulent air can cause something like this," Pedersen said.

The tourist was in a stable condition in hospital.

- SAPA/NEWS24

French vessel reaches stranded cruise ship

2012-02-28T11:18:00.000+02:00

NAIROBI, Kenya — A French fishing vessel reached an Italian cruise ship drifting powerless in the Indian Ocean overnight and was towing it to a nearby Seychelles island, the Seychelles Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Seychelles authorities said they are making arrangements to evacuate people to the island of Descroches and then transfer the more than 1,000 passengers and crew members to the main Seychelles island of Mahe.

The Costa Allegra lost power on Monday after a fire in its generator room only six weeks after one of its sister ships, the Costa Concordia, hit a reef and capsized off Italy. No one was injured in the fire Monday, but the blaze set the cruiseliner adrift at sea in a region where Somali pirates prey on ships.

Two tug boats continued to steam toward the stranded cruise ship on Tuesday but were not expected to reach it until the afternoon. The tugs will tow the Costa Allegra back to the Seychelles' main port — Port Victoria — under escort by the coast guard and military.

Photos released by the Seychelles on Tuesday showed hundreds of people milling outside on the decks of the Costa Allegra. Taken by an Indian navy plane, the photos showed calm seas and an upright ship.

The Costa Allegra has 636 passengers and 413 crew members on board. The fire knocked out power to the ship's engines as well as to its lights and air conditioning.

The power burnout came six weeks after the Costa Concordia capsized, killing 25 poeple and leaving seven missing and presumed dead. Both ships are operated by Costa Crociere SpA, which is owned by the Florida-based Carnival Corp.

However, company officials rushed to play down concerns.

The Costa Allegra is adrift "and being pushed by the current. It is stable and upright," Giorgio Moretti, the director of nautical operations for Costa Crociere SpA, told reporters in a conference call late Monday from company headquarters in Genoa, Italy.

Italian Coast Guard officials said emergency generators were keeping the ship's control room illuminated and communications equipment such as radios running. Officials said the cruise liner was holding steady, despite 5-foot (1.5 meter) waves in the area and passengers were being kept in the ship's big communal rooms, not in their cabins.

Moretti, a longtime Costa captain, said he expected the 636 passengers aboard would spend the night on outside decks. Among them were 212 Italian, 31 British and eight U.S. passengers, he said. Four of the passengers were children ages 3 or younger.

The Allegra, whose Italian name means "merry," or "happy," had left northern Madagascar, off Africa's southeast coast, on Saturday and was cruising toward Port Victoria when the fire erupted. Costa said the Allegra had been due in Port Victoria on Tuesday.

The general region where the cruise ship was adrift — off the coast of Tanzania — has seen a rash of attacks by Somali pirates. In 2009, an Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people aboard fended off a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean far off the coast of Somalia.

Moretti said an armed nine-member Italian military team on anti-pirate duty was aboard the Allegra, but he insisted the maritime region where the ship was now "isn't a high risk area for pirates."

"If pirates attack, the armed guards on board will respond. But as far as I am aware, no pirates have been sighted in the area," said Seychelles presidential spokeswoman Srdjana Janosevic.

Moretti said 15 Costa engineers, technicians and other officials were flying to Mahe in hope of reaching the Allegra by air to repair its generators.

- MSNBC/AP

Update: Possible Cyclone Formation Alert: Madagascar

2012-02-28T08:24:00.000+02:00

WTXS21 PGTW 280130
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVMARFCSTCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//
SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT REISSUED//
REF/A/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/270121Z FEB 12//
AMPN/REF A IS A TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT (WTXS21 PGTW
270130)//
RMKS/
1. FORMATION OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE IS POSSIBLE WITHIN 090 NM EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 16.0S 45.1E TO 17.3S 41.2E WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. AVAILABLE DATA DOES NOT JUSTIFY ISSUANCE OF NUMBERED TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNINGS AT THIS TIME. WINDS IN THE AREA ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 22 TO 28 KNOTS. METSAT IM-AGERY AND SYNOPTIC DATA AT 272330Z INDICATE THAT A CIRCULATION CENTER IS LOCATED NEAR 16.1S 45.2E. THE SYSTEM IS MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD AT 07 KNOTS. 2. REMARKS: ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS CONVECTION BEING SHEARED SHARPLY TO THE WEST OF THE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). THE LLCC IS SKIRTING THE COASTLINE OF NORTHWEST MADAGASCAR AND CONVECTION HAS EBBED IN RESPONSE TO THE LAND INTERACTION. RECENT SCATTEROMETRY DATA INDICATES THAT THE LLCC IS BROAD, WITH A SMALL REGION OF 25-30 KNOT SOUTHERLIES OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE CHANNEL. THE 271200Z PGTW UPPER LEVEL STREAMLINE ANALYSIS DEPICTS THE LLCC UNDER A REGION OF HIGHLY DIFFLUENT EASTERLIES, BUT FAR ENOUGH NORTH OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE AXIS THAT THE SHEAR IS IMPEDING DEVELOPMENT. RECENT ANIMATED WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS SOME MILD IMPINGEMENT TO OUTFLOW OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN QUADRANT ALONG WITH A LACK OF ANY WELL-DEVELOPED OUTFLOW CHANNELS. TOTAL PRECIPITABLE WATER LOOPS INDICATE INCREASING DEEP MOISTURE IN THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL. A LOW- TO MID-LEVEL ANTICYCLONE NORTH OF MADAGASCAR HAD BEEN RETROGRADING SOUTHWEST AND DRIVING THE LLCC SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARDS A A REGION OF REDUCED VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, BUT THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE ANTICYCLONE APPEARS TO BE WANING. THE SYSTEM IS BECOMING TRAPPED BETWEEN STRONG LOW- TO MID-LEVEL ANTICYCLONES ON EITHER SIDE OF MADAGASCAR, WHICH WILL CONFINE IT BETWEEN THE 16TH AND 19TH LATITUDES. SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES NEAR THE CAPE SAINT ANDRE REGION ARE 29 TO 30 DEGREES. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM IS LIKELY AS THE LLCC TRACKS DEEPER INTO THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL. MODEL GUIDANCE IS CONSISTENT IN INDICATING EASTWARD MOVEMENT WITH FURTHER INTENSIFICATION.

- JTWC + CIMSS

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 28 February 2012 04h00 SAST

2012-02-28T07:48:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:54:30
Warning: Take action
Subject: High Discomfort and Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2012: 1. Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions will be experienced central and southeastern parts. ADVISORIES: 1. Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:54:30
Warning: Take action
Subject: High Discomfort
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions will be experienced over the eastern part.

Current warning: Northern Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:52:54
Advisory: Be aware
Subject: Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:52:54
Advisory: Be aware
Subject: Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: All other Provinces
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 28 February 2012 07h15 SAST

2012-02-28T07:41:00.000+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

GFS Medium Range Forecasts of Vertical Velocity and Precipitation: 28 - 29 February 2012

2012-02-28T07:37:00.000+02:00

Image: U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Click on image for larger view.

Images: Tropical Storm 92 S dumps heavy rain in Madagascar (27 February 2012)

2012-02-28T07:34:00.000+02:00

The Tropical Disturbance in Northern Madagascar proof to be a menace again. Got these photos from site just now, it is raining heavily in Taomisina at the moment. (27 February 2012) - Julius Pistorius

Greenpeace launches campaign against nuclear power usage

2012-02-28T07:10:00.002+02:00

With the testimony of a young farmer from Fukushima, Greenpeace launched a campaign against the use and expansion of nuclear power in South Africa.

This comes almost a year after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, were more than 150 000 people were evacuated from their homes near the power plant after the disaster.

The disaster is estimated to have cost Japan up to $600 billion.

Ayako Oga said she wanted to share her story while helping people understand that many people had their lives disrupted and continue to live in fear of how the radiation around them affects their health.

Oga was also forced to evacuate and move over 100 kilometres away from home.

Oga told Eyewitness News that the worst part was being uncertain of what was dangerous.

She said despite clean-up in the area, children were no longer free to play outdoors and that residents could not collect vegetables from the mountain or farm the land.

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organisation.

-EWN

Extreme Weather in United Arab Emirates on Monday, 27 February, 2012 at 03:40 (03:40 AM) UTC.

2012-02-28T06:56:00.000+02:00

Airports nationwide experienced minor flight delays and the Jebel Ali Port was temporarily closed due to Sunday's sandstorm. "Selected flights departing Dubai were delayed for a brief time," an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News, but there were "no cancellations or diversions." Etihad Airways officials couldn't confirm delays at Abu Dhabi International Airport by press time, but did say that disruptions were expected later in the day. Meanwhile, tanker operations at Jebel Ali port were suspended around 2pm due to poor weather conditions, but resumed later as visibility improved over the course of the day, according to a DP World (the port operator) spokesperson.

- RSOE EDIS

Video: Five Solar Eruptions in Two Days (Feb 23 - 24, 2012)

2012-02-28T06:54:00.000+02:00

From February 23 through February 24 our Sun produced an astonishing five solar eruptions, launched from the top, bottom, left and right sides of the solar disk. Four of those eruptions came in just a 24 hour period.

One of the eruptions, a large snaking magnetic filament, erupted during the early hours of February 24, 2012 and launched the first of two coronal mass ejections (CME) in Earth’s direction.

The filament eruption, as seen in the video taken by the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet wavelength, forms a visible split in the sun's atmosphere, where plasma races away in waves in opposite directions. The divide stretches the length of the original filament location, almost 248,500 miles (400,000 km).

Solar filaments are darker, cooler solar material floating above the sun's surface, suspended by magnetic forces. When they appear over the solar limb they are called prominences.

Credit: NASA SDO

La Niña drawing to a close

2012-02-28T06:50:00.000+02:00

Image: Computer model forecasts of El Niño/La Niña made in mid-February 2012. The forecasts that go above the red line at +0.5°C denote El Niño conditions; -0.5°C to +0.5°C denote neutral conditions, and below -0.5°C denote La Niña conditions. Most of the computer models are predicting neutral or El Niño conditions during the fall peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Image credit: Columbia University's IRI.

La Niña, the cooling of the equatorial Pacific waters off the coast of South America that has dramatically affected our weather for most of the past two years, is almost done. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over the tropical Eastern Pacific in the area 5°N - 5°S, 120°W - 170°W, also called the "Niña 3.4 region", have warmed rapidly over the past two weeks, and were 0.4°C below average on February 27. This is slightly warmer than the -0.5°C threshold to be considered La Niña conditions, and is the first time since early August that La Niña conditions have not been present. It is likely that SSTs will continue to warm during March and April, and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is predicting that they will declare an official end to La Niña sometime between March and April. A moderate to strong La Niña began in the summer of 2010, weakened briefly during May - July 2011 to neutral status, then re-intensified to a borderline weak/moderate La Niña from August 2011 - January 2012.

The period March - May is the typical time of year that El Niño or La Niña events end, and it is common for the opposite phenomena to take hold by fall. Since 1950, there have been twelve La Niña events that ended during the first half of the year; during six of those years (50%), an El Niño event formed in time for the August - September - October peak of hurricane season. The official forecast from Columbia University's IRI and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center calls for a 31% chance of an El Niño event, 16% chance of a La Niña event, and 53% chance of neutral conditions during the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. El Niño conditions tend to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity by creating high levels of wind shear that tends to tear hurricanes apart. Given the relatively high chance of an El Niño event this fall, plus ocean temperatures over the tropical Atlantic that are cooler than we saw in 2011 and 2010, I doubt we'll see an Atlantic hurricane season as active as the ones in 2010 and 2011. The demise of La Niña also means that global temperatures should begin to approach record warm levels by the end of the year. The cool waters of a La Niña event keep global temperatures cooler than average.

- Dr Jeff Masters
Weather Underground

Cruise ship Costa Allegra adrift off Seychelles

2012-02-28T06:45:00.000+02:00

An Italian cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board is without power in the Indian Ocean following a fire.

The Costa Allegra is adrift in the dark more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles, near Alphonse Island.

The ship is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.

Costa Cruises said in a statement that the fire broke out in the electric generators' room. It did not spread and there were no injuries or casualties.

Inspections of the state of the engine room are on-going, the company says.

Ship immobilised
Tugs and "other naval and aerial units" will reach the ship, which has sent out a distress signal, Costa Cruises says.

Commander Cosimo Nicastro of the Italian coast guard told the BBC that it took the crew a few hours to extinguish the fire.

Although the ship is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, there are "no problems for the passengers".

However the ship probably needs to be towed to a Seychelles port, he said.

There are no electric lights on board the ship as the batteries are being used to keep essential machinery going.

The Italian authorities have directed three merchant ships and two fishing vessels towards the stricken liner.

The authorities in the Seychelles say they have sent two tug boats, a coastguard ship and an aircraft to the scene.

The closest vessel to the ship is likely to reach the Allegra at around 2300 GMT, according to Agence France-Presse.

The first tug boat will not reach the location until 1500 GMT on Tuesday, the agency reports.

There are 636 passengers and 413 crew on board the Costa Allegra, which left Madagascar on Saturday.

It was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday.

Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean.

Somali pirates are known to operate in the rough area where the ship is adrift, though they have never seized a cruise liner.

A facility on Costa Cruises' website allowing people to track the Allegra's position says that "data transmission is temporarily suspended".

The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio on 13 January.

The Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, has been accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all those aboard were evacuated. He denies any wrongdoing.

- BBC

Video: Thunderstorm Germiston (25 February 2012)

2012-02-28T06:41:00.000+02:00

Storm lasted quite a long while, but I am only posting the first part (about 8 minutes) coz my cellphone cam was in the wrong place and only caught about three lightning bolts... - Obs. Raine Carosin

Real Time Weather Observation: Germiston (26 February 2012 18h00)

2012-02-28T06:36:00.000+02:00

Images: Raine Carosin (Click on images for larger view.)

Dust over the Arabian Sea

2012-02-28T06:25:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Dust plumes stretched southward over the Arabian Sea in late February 2012. The thickest plume arises just west of the Iran-Pakistan border, though thinner plumes blow southward along the entire coast of Pakistan.

Sandy deserts cover much of southern Pakistan and Iran, and the sand seas of the region often give rise to dust storms. Sandy deserts also cover large parts of Oman, although little of the dust in this image arises from that country.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on February 22, 2012.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA

Dust Storm in Utah

2012-02-28T06:22:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Dust and clouds mingled over Utah in late February 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on February 23.

The dust arises from the Great Salt Lake Desert, which has sediments that can provide ample material for dust storms. Cloud banks surround the dust, especially in the south and east. The clouds might result from the same weather pattern that brought the dust-stirring high winds.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Terra - MODIS - NASA

Activity at Shiveluch Volcano

2012-02-28T06:20:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Dark volcanic debris mars the otherwise pristine lower flanks of Shiveluch Volcano in this false-color satellite image. The debris traveled about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Shiveluch’s growing lava dome. Rock falls and pyroclastic flows (avalanches of hot volcanic material) are common at Shiveluch, due to the steep sides and unstable rock of the growing dome. A similar flow occurred on January 25, 2011.

This image was collected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite on February 19, 2012. Forests are a dull red, and fresh debris is dark brown. The stark white southern face of Shiveluch is the snow-covered remains of an enormous avalanche. On November 12, 1964, much of the southern flank of the volcano collapsed, causing an eruption like the 1980 explosion of Mount St. Helens. The debris from the 1964 eruption remains largely free of vegetation, likely due to frequent scouring by fresh pyroclastic flows.

References:
Belousov, A.B. (1994, July 7). The Shiveluch volcanic eruption of 12 November 1964—explosive eruption provoked by failure of the edifice. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 66 (1995), 357–365.
USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory (2009, June 25). Lava Domes, Volcanic Domes, Composite Domes. Accessed February 24, 2012.
NASA image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, with data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Robert Simmon.

Instrument:
Terra - ASTER - NASA

Officials battle Western Cape fires

2012-02-27T17:14:00.002+02:00

Officials from the Working on Fire organisation are hard at work trying to extinguish four separate fires across the Western Cape.

Two fires have been burning near Bredasdorp and George over the past few days.

Teams have also responded to a blaze near Ocean View.

The group's Leanne McKrill said firefighters were also deployed to the scene of a large fire in Citrusdal.

“We have a number of aerial resources on that fire, including three bombers and one fire helicopter. We have a team there which is assisting the local conservation authority as well as the fire department.”

- EWN

Update: Possible Cyclone Formation Alert: Madagascar

2012-02-27T17:12:00.000+02:00

Image: NOAA19 13h15 SAST (Nic Cronje, Nelspruit) Click on image for larger view.

Image: NOAA15 16H28 SAST (Ben Engelbrecht, Dundee) Click on image for larger view.

WTXS21 PGTW 270130
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVMARFCSTCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//
SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT//
REF/A/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/260121Z FEB 12//
AMPN/REF IS TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT (WTXS21 PGTW 260130)//
RMKS/
1. FORMATION OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE IS POSSIBLE WITHIN 180 NM EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 13.3S 49.4E TO 15.0S 43.0E WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. AVAILABLE DATA DOES NOT JUSTIFY ISSUANCE OF NUMBERED TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNINGS AT THIS TIME. WINDS IN THE AREA ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 27 TO 32 KNOTS. METSAT IMAGERY AT 270100Z INDICATES THAT A CIRCULATION CENTER IS LOCATED NEAR 13.5S 48.5E. THE SYSTEM IS MOVING WESTWARD AT 09 KNOTS. 2. REMARKS: THE AREA OF CONVECTION PREVIOUSLY LOCATED NEAR 13.0S 49.8E, IS NOW LOCATED NEAR 13.5S 48.5E, APPROXIMATELY 345 NM NORTH-NORTHEAST OF ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR. ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE SYSTEM HAS WEAKENED DUE TO LAND INTERACTION AND PERSISTENT EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS); HOWEVER, THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) IS NOW RE-EMERGING OVER WATER AND IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY RE-DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A 262245Z AMSU IMAGE SHOWS THAT DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING HAS BECOME FRAGMENTED WHILE LOW-LEVEL BANDING REMAINS TIGHTLY WRAPPED. RECENT SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AT FMNN, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 20 NM NNW OF THE CENTER, SHOW SLP VALUES NEAR 998 MB. UPPER-LEVEL ANALYSIS INDICATES A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH DIFFLUENT EASTERLY FLOW AND GOOD POLEWARD AND EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 27 TO 32 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 998 MB. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS REMAINS HIGH.

- JTWC

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 27 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-27T16:50:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:54:30
Warning: Take action
Subject: High Discomfort and Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2012: 1. Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions will be experienced central and southeastern parts. ADVISORIES: 1. Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:54:30
Warning: Take action
Subject: High Discomfort
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Extremely uncomfortable humid conditions will be experienced over the eastern part.

Current warning: Northern Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:52:54
Advisory: Be aware
Subject: Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 15:52:54
Advisory: Be aware
Subject: Heavy swell
Detail: Valid 28-02-2010: Heavy longperiod swell with wave heights greater than 4m are expected Wednesday afternoon between Lamberts Bay and Cape Agulhas spreading overnight to Alexander Bay on the west coast and Port Edward on the east coast.

Current warning: All other remaining Provinces
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 27 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-27T16:43:00.000+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

Kayaker overcome by strong rip current – rescued by lifeguards at Silwerstroomstrand Beach

2012-02-27T16:24:00.001+02:00

On Sunday, 26 February 2012 at 12:05 an adult male found himself in distress at the Silwerstroomstrand Beach.

The kayaker that was paddling along the coastline when he was overcome by a strong rip current.

Lifeguards on duty reacted and rescued the victim from the water; and brought him to shore.

The victim was treated on the scene by lifeguards, law enforcement officers and paramedics’ whereafter he was transported to the Westfleur Hospital.

The adult male has been admitted to the hospital overnight for further medical treatment and observation – he is in a stable condition and will be discharged today.

The adult male is known as Shaun Facolyn, aged 44, that is from Mamre.

All beach-goers are urged to be cautious when swimming as rough seas and strong currents making conditions dangerous for swimmers.

Interesting facts regarding Silwerstroomstrand:

· Silwerstroomstrand is a coastal resort mainly by residents of nearby Atlantis and Mamre.

· The resort lies at the southern edge of an immense bay bordered by Bokpunt in the north, and Springfontein se Punt in the south.

· Within this bay, a smaller rocky point called Wintersteen provides added protection from the swell for safe swimming in the sea, and there is also a tidal pool for those wanting a warmer dip without the waves.

· There are picnic sites and braai areas for day visitors, while holiday makers can stay at the bungalows or caravan park.

· A slipway is available for boat-launching, and the shore angling is good too, particularly for hottentot during January and February.

· Silwerstroomstrand is ideal for long walks on the beach, which extends as an unbroken stretch of sand for some 3 km.

· The northern half of the beach is backed by a vast dunefield, oriented diagonally to the shore as it reflects the direction of sand blown off the beach by the prevailing southerly winds.

· Part of the dunefield is a bare sheet of migrating sand, while the rest is covered with strandveld vegetation.

· Due to its conservation worthiness, this is the southern limit of a potential core area identified for the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve.

· The habitat supports a rich diversity of birds, so it is a popular stop on the West Coast birding route.

· To the south, a short walk over the rocky point of Wintersteen leads to the shell-strewn cove of Wintersteen and Skulpbaai, while the much larger Matroosbaai lies beyond Springfontein se Punt.

Source:

Wilfred Schrevian Evan Solomons-Johannes
Head: Systems Integration & Special Projects
Acting Head: Disaster Operations Centre
Disaster Risk Management Centre
Cape Town

Bad fire season anticipated

2012-02-27T16:21:00.000+02:00

Firefighters in KwaZulu-Natal expect a severe fire season this year.

The Fire Protection Association's Simon Thomas says there are already early warning signs that suggest the likelihood of more veld fires across the province.

He says grass in some game reserves in northern KZN has already cured beyond 60 percent. This increases its ability to fuel fire.

Thomas says an earlier than usual onset of cold conditions this season - with late rains - could cause a delay in burning firebreaks.

He says it's important that farm and land owners start taking other precautions.

"They should be looking at possibly other means of controlling and making their property fire safe, and at the moment definitely be making sure that their fire fighters are trained and that their equipment is serviced and serviceable and should especially now be preparing their tracer belts for the burning of fire breaks later on in the year," he said.

Working on Fire officials say they responded to 154 fires last year in KZN.

- East Coast Radio

Flash Flood in Indonesia on Monday, 27 February, 2012 at 06:36 (06:36 AM) UTC.

2012-02-27T16:09:00.002+02:00

The military and police are struggling to rescue thousands of people trapped in Aceh after a flash flood on Saturday pounded villages in the province and swept away dozens of homes, a national disaster agency said on Sunday. Heavy rains in Pidie district on Saturday evening caused a flash flood that isolated eight nearby villages in Tangse district. Thirty houses were reportedly swept away in the flood, and one person, Tengku Idris, 55, has been reported missing. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the disaster marks the second flash flood to hit the area in the past 11 months. Military officers, the police and rescuers from Pidie district’s disaster agency, BPBA, tried to rescue the trapped residents on Saturday but struggled to reach them because the Kuala Panteue bridge, which links the district to the main Beureunuen-Tangse road, had collapsed. “Several villages in Tangse district were isolated, and relief supplies couldn’t get through from Jalan Beureunuen-Tangse bcause there was a pile of logs [blocking access] and a bridge that collapsed in Tangse district,” Asmadi Syam, an Aceh disaster mitigation officer, was quoted by Antara as saying on Sunday. He said the rescue team would head back to the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, and cross Aceh Jaya and West Aceh districts to reach Tangse. Asmadi added that the eight badly hit villages included Kebun Nilam, Blang Seunong, Pulau Masjid I and II, Blang Malo, Ulee Gunong, Tanjong Bungong and Pulau Kawa. Five units of heavy equipment were sent by the provincial administration to help clear the road into the flood-hit location, which is about 170 kilometers from Banda Aceh. The team is expected to clear the wood, rocks and mud from the roads some time today.

- RSOE EDIS

Fisherman seriously injured on fishing trawler

2012-02-27T16:05:00.000+02:00

Image: NSRI crew aboard the pilchard fishing trawler Uma Dala.Picture Stefan Korowski.

At 04h05 on Monday 27th February NSRI Mossel Bay were called out following a request for assistance from the Pilchard fishing trawler Uma Dala reporting crewman Denzel Williams, 31, from Saldanha Bay, seriously injured after being struck by a piece of hydraulic winch.

According to the skipper it flew loose after the safety pin snapped, hitting Denzel on the head.

Our volunteers launched the sea rescue craft Vodacom Rescuer I accompanied by a WC Government Health: EMS paramedic and responded to rendezvous with the trawler reaching them off the Gouritz River Mouth.

Two NSRI rescuers and the EMS paramedic were transferred onboard the trawler and found the patient with a fractured left arm, a laceration to the right leg and lacerations and contusions to his head. He was also suffering from hemorrhagic shock (shock from excessive blood volume loss).

Medical treatment commenced, including stopping the bleeding, intravenous fluid therapy, full c-spine immobilization, oxygen therapy, and re-warming the patient while making him comfortable and reassuring him.

The patient was stabilized and it was decided to keep him onboard the trawler rather than risk transferring him at sea onto our sea rescue boat. The trawler steamed to Mossel Bay harbour where we were met by an ambulance and the patient has been transported to hospital in a stable condition for further treatment where he is recovering.

- NSRI

SAA plane skids off Sao Paulo runway

2012-02-27T15:47:00.001+02:00

Johannesburg - A South African Airways plane carrying 153 passengers skidded and veered off the runway when it touched down in heavy rain in Sao Paulo, Brazil last Friday.

No passengers were injured.

The Aviation Herald reported that the SAA Airbus A330-200 skidded shortly after it touched down in heavy rain at Guarulhos airport.

"Some gear went over grass aside of the runway before the aircraft returned onto the runway and came to a stop with a number of tyres deflated," the report stated.

"The crew managed to steer the aircraft back onto the runway before slowing the aircraft to taxi speed and stopping the aircraft after vacating the runway via high speed exit DD about 2 300 metres down the runway," the report stated.

The runway was closed for about six minutes for an inspection and the removal of dirt.

'Heck of a job'

The aircraft underwent an inspection, and was not able to depart on its return flight.

Flight SA-222 had departed from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

A passenger on the plane, Johann Muller, commented in the Aviation Herald that the pilot "did a heck of a job" to land in those conditions.

"Literally 100 metres before we hit the runway the rain poured down and before that it was completely clear. We were circling for 45 minutes before we got the clear from the tower to land and the pilot made the passengers aware of the situation the whole time.

"After the sliding on the runway, the captain remained completely calm and made no fuss of the near disastrous landing. Being a frequent traveller, I could hear the concern and relief in his voice. I believe the tower should have given better indications of the weather as this was very misleading," Muller wrote.

SAA was unavailable for comment.

- News24

Bee attacks trigger public fears

2012-02-27T15:44:00.000+02:00

LIFESTYLE NEWS - The recent spate of bee attacks in several parts of the country, which has killed at least two young school children and a factory worker, have prompted distress calls to an allergy help line by large numbers of people who found themselves at the receiving end of honeybees.

Mariska Fouche from an allergy medicine provider says their help line has fielded dozens of calls in recent weeks. "The last days of summer can often be the hairiest, as the end of the warm weather sees more bees and wasps out and about to collect nectar before the temperature drops." She says people should not harbour a phobia of bees and wasps, but take care not to be stung. "During the summer we generally spend more time in the garden, which is their territory.

Think about where you plant flowers. If you keep them near doors and windows, bees and wasps are more likely to come into your house. Try not to eat sugary foods and drinks outside." Fouche also advises against wearing strong perfumes or brightly-coloured clothing, which could lead them to confuse humans for flowers. If a bee or wasp does approach, Fouche warns against lashing out. "Unlike a bee, a wasp can sting over and over without dying, so if it should land on you rather use a piece of paper or a leaf to gently sweep it away."

Dr Mike Levin, an allergy advisor, says a victim must remove the stinger quickly to lessen exposure to the venom. "Put an ice pack on the affected area for 15 minutes every few hours which will reduce swelling. Oral antihistamines and analgesics might also help to reduce pain or itching.

However, in case of a serious systemic allergic reaction, which means the venom causes a reaction throughout a person's body, a person may break out in hives, experience wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, faintness and swelling of the face, lips or tongue. If a person has any of these symptoms, it is important to get medical help immediately. Wear a medic alert tag at all times if allergic and see your doctor for a prescription for an emergency kit with an adrenaline syringe."

For more information about bee sting allergies, phone 0860 PHARMA (742 762) or log on to www.allergyexpert.co.za.

- George Herald

INTERVIEW-Five million flood-hit Pakistanis still need aid, UN says

2012-02-27T15:36:00.000+02:00

Image: Bhagti, 20, displaced for over three months by flooding, carries her newborn baby boy Heera Lal near the roadside tent where she has taken refuge in the Sanghar district of Pakistan's Sindh province November 27, 2011. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

By Nita Bhalla

NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - Over five million people in Pakistan still need basic aid such as shelter, clean water and healthcare six months after floods inundated thousands of villages in the south, a senior U.N. official said.

Floods triggered by annual monsoon rains in August last year disrupted the lives of nine million people in Pakistan's Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, killing more than 430 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to camp out in the open.

Lynn Hastings, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Pakistan, told AlertNet that $440 million was needed to help around 5.2 million people rebuild their lives after the disaster.

"Across the board, in all the districts affected, there are very significant needs that are still outstanding - be it to provide food-for-work schemes or some sort of shelter - something better than tarpaulin sheets," Hastings said in a phone interview from Islamabad.

"There are varying degrees (of need) - there are people who have gone back to absolute nothing and then some people who have gone back and salvaged something. There are others who still can't return."

Hastings said 10,000 families - about 60,000 to 70,000 people - have not yet been able to return home as 10 percent of Sindh province is still underwater.

About 800,000 homes were destroyed or damaged by the disaster and large swathes of farmland submerged, she said, resulting in 92 percent of the area's cotton and 81 percent of sugar cane crop being lost.

U.N. officials estimate that more than one third of those suffering as result of last year's floods, were still in a state of recovery - having been hit by Pakistan's worst ever floods in July 2010. Those monsoon floods left one fifth of the country - an area the size of Italy - underwater and disrupted the lives of more than 18 million people.

RECESSION OR "BAD BRAND"?

Pakistan is not only prone to disasters such as floods and earthquakes, but the country has also seen the displacement of millions due military operations against Taliban insurgents in volatile northwestern regions in recent years.

Appeals for funding to tackle Pakistan's various humanitarian crises have, like many around the world, received a poor response from international donors.

For example, a previous U.N. appeal in September last year for $356 million life-saving aid for the same flood survivors has until now only been about 50 percent funded.

"I think it's a global economic issue, first and foremost. Some of the donors, when we were discussing this with them in the fall, did indicate that there were competing interests - in particular the Horn of Africa and Libya," Hastings said.

"This really put economic strains on donors, and then of course there were the floods in Thailand, an earthquake in Turkey and I guess it's just largely competing interests and the global recession."

Other humanitarian agencies, like the Red Cross, however last year eluded to Pakistan being a "bad brand" to sell to donors due to its reputation as being a haven for militants and its tense relationship with the United States, its biggest donor.

Hastings said she was hopeful that politics would not adversely impact Western donors' response to the flood victims.

"I think donors are interested. Whether or not that translates into money or not, I don't know. But certainly, the interest in knowing what the needs are has been expressed by donors," she said.

- AlertNet

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 27 February 2012 04h00 SAST

2012-02-27T08:16:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely Uncomfortable Conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2012: ----------------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coastal areas.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coastal areas.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands and the interior of the Eden Cape District.

Current warning: All other Provinces
Updated: 27/02/2012 05:36:54
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts.
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 27 February 2012 07h00 SAST

2012-02-27T08:05:00.002+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

GFS Medium Range Forecasts of Vertical Velocity and Precipitation: 27 - 28 February 2012

2012-02-27T07:56:00.000+02:00

Image: U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Click on image for larger view.

Ice Cover on Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota

2012-02-27T07:53:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

This photograph taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station illustrates the harsh winter conditions frequently experienced in North Dakota. Ice covers the surface of northwestern Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir on the Missouri River. A local weather station near New Town, North Dakota, reported an air temperature of -24°C (-11°F), with a wind chill of approximately -32°C (-25°F) at 10:36 a.m. local time—six minutes before the image was taken. In addition to the grey ice on the lake, a dusting of white snow highlights the agricultural fields to the north and northeast, as well as fissures and irregularities in the ice surfaces. For a sense of scale, the arms of the lake to either side of New Town are approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart.
Lake Sakakawea is named—in the Hidatsa language—for the Shoshone woman generally known as Sacagawea, or “Bird Woman.” iIn 1805 –1806, she accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition as an interpreter and guide.

The lake was created in 1954 following the completion of Garrison Dam (not shown) on the Missouri River. With a surface area of approximately 148,924 hectares (368,000 acres) and length of 286 kilometers (178 miles), Lake Sakakawea is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the United States.

Astronaut photograph ISS030-E-59433 was acquired on January 19, 2012, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera using a 180 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 30 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by William L. Stefanov, Jacobs/ESCG at NASA-JSC.

Instrument:
ISS - Digital Camera - NASA

Drought-weary Texans welcome rains, wildflowers

2012-02-27T07:51:00.000+02:00

(Reuters) - San Antonio resident Janet Garibay is starting the process of bringing her lawn back from the dead.

"Our yard was destroyed by the drought," said Garibay, who visited a local home-improvement store on Saturday to pick up shrubs, plants and grass seed. "We're hoping that this rainier weather will help us put it together again."

As spring approaches, recent rains across much of the state are giving drought-weary Texans hope that the devastation may be over.

The drought that destroyed Garibay's lawn also killed millions of trees, sparked wildfires that burned nearly 4 million acres and caused billions of dollars in losses to the state's farming and ranching industries. Last year was the driest year on record in Texas, and the second-hottest, according to the National Weather Service.

Now, a little more than a third of the state - and none of the state's four largest metropolitan areas - is suffering from extreme or exceptional drought, according to a survey released last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor. By contrast, last September, nearly 97 percent was in one of those two most severe categories.

Parts of Texas received more rain in the first six weeks of 2012 than they received in all of 2011, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said.

The drought still lingers in lightly populated parts of West Texas, the Texas Panhandle and in the brush country that hugs the Gulf Coast south of Corpus Christi. But San Antonio and Austin are only in moderate drought; Dallas-Fort Worth has emerged from the drought entirely; Houston is listed just as abnormally dry; and a large stretch of North Texas is back to normal moisture levels, according to the survey.

Heavy rains in January and early February were a welcome sight to farmers who suffered more than $5 billion worth of crop damage in last year's drought, according to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. The drought has resulted in higher consumer prices for everything from beef to peanut butter.

Even non-food items like clothing were pushed up by the dry spell, as much of the state's cotton crop was destroyed. Texas produces 55 percent of the nation's cotton.

"Planting is going on in much of Texas and fields are being prepared, so these rains could really make or break many producers' seasons," Staples said.

That said, the state still remains abnormally dry, and with some lakes dozens of feet below average levels, farmers are just two dry weeks away from parched fields in which crops couldn't germinate, Staples said.

"With such a long season, we need sustained rains, and we need a major rain event to fill up our reservoirs," he said.

Nowhere is the spotty nature of the drought recovery more obvious than in the area west of Austin known as the Highland Lakes, a series of reservoirs on the Colorado River watershed that provide water to millions of residents, businesses and farmers from northwest Texas to the Gulf Coast.

Some of the lakes are near their usual levels, but others remain 40 feet or more lower than this time of year. Residents of Spicewood Beach, on Lake Travis northwest of Austin, are relying on water that is delivered daily by truck, according to Clara Tuma of the Lower Colorado River Authority.

"We expect to bring in four or five tanker truckloads of water per day, and we will continue until the wells fill back up again," she said.

The LCRA last week approved new water management rules that could severely restrict water to rice farms along the Gulf Coast in the event of the return of intense drought.

But wetter weather is expected this spring. April and May should provide more moisture, according to Nielsen-Gammon.

And the colorful Texas wildflowers - all but invisible last year - have begun to sprout. Damon Wiatt, a senior botanist at the University of Texas' Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, said that the recent winter rains should yield a bumper crop of bluebonnets in rural Texas this spring.

- Reuters

Climate change threatens rooibos tea

2012-02-27T07:49:00.000+02:00

Farm workers swing their sickles through red branches, bundling them up before laying them out in the sunshine to dry.

The annual harvest at Groenkol Rooibos tea estate, in South Africa's Western Cape helps quench the world's growing thirst for "red bush" tea, but farmers fear that climate change could destroy the delicate eco-system that their crop depends on.

Annual exports of rooibos have quadrupled in the last 13 years. The tea is popular for its perceived health benefits as well as its refreshing taste and has become a trendy drink in many countries. It contains no caffeine and just a tiny amount of tannin.

But rooibos tea only grows in this Western Cape region -- nowhere else in the world.

"Rooibos is endemic to this area, it grows wild here and only here," said Chris Du Plessis, who runs Elandsberg Eco Tourism.

"If you go up that hill and down the other side you'll find that 90 percent of the plants that grow there don't grow on the other side."

Very few plants can survive in the dry, sandy terrain but rooibos bushes thrive in this area, living in symbiosis with micro-organisms in the soil. Farmers have tried to grow rooibos in Australia, the United States, even China -- each time they've failed.

Willem Engelbrecht inherited Groenkol Rooibos Tea Estate from his father. Since taking on the farm, he's noticed distinct changes in the weather.

"Over the last 10 years, there are more and more strange things happening," said Engelbrecht.

The area already endures extreme weather conditions. The temperature drops to freezing in the winter, and reaches 48 degrees (118 Fahrenheit) in the summer.

Now, summers are hotter and winters, drier. As a result, Engelbrecht has had to adapt his farming techniques.

"In the past we used to plough the soil, these days we plough less and we keep material on the soil to act as isolation, basically to preserve the moisture."

But if temperatures continue to soar, farmers like Willem will find it difficult to cope, posing risks to the 600 million rand ($78 million, 59 million euro) rooibos industry.

Climate change experts warn that the Western Cape will be hit hard over the next 100 years.

"A plausible scenario is a further three degree (Celsius) temperature increase over much of this region," said Francois Engelbrecht of South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

"At the same time, this region is projected to become generally drier. So the general picture that is painted for all of the Western interior and coastal regions of South Africa is indeed not a very positive one."

But those who depend on rooibos for their livelihood are trying to remain positive. The rooibos industry is booming, with the Cederberg area producing 12,000 tonnes of tea a year, half of which is sold for export. That's enough to make 4.8 billion cups of tea a year.

Tea production also provides an estimated 4,500 jobs to the area, with much of the harvesting and drying done by hand.

"Rooibos is now gaining ground in a lot of countries and is grown from a very small base, so I think business can grow exponentially," said Willem Engelbrecht.

The question for farmers like Engelbrecht, is how long this boom can last, before climate change kills off their crop.

- Times Live

Fatal shack fires decrease

2012-02-27T07:46:00.002+02:00

Following its campaign to promote fire safety, Cape Town City are celebrating a decrease in the extent of fatal shack fires.

Hundreds of people are often left destitute weekly after fires at informal settlements across the peninsula.

While the number of fires has not decreased substantially, residents are however reacting much quicker in dealing with fire.

Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the safety campaign was proving to be a huge success.

“What we are seeing is not a significant reduction in the number of fires but a reduction in the extent of the fires."

He added that fewer shacks were being destroyed and there was no loss of life.

- EWN

Officials Say 3 Dead in Canadian Train Derailment

2012-02-27T07:35:00.000+02:00

Image: Emergency crews work the scene of a Via Rail train derailment in Burlington, Ontario, west of Toronto, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. Three railroad employees are dead and dozens of passengers are injured after the Toronto-bound train derailed. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

A Canadian Via Rail passenger train derailed west of Toronto Sunday, killing three railroad employees and injuring dozens of passengers, officials said.

Via Rail spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche said the three people killed were all engineers riding in the cab of the locomotive at the front of the train when it derailed in Burlington, Ontario. A fourth Via worker in the locomotive was injured, she said.

Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring also confirmed that three people died in the accident.

Lamarche said no passengers died but 45 were injured. She said 75 people were on board the train traveling from Niagara Falls to Toronto when the train left the tracks around 3:30 p.m. Sunday within view of a residential area near Aldershot station.

The locomotive crashed on its side into a small trackside building, and at least two passengers car behind it were driven off the tracks into an L-shape. All six cars derailed, a Via official said.

Amid the twisted metal and debris emergency crews scrambled to pull passengers to safety amid reports fuel was leaking from the train. Some passengers were carried away on boards and stretchers while others, looking dazed and battered, were led out of the wreckage by emergency workers.

Three passengers were airlifted to hospital, one with a heart attack, another with a broken leg and the third with a back injury. Forty-two other passengers suffered less-serious injuries and were either treated at the scene or taken to local hospitals. Some 30 passengers were well enough to continue on to Toronto's Union Station by bus.

Deanna Villela of Welland, Ontario, said she felt a slight bump before the train jumped off the tracks, sending people and luggage flying. The crash lasted about 10 seconds but felt like "forever," she said.

Goldring said the crash caused minor damage to nearby buildings.

"There's no question it's very tragic. We're a relatively small company, we're a family, we know everyone by name," Via chief operating officer John Marginson said at the scene. "We certainly feel for the families of the colleagues that we lost."

Transportation Safety Board investigators were on the scene Sunday. A key piece of evidence will be the train's data recorder. Weather was not believed to be a factor, as it was clear and dry at the time of the crash. It was not immediately known how fast the train was traveling.

- ABC News (AP)

Avalanche Danger at a High This Season

2012-02-27T07:32:00.000+02:00

DENVER (AP) -- Business is lagging this year at the Boulder Outdoor Center, where adventurers come to book and buy equipment for ski trips into the backcountry.

Except, that is, in one area. The outfitter's avalanche training courses keep selling out.

An influx of new daredevils combined with an historically dangerous season in the high country have played into this strange mix at the Colorado shop and around the West, where 17 people have been killed by avalanches so far this season.

"Basically, my answer is, it's multiple levels of gray," said the Outdoor Center's Eric Bader, when asked to explain this year's troubling numbers. "Yes, there are more people going out to the backcountry who don't have a clue. On the other end of the extreme, nobody's perfect. Anyone who goes out in the backcountry takes some level of risk. Sometimes, they don't do enough to minimize that risk, to be as smart as they can when the risk gets high."

In Colorado this year, the risk is high.

Early-season snow followed by several weeks of dry weather in the mountains created a grainy, unstable base of snow. Heavy snowfall later in the winter, accompanied by strong winds that piled the snow onto downwind-facing slopes, has created the ultimate recipe for avalanche conditions. So far this season, six people have died in Colorado. Last week, four people died in Washington, where expert backcountry skiers and snowboarders met up with tragedy despite taking precautions.

"It's unpredictable," said Joel Hammond, one of the survivors, in an interview with KING-TV in Seattle. "But we choose that part of the game, to go out and be in places where it isn't necessarily controlled by the ski patrol. That's the risk we take. That's part of the sport. But it's also what we live for."

Spread liberally across the YouTube and the rest of the Internet are hundreds of videos of avalanches triggered by backcountry skiers, boarders and snowmobilers who escape tragedy by the barest of minimums.

It's this kind of thrill-seeking, along with an increase in the acreage of "out of bounds" areas that have been opened to adventurers over the last five to 10 years, that has made it more possible for avalanches to kill.

But it's not just newcomers who are vulnerable to conditions during an unpredictable winter that's on pace to finish well above the national yearly average of 29 avalanche deaths. In November, professional skier Jamie Pierre, who once famously jumped off a 255-foot cliff, died in the Utah mountains while at a resort that wasn't yet open and had not begun avalanche control.

"It's a broader intersection of where people like to ski and where avalanches happen," said Ethan Greene, the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. "Then, you amp up what the risk-taker group likes to do. They want to ski aesthetic lines, the steepest mountain runs, jumping off cliffs. I don't think they're doing it because they want to trigger an avalanche. It's not because they want to die. They do it because that's what's fun about it."

Because the whole notion of "out-of-bounds" skiing goes against following widely posted rules and warnings, it's no surprise that advisories, watches and warnings often are ignored or taken with a grain of salt. For instance, a wide swath of Colorado was under a high-risk avalanche warning earlier this week. That was downgraded to "considerable" risk for the weekend, yet risk-takers still will be out there.

"All you can tell them is to compare it to crossing a really busy, four-lane highway," Greene said. "You generally tell people that's not a good idea. But if you're going to do it, tell them to stand to the side of the road, watch traffic and recognize a spot where they can get across safely."

In addition to the six deaths in Colorado and the four in Washington, three people have died in avalanches in Utah, three in Montana and one in Wyoming.

Although Greene emphasizes that this has been a particularly bad year from a snowpack perspective, Bader says there's a human-nature element that plays into the spike in backcountry skiing, which puts more people at risk.

"As a human race, everything seems to be ramping up and getting more extreme," Bader said. "Scary movies aren't the same as they were 20, 30 years ago. There's more violence on TV. Everything keeps ramping up. We're doing the same thing with sports, always trying to do better than the previous person -- ski steeper, go faster. That's basically leading to more accidents."

Greene said there are three obvious signs that you're in an avalanche zone:

If you see a fresh avalanche near where you're skiing, it's a good bet that there will be other slides on similar slopes that face the same way, with the same pitch and same elevation.
If you're snowshoeing and you see cracks shooting through the snow in front of you.
If you hear a low, rumbling, "whoompfing"' sound.

"Those are all signs that the snowpack where you're at is prime for an avalanche," he said.

At the Boulder Outdoor Center, they teach all those things, along with the importance of carrying avalanche gear -- beacons, shovels, balloon packs -- and knowing how to use it.

"When they let you go into the backcountry, they're saying, `Here, we're letting you go outside of the boundaries,"' Bader said. "It's user beware. We're not responsible for that. But in many cases, I think the knowledge that people need to have to go outside those gates has not kept up with the increased accessibility. There are so many new people getting out there."

- Weather.com and The Associated Press

Snow and Volcanoes on Kamchatka

2012-02-27T07:00:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Besides bordering the Pacific Ocean, the east coast of Eurasia and the west coast of the Americas have something in common. They are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Plate tectonic theory explains this fiery ring. As the massive Pacific Plate slides slowly below neighboring plates, rock layers sink into our planet’s super-hot interior. As those rock layers melt, magma travels upward, fueling volcanoes. Consequences of this process are especially evident on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the far eastern Russian Federation.

The Kamchatka Peninsula sports nearly 70 active volcanoes, although most of them appear calm in this scene from late December 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on December 19, 2011. Snow blankets the peninsula, but the relatively dark area stretching down Kamchatka likely results from that area’s lower elevation and resulting lighter snow cover.

Acquired two days shy of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, this scene shows low-angled sunlight, and the Sun’s low angle causes several of the volcanoes to cast long shadows to the north. Many of the volcanoes on Kamchatka are stratovolcanoes—tall, steep-sloped, conical volcanoes. Klyuchevskaya (also Kliuchevskoi) is the tallest, rising to a height of 4,835 meters (15,863 feet). Klyuchevskaya is generally regarded as Kamchatka’s most active volcano, but Bezymianny, Kizimen, Karymsky, and Shiveluch all remain active. In this image, Shiveluch emits a discernible plume that blows toward the south-southwest.

The same volcanic processes that produce ash plumes and lava flows today have shaped the peninsula over the last 3 million years. About 2.5 million years ago, what would become Kamchatka was a magma lake underneath the Pacific sea floor. Once it erupted, the magma began a slow process of volcano construction, eventually building up volcanic plates big enough to add to the Eurasian landmass.

References

Global Volcanism Program. Bezymianny, Karymsky, Kizimen, Shiveluch, Kliuchevskoi, and Shiveluch. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed February 23, 2012.
Kamchatka: Siberia’s Forbidden Wilderness. The Ring of Fire. PBS. Accessed February 23, 2012.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA

Update: Possible Cyclone Formation Alert: Madagascar

2012-02-26T20:12:00.000+02:00

WTXS21 PGTW 260130
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVMARFCSTCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//
SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT//
RMKS/
1. FORMATION OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE IS POSSIBLE WITHIN 200 NM EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 13.7S 53.3E TO 14.9S 44.0E WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. AVAILABLE DATA DOES NOT JUSTIFY ISSUANCE OF NUMBERED TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNINGS AT THIS TIME. WINDS IN THE AREA ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 25 TO 30 KNOTS. METSAT IMAGERY AT 260100Z INDICATES THAT A CIRCULATION CENTER IS LOCATED NEAR 13.7S 51.7E. THE SYSTEM IS MOVING WESTWARD AT 14 KNOTS. 2. REMARKS: THE AREA OF CONVECTION PREVIOUSLY LOCATED NEAR 14.5S 53.7E, IS NOW LOCATED NEAR 13.7S 51.7E, APPROXIMATELY 420 NM NORTHEAST OF ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR. ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE SYSTEM HAS CONTINUED TO CONSOLIDATE WITH INTENSE, DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING OVER THE SOUTHERN SEMI-CIRCLE WRAPPING INTO THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). A 252320Z AMSU IMAGE ALSO INDICATES IMPROVED CONVECTIVE BANDING ALTHOUGH THE LLCC APPEARS SLIGHTLY ELONGATED. UPPER-LEVEL ANALYSIS INDICATES AN IMPROVING ENVIRONMENT WITH DIFFLUENT EASTERLY FLOW AND GOOD POLEWARD AND EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE STRENGTHENING WHILE TRACKING OVER THE NORTHERN TIP OF MADAGASCAR AND WILL INTENSIFY SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS AS IT MOVES OVER THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 25 TO 30 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 1000 MB. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS HIGH.

- CIMSS + JTWC

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 26 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-26T19:49:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 26/02/2012 14:21:00
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely Uncomfortable Conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2012: ----------------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coast.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 26/02/2012 14:21:00
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coast.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 26/02/2012 14:21:00
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 27-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands and the interior of the Eden Cape District. ADVISORIES: ----------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands and the Karoo areas on Monday.

Current warning: All other Provinces
Updated: 26/02/2012 14:21:00
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Images: 26 February 2012 13h52 & 15h32 SAST

2012-02-26T19:44:00.000+02:00

Images: NOAA18 (Nic Cronje, Nelspruit) Click on image for larger view.

American rescued from rip in Wilderness ( 25 February 2012)

2012-02-26T18:14:00.000+02:00

WILDERNESS Saturday 25th February 2012. American rescued from rip-current:

The final volleyball match of the day underway on Wilderness beach.

At 16h15 on Saturday 25th February during a fund raising volleyball event at Wilderness Beach, an hour after sea rescue volunteers had thrilled the large crowd with a sea rescue demonstration in the surf and during the final match of the competition, it was noticed that two men were getting into difficulty in a rip-current that had formed where they were swimming.

NSRI rescuers saw that both men were in danger and turned their attention to launching a rescue.

NSRI sea rescue swimmer Torsten Henschel swam after the two men while the duty crew launched our sea rescue craft Die Swart Tobie and responded.

One of the men managed to get safely to shore and Torsten reached the second man, Gerald Akakios, 48, from Las Vegas, USA, about 50 to 100 meters out to sea. He was struggling to keep his head above water and Torsten secured him using a floatation rescue device.

Our sea rescue boat reached them shortly thereafter and Gerald was whisked out of the surf and brought ashore where he was checked out by our medics.

The Volleyball match had come to a grinding halt during the rescue operation but resumed after it was confirmed that the casualty was safe.

The two men were not together but just happened to be swimming in the same vicinity when the rip-current formed and began to drag them both out to sea at the same time.

The two men waving for help.

Sea Rescue swimmer Torsten Henschel on his way.

Rescue swimmer Torsten Henschel reaches Gerald Akakios.

Torsten secures Gerald.

The rescue boat Die Swart Tobie is launched.

Gerald is pulled into the rescue boat Die Swart Tobie.

- NSRI

SAWDOS: Great work by all involved!! The set of photos explains the rescue effort in detail and can we all learn from this event. These images clearly demonstrate the professionalism and motivation of the NSRI in saving lives.

Magnitude-6.8 Quake Shakes Siberia

2012-02-26T10:20:00.000+02:00

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake shook southwestern Siberia on Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the temblor that rattled the region at 1:17 p.m. local time (0616 GMT), the agency said.

The quake was centered some 11.7 kilometers (7.3 miles) below the surface, the USGS said.

The USGS said the quake hit 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Kyzyl, Russia and about 892 kilometers (554 miles) northwest of Ulaanbator, Mongolia.

- ABC News

5.9 earthquake strikes southern Taiwan, causes minor damage

2012-02-26T10:02:00.000+02:00

By msnbc.com staff and news services

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were reports of minor property damage but no immediate reports of injuries, The Associated Press said.

The quake was centered in a mountainous area about 19 miles from the coastal city of Pingtung, at a depth of 13.9 miles.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the quake struck at 10:35 a.m. (6:35 p.m. ET) Sunday and put the magnitude at 6.1. Taiwan television showed pictures of minor damage in the Pingtung area.

TV reports said high-speed rail service had been temporarily suspended out of the southern city of Kaohsiung, north of Pingtung.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage. However, a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.

Msnbc.com staff contributed to this report from The Associated Press.

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 26 February 2012 04h00 SAST

2012-02-26T09:45:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 26/02/2012 04:51:57
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely Uncomfortable Conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2012: ----------------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the wild coast.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 26/02/2012 04:51:57
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coast.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 26/02/2012 04:51:57
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District and Little Karoo. ADVISORIES: ----------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands and the Karoo areas on Monday.

Current warning: All other Provinces
Updated: 25/02/2012 15:33:16
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 26 February 2012 09h00 SAST

2012-02-26T09:39:00.000+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

Possible Cyclone formation Alert: North East of Antananarivo, Madagascar

2012-02-26T09:28:00.003+02:00

WTXS21 PGTW 260130
MSGID/GENADMIN/NAVMARFCSTCEN PEARL HARBOR HI/JTWC//SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION ALERT// RMKS/ 1. FORMATION OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE IS POSSIBLE WITHIN 200 NM EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 13.7S 53.3E TO 14.9S 44.0E WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. AVAILABLE DATA DOES NOT JUSTIFY ISSUANCE OF NUMBERED TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNINGS AT THIS TIME. WINDS IN THE AREA ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 25 TO 30 KNOTS. METSAT IMAGERY AT 260100Z INDICATES THAT A CIRCULATION CENTER IS LOCATED NEAR 13.7S 51.7E. THE SYSTEM IS MOVING WESTWARD AT 14 KNOTS. 2. REMARKS: THE AREA OF CONVECTION PREVIOUSLY LOCATED NEAR 14.5S 53.7E, IS NOW LOCATED NEAR 13.7S 51.7E, APPROXIMATELY 420 NM NORTHEAST OF ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR. ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE SYSTEM HAS CONTINUED TO CONSOLIDATE WITH INTENSE, DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING OVER THE SOUTHERN SEMI-CIRCLE WRAPPING INTO THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). A 252320Z AMSU IMAGE ALSO INDICATES IMPROVED CONVECTIVE BANDING ALTHOUGH THE LLCC APPEARS SLIGHTLY ELONGATED. UPPER-LEVEL ANALYSIS INDICATES AN IMPROVING ENVIRONMENT WITH DIFFLUENT EASTERLY FLOW AND GOOD POLEWARD AND EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE STRENGTHENING WHILE TRACKING OVER THE NORTHERN TIP OF MADAGASCAR AND WILL INTENSIFY SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS AS IT MOVES OVER THE MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 25 TO 30 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 1000 MB. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS HIGH. 3. THIS ALERT WILL BE REISSUED, UPGRADED TO WARNING OR CANCELLED BY 270130Z.//
NNNN

- JTWC + CIMSS

Two die in fire at Brazil's Antarctic research station

2012-02-26T09:14:00.000+02:00

Image: The Brazilian navy said the fire had destroyed the entire station

The Brazilian navy says it has recovered the bodies of two of its members from the debris of a Brazilian research station in the Antarctic.

The Comandante Ferraz base near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula was destroyed by an explosion on Saturday.

Officials said the blast was caused by a fire which raged through the base, where marine research work is carried out.

A third member of the navy injured in the fire is in a stable condition.

Defence Minister Celso Amorim praised the military personnel's bravery.

"In an act of heroism, they risked their lives to extinguish the fire, but did not succeed," Mr Amorim said.

He said all the scientists from the station had been evacuated to Punto Arenas in Chile, from where they will be taken to Brazil on Sunday.

The military personnel stayed in Antarctica, but sought temporary shelter at Chile's Eduardo Frei research base.

Officials said the fire started in a machine room housing energy generators before destroying the entire station, which had been built in 1984.

Fifty-nine people were stationed at the base on King George Island when the fire broke out on Saturday morning.

The Comandante Ferraz base was equipped with research laboratories, dormitories, a large-scale kitchen, a library, and technical installation used by expedition boats.

An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the blaze.

Researchers said the burning down of the station was "an incalculable loss to science".

- BBC

Fire in Antarctica on Sunday, 26 February, 2012 at 05:11 (05:11 AM) UTC.

An explosion destroyed a Brazilian research base in Antarctica, killing two navy personnel and injuring a third, according to authorities. Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim confirmed the deaths of non-commissioned officer Carlos Alberto Vieira Figueiredo and sergeant Roberto Lopes dos Santos, who had earlier been reported missing. "In an act of heroism, they were precisely in the area of major risk in a bid to extinguish a fire and they did not succeed," Amorim said on Sunday. Navy sergeant Luciano Gomes Medeiros was also lightly injured in the blast, which occurred after a fire in a room housing energy generators of the Comandante Ferraz research base located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. He was first treated at a nearby Arctowski Polish Antarctic station and later transferred to the Chilean Eduardo Frei military base. The Chilean Defense Ministry meanwhile confirmed that a joint Chilean-Brazilian team found the bodies of the two Brazilian personnel who had been reported missing after the fire. "The bodies were found near the stricken base" and will be transferred to the Eduardo Frei base, it added. Chilean Defense Minister Andres Allamand told CNN television that the Brazilian base "was completely destroyed" by the explosion. The blast also forced dozens of researchers to evacuate.

Earlier, Amorim relayed news of the accident to President Dilma Rousseff after being informed by the Brazilian naval chief, Admiral Julio Soares de Moura Neto. Amorim was also briefed on measures taken to contain the fire and to assist the personnel at the base, his office said. Military personnel were trying to bring the fire under control, a Brazilian navy statement said earlier. About 30 researchers, one alpinist and a Brazilian environment ministry representative who were at the base during the explosion were evacuated by helicopter to the Eduardo Frei base. The Argentine Air Force agreed to fly them to the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas, the Brazilian Navy said. According to the Chilean Air Force, 42 Brazilians and two Spaniards were evacuated to Punta Arenas. It added other people affected by the fire had been taken to the Eduardo Frei base, which was providing medical support. Two Argentine Navy vessels and two others from the Polish Antarctic station were in the area, providing support along with three Chilean helicopters. Brazil's Polar Research Vessel Almirante Maximiano was en route to the area after sailing from Punta Arenas. The Brazilian Air Force also sent a C-130 Hercules aircraft to Punta Arenas to repatriate the Brazilian evacuees.

The defense ministry said Amorim telephoned his Chilean counterpart Andres Allamand to thank him for his country's assistance. The Comandante Ferraz base, which was established in 1984, conducts biological science research focused on coastal and shelf marine ecosystems. Around 30 countries, all signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, operate seasonal and year-round research stations on Antarctica. The treaty, which entered into force in 1961 and currently has 49 signatory nations, sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity on the continent.

- RSOE EDIS

Argentina train crash: Driver blames faulty brakes

2012-02-26T09:05:00.000+02:00

Image: Train driver Marcos Cordoba had to be cut out of the locomotive cab after the accident

The driver of an Argentine train that crashed on Wednesday, killing 51 people, has blamed faulty brakes for the accident, officials say.

More than 700 were injured when the train hit buffers as it came into a station in the capital, Buenos Aires.

According to the sources, the driver said he had warned his supervisors he was having problems with the brakes, but was reportedly told to keep going.

Investigators said they would check the control room recordings.

Driver Marcos Cordoba is being investigated on suspicion of what Argentine law calls "guilty damage without an attempt to cause harm".

Mr Cordoba, 28, was injured in the crash and had to be cut out of the locomotive cab by firefighters.

According to Noticias Argentinas news agency, Mr Cordoba told investigators he had alerted the control room to the braking problem.

"At every station, I radioed the controller and told him I was having problems with the brakes; and they'd just tell me: 'carry on, carry on'," the agency quotes Mr Cordoba.

Judge Claudio Bonadio allowed Mr Cordoba to go home after making his statement, although he told him to report to the prosecutor's office weekly.

Blood tests showed Mr Cordoba had not been drinking or using drugs when the accident happened.

Transport Minister Juan Pablo Schiavo said recordings of the conversations between the driver and the control room would be reviewed as part of the investigation.

On Friday, the number of dead was revised up to 51 after the body of a 20-year-old man was found in the wreckage - the only passenger who had not yet been accounted for.

Wednesday's accident was Argentina's worst train crash since February 1970, when a train smashed into another at full speed in suburban Buenos Aires, killing 200 people.

- BBC

The serendipitous discovery of solar flares

2012-02-26T08:51:00.000+02:00

Image: Astronomer Richard Carrington’s original hand drawing of the solar flare he observed on Sept. 1, 1859. Points A and B indicate where the flares broke out. Points C and D indicate where they faded out. The darkened areas show sunspots. (Credit: Originally publisehd by the British Royal Astronomical Society; provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System.)

What did Richard Carrington see in 1859?

Way back before we had the Internet and telephones and electrical wiring – more than 150 years ago – scientists learned how solar flares can play havoc with manmade technologies. They also connected solar flares to the fantastic displays of auroral light, usually seen only at far northern and southern latitudes. And this discovery was completely by accident.

Englishman Richard Carrington is credited with the key observation in 1859 that connected solar flares with communications disruptions as well as the aurora borealis. Carrington was a wealthy astronomer who dutifully recorded sunspots in his observatory at his estate in Redhill not far from London.

His father owned the Royal Brewery in a nearby town and had urged his son to attend seminary. Carrington, however, was more interested in math and astronomy. After completing his studies at Trinity College, he went to work at the University of Durham observatory. After three years there, he was frustrated with the university’s inability to purchase new instruments for the observatory. In 1852, he decided to resign and use his family’s wealth to build his own house with an attached observatory and state-of-the-art telescope.

He completed his observatory in 1854, employed an assistant, and worked on cataloging stars. One project, a catalog of circumpolar stars, earned him a gold medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1859. But he was also interested in the sun.

The Carrington Event

Working away in his observatory on Sept. 1, 1859, Carrington was doing one of the most mundane things that scientists do – collecting data – when a massive solar flare exploded. He was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, and so this first human-observed solar flare is known as the Carrington Event.

Lacking anything like an X-ray telescope, which modern astronomers use to study the sun, he worked by projecting an image of the sun from his optical telescope onto a large white screen. Looking at the sun directly through the telescope could have damaged his eyes. The shadows of crossed wires on the screen allowed him to time the transit of sunspots across the surface of the sun.

We know now that sunspots are caused by intense magnetic activity, but in 1859, the nature of these darks spots on the bright surface of the sun was not well understood. Nonetheless, Carrington recorded the date and time that sunspot images intersected with the shadows of his wires. He also drew diagrams of the spots he observed.

On Sept. 1, Carrington “was engaged at the time in counting from a chronometer and recording the contacts of the spots with cross-wires used in the observation, when…two patches of intensely bright light broke out,” according to a paper he published later in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. These patches of light quickly intensified.

Carrington’s first thought, he wrote, was that light had penetrated a hole in his screen. But, as the bright light moved with the sunspot image, he realized there was no hole in his screen.

“I thereupon noted down the time by the chronometer, and seeing the outburst to be very rapidly on the increase, and being somewhat flurried by the surprise, I hastily ran to call someone to witness the exhibition with me, and on returning within 60 seconds, was mortified to find that it was already much changed and enfeebled. Very shortly afterwards the last trace was gone,” he wrote in his journal article.

Accidental observation leads to discovery

Carrington’s careful observations and data collection are what enabled scientists to connect the solar flare to the surprising events that followed on its heels. Since 1859, scientists have observed thousands of solar flares, but none have matched the intensity of the Carrington Event. Carrington’s observations also opened many new questions for astronomers. Much of what we know now about how solar flares interact with the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field started with those questions.

Within 18 hours of Carrington’s solar flare, Earth was engulfed in perhaps the largest geomagnetic storm ever, which sent compass needles swinging erratically and lit the skies with shimmering auroras.
The legacy of Carrington’s work continues today through research conducted by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

Howard Singer, Ph.D., chief scientist in the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center’s Space Weather Services Branch, explains that fast-moving energetic particles and slower-moving solar matter erupt from the sun’s atmosphere during a solar flare. The solar matter thrown into space is known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME.

“It’s like a blob of material exploding out into the solar wind and travelling as much as five or six times faster than the typical background solar wind,” Singer says.

When a CME hits the Earth’s magnetopause — the boundary between Earth’s magnetic field and the solar wind — interactions between solar matter and Earth’s own magnetic fields cause a geomagnetic storm. These storms can interfere with our power grids and communication and navigation systems. Interference can range from minor to extreme, depending on the intensity of the storm.

Telegraphs go down, skies light up

In 1859, there were no power grids, and our only telecommunication system was the telegraph. But the solar storm had its impacts even then. Telegraph operators were among the first to notice the effects of the massive solar flare and subsequent geomagnetic storm. Operators in North America and Europe were unable to send messages. Some received electric shocks from their equipment. In some cases, sparks set paper near the telegraph ablaze.

Singer has an historical record of messages between two operators in Boston and Portland:

Boston (to Portland operator) – “Please cut off your battery entirely from the line for fifteen minutes.”
Portland – “Will do so. It is now disconnected.”
Boston – “Mine is also disconnected and we are working with the auroral current. How do you receive my writing?"
Portland – “Better than with our batteries on. Current comes and goes gradually.”
Boston – “My current is very strong at times, and we can work better without batteries, as the aurora seems to neutralize and augment our batteries alternately, making the current too strong at times for our relay magnets. Suppose we work without batteries while we are affected by this trouble?”

With solar matter crashing around the Earth’s magnetic field, like rough surf around a ship’s bow, the 1859 solar storm also pushed the visible range of the aurora borealis as far south as the Caribbean. Newspaper accounts captured what people saw in the night sky:

“Early in the evening from the east there came a faint light, like that preceding the rising moon, while in the west a delicate crimson seemed to be thrown upwards, as if from the sun, long since gone down,” reported the Cincinnati Daily Commercial on Sept. 1, 1859. “Later, these strange fires overran the entire heavens – now separating into streamers, gathered at the zenith, and forming a glorious canopy – then spreading evenly like a vapor, shedding on all things a soft radiance.”

The New Orleans Daily Picayune reported on Aug. 29, 1859, that crowds gathered on street corners to watch the aurora. Some feared that it was a warning of an impending disaster or epidemic. People in Boston assumed that their sky had reddened due to a fire until the red color changed to green spires of light, according to the Boston Transcript on Sept. 5, 1859.

- NOAA

Predicting space weather today

Today, reliance on 21st century communications, navigation and power grids necessitates that we vigilantly monitor solar flare activity, Singer explains. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colo., is the nation’s official source for forecasts, warnings, and alerts about space weather.

Geomagnetic storms triggered by solar flares and coronal mass ejections have the potential to disrupt:

GPS navigation systems;
electrical power grids;
airline communications; and
military and environmental satellites.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center monitors solar activity and issues forecasts and alerts when solar flares and CMEs threaten the operation of any of these systems. Operators can then take steps to mitigate or avoid damage. Solar activity peaks about every 11 years. The next peak is expected in 2013.

Space weather prediction center scientists and partners at other federal and academic institutions recently improved the forecasting model they use to make predictions. Their new model enables forecasters to time the impacts of solar activity to within a 12-hour window. The previous model was accurate within a 30-hour window. Read more about the new model.

To learn how the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center keeps a close watch on the sun, readWhen the sun acts up, NOAA knows why, an online NOAA feature story.

Dust Storm in Utah

2012-02-26T08:43:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Dust and clouds mingled over Utah in late February 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of a dust storm on February 23.

The dust arises from the Great Salt Lake Desert, with sediments that can provide ample material for dust storms. Cloudbanks surround the dust, especially in the south and east. The clouds might result from the same weather pattern that brought dust-stirring high winds.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Terra - MODIS - NASA

Extending the Ozone Monitoring Record

2012-02-26T08:41:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

A new satellite instrument is sending back detailed information about the health of Earth's ozone layer, the atmospheric gas that shields life from harmful levels of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. The Ozone Mapper and Profiler Suite, or OMPS—one of five new instruments on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite—will add to a record of space-based ozone monitoring that dates back to 1978.

The images above show the concentration of ozone in Earth's atmosphere above the South Pole on January 27, 2012. Measurements are expressed in Dobson Units, the number of molecules required to create a layer of pure ozone 0.01 millimeters thick at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 1 atmosphere (the air pressure at the surface of the Earth). The ozone layer’s average thickness is about 300 Dobson Units, a layer that is 3 millimeters thick, or the height of two U.S. pennies stacked together.

The left image above is based on data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. Data collected on the first day of operations by OMPS is shown on the right. OMPS is the successor to OMI and part of a long line of ozone monitoring instruments, so it is important to have overlapping flight time. Researchers will use the coming months (perhaps years) to cross-calibrate the instruments and ensure a seamless, standardized record.

Built for the NASA satellite by scientists by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), OMI is a spectrometer that measures the amount of sunlight scattered by Earth’s atmosphere and surface. OMI allows scientists to assess how much ozone is present at various altitudes—particularly the stratosphere—and near the ground. It has been flying since 2004.

OMPS consists of three instruments: the downward-looking nadir mapper and nadir profiler, and a limb profiler. The nadir profiler and mapper observe the vertical distribution of ozone in ways that match the three decades of existing ozone measurements. The limb profiler is an experimental instrument that measures the distribution of ozone at higher vertical resolution by looking through the atmosphere on an angle. OMPS was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Suomi NPP team at NASA will continue initial checkouts of OMPS and other instruments as part of its commissioning activities until early March. Operations will then be handed off to NOAA, which will continue calibration and validation activities and lead the processing and distribution of data. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense.

Caption by Cynthia O'Carroll and Mike Carlowicz.

Instrument:
Suomi NPP - OMPS - NASA

Dust over the Arabian Sea

2012-02-26T08:32:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

Dust plumes stretched southward over the Arabian Sea in late February 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on February 22, 2012. The thickest plume arises just west of the Iran-Pakistan border. Thinner plumes blow southward along the entire coast of Pakistan.

Sandy deserts cover much of southern Pakistan and Iran, and the sand seas of that region often give rise to dust storms. Sandy deserts also cover large parts of Oman, although little of the dust in this image arises from that country.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA

Fire Breaks out in Brazilian Antarctic Base

2012-02-25T18:27:00.000+02:00

The Brazilian navy says two people are missing after a fire broke out in Brazil's research station in Antarctica.

The navy says in an emailed statement that the fire broke out Saturday morning in the machine room that houses the energy generators of the Comandante Ferraz station that began operations in 1984.

The website of the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper says the two missing men died in the fire. The navy's press office declined comment.

The statement says one man suffered non-life threatening injuries. The 44 people at the station at the time of the fire were transferred by helicopter to Chile's Eduardo Frei station.

The statement says the fire has still not been controlled. No further information was immediately available.

- ABC News/AP

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 25 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-25T18:17:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 25/02/2012 15:33:16
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely Uncomfortable Conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2012: ----------------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the wild coast.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 25/02/2012 15:33:16
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced along the coast.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 25/02/2012 15:33:16
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 26-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District and Little Karoo. ADVISORIES: ----------- 1. Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District, Cape Winelands and the Karoo areas on Monday.

Current warning: All remaining Provinces
Updated: 25/02/2012 15:33:16
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 25 February 2012 17h17 SAST

2012-02-25T18:12:00.002+02:00

Image: NOAA15 (Ben Engelbrecht, Dundee) Click on image for larger view.

SA Weather Satellite Image: 25 February 2012 15h44 SAST

2012-02-25T18:11:00.001+02:00

Image: NOAA18 (Nic Cronje, Nelspruit) Click on image for larger view.

Fire leaves 54 homeless in Taiwan informal settlement, Khayelitsha

2012-02-25T18:08:00.000+02:00

At 14:38 on Saturday, 25 February 2012, a fire destroyed 15 informal structures at the Taiwan informal settlement, Section D, off Mew Way Road in Khayelitsha.

Firefighters and vehicles were dispatched to the scene of the incident upon receipt of the emergency call. The fire was swiftly contained and its impact was reduced thanks to the quick response of the City’s Fire and Rescue Services.

A total of 54 persons, including 17 males, 24 females and 13 children, were left homeless as a result of the fire. The rapid response teams from City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre were on the scene late Saturday afternoon to ensure that the victims were provided with humanitarian relief aid and social assistance.

The City will be providing building material to the households to rebuild their homes tomorrow, Sunday 26 February 2012, after the affected area has been cleared up.

The neighbours offered accommodation to the fire victims until tomorrow.

The City’s disaster response teams provided food parcels, blankets and clothing to the fire victims that lost all their personal belongings as a result of the fire.

No injuries were reported and all persons have been accounted for. The cause of the fire is unknown. Authorities will investigate the incident.

Wilfred Schrevian Evan Solomons-Johannes
Head: Systems Integration & Special Projects
Acting Head: Disaster Operations Centre

Argentines Discover 51st Victim in Train Wreck

2012-02-25T18:05:00.000+02:00

The discovery of a 51st victim Friday two days after Argentina's deadliest train wreck in decades left the man's family devastated and prompted rock-throwing and other violence by protesters holding vigil at the scene.

The search for 20-year-old Lucas Menghini Rey, whose body was missed in Wednesday's chaotic rescue effort, brought a sharp focus to widespread anger over the crash, which also injured 703 of the 1,500 people on the packed train.

Family and friends collapsed together at the news, while others keeping vigil at the station erupted in anger. Some shouted "throw them all out, not one should remain!" The phrase became iconic during the protests of a decade ago, when public outrage over a failed economy forced a series of presidents to resign.

Riot police responded with tear gas and batons, clearing the station and making arrests. At least one officer was bloodied, and dozens of youths threw objects at passing buses and taxis. Some started small fires and looted stores in the station as Menghini Rey's family and friends left in tears.

The cause remains unclear. The motorman, who could face criminal charges for failing to stop in time, was allowed to go home Friday after giving his statement to the investigative judge, his union's spokesman told the local Diarios y Noticias news agency.

But many commuters are furious that President Cristina Fernandez's government has apparently ignored repeated warnings about inoperable or missing brake equipment and other safety threats. And many suspect corruption and mismanagement contributed to the tragedy.

Menghini Rey hadn't appeared on any lists of dead or injured, about 30 of whom remain hospitalized, and city officials announced Friday that all other passengers had been accounted for. His body was found wedged in the crumpled motorman's chamber of the fourth car after Security Minister Nilda Garre personally took over and ordered police back to the wreck, searching "even in the most impossible places," Telam reported.

Inside the station, his family and friends had stacked boxes plastered with his picture and numbers to call, along with the phrase "we are as fragile as cardboard," a feeling shared by many after seeing how the massive train cars crumpled and crushed hundreds of passengers inside.

Menghini Rey's family hadn't seen him since he said goodbye early that morning to his 3-year-old daughter, promising to bring her a toy when he came back from work at a downtown call center, his friend Fernando Diaz told The Associated Press.

But rumors flew that he had survived. One city official even said he had been seen by psychiatrists at a hospital who released him into the streets, and that he might have been suffering from shock and post-traumatic stress.

Argentina's third deadly train accident in less than a year has focused attention on the dilapidated passenger rail system, privatized in 1995 and heavily subsidized by the government since then to keep ticket prices low.

Hard stops are common around the world, rail experts say, so modern cars are designed to avoid the crumpling that can happen when the lead car hits a barrier. But these cars were built decades ago and bought as refurbished castoffs from other urban rail systems.

- ABC News

Women killed in fire - South Crest, Alberton

2012-02-25T08:13:00.000+02:00

A woman was killed in a fire that gutted a flat in Pieterse Street near the Irving Steyn Street junction in South Crest, Alberton, late last night. Another man was in a critical condition after trying to save her from the blaze.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain unclear.

Common cause information indicates that a fire started in the apartment which is situated above retail stores. The flat is occupied by a family of four and woken by the smoke, a man managed to run from the burning building with his two children.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that his wife was trapped inside. Flames had overrun the building and firefighters were hard at work battling the fire. Sadly she was killed.

A man suffered severe smoke inhalation and was in a critical condition after attempting to enter the apartment to get her out. He was rushed by ambulance to the Natalspruit State Hospital for further urgent care.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Microlight crash at Panorama Airfield, Alberton

2012-02-25T08:12:00.001+02:00

Netcare911 Paramedics are responding to a report of a light aircraft crash at Panorama airfield in Alberton.

Initial reports indicate that a light aircraft has crashed with two men on board.

Medics have arrived at the scene to find two men in a critical condition. They had been aboard a micro light which purportedly crashed on takeoff.

The wreckage had come to rest near the airfield and one man was trapped inside.

Both will be stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to the Netcare Union Hospital for further urgent care.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 25 February 2012 04h00 SAST

2012-02-25T08:04:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 25/02/2012 04:43:45
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 25-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced over the north-eastern parts of KwaZulu Natal.

Current warning: Western Cape
Updated: 25/02/2012 04:43:45
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 25-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District and Little Karoo.

Current warning: All other Provinces
Updated: 25/02/2012 04:43:45
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 25 February 2012 07h00 SAST

2012-02-25T07:59:00.003+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

GFS Medium Range Forecasts of Vertical Velocity and Precipitation: 25 - 26 February 2012

2012-02-25T07:56:00.000+02:00

Image: U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Click on image for larger view.

Madagascar cyclone death toll at 31

2012-02-25T07:38:00.000+02:00

At least 31 people were killed and 250,000 left homeless after Tropical Cyclone Giovanna ripped across Madagascar last week, the disaster management agency said Friday.

The storm knocked out communication with rural parts of the vast island and blocked major roads with felled trees, making it difficult for authorities to assess the extent of the damage from the storm that struck on February 14.

The coastal town of Brickaville, where the storm made landfall, suffered 10 deaths, with another nine in the nearby but inland town of Moramanga.

The other casualties were recorded in three different parts of the Indian Ocean nation, the National Office for Disaster and Catastrophe Management said said in a report.

But the agency warned the toll could still rise. Of the 686 communities affected by the storm, contact had been restored with only 169.

So far, 245 people have been reported injured while nearly 250,000 were left homeless after rains and powerful winds swept across the country.

Eight clinics and 24 primary schools were destroyed. Another 424 schools and 39 health centres were flooded or damaged, it said.

Bridges, roads and electrical installations were also damaged, and emergency workers were delivering clean water to hard-hit communities.

The disaster agency said Giovanna was as powerful as Tropical Cyclone Geralda, which killed 230 people in 1994.

In February 2011, Cyclone Bingiza killed at least 34 people.

Cyclone season in Madagascar runs from November to April.

- Sapa-AFP-IOL

10 missing in Turkish dam burst

2012-02-25T07:37:00.000+02:00

Ankara - An official says a hatch inside a dam burst, causing flooding that has left 10 construction workers missing in southern Turkey.

Gov. Huseyin Avni Cos of Adana province said Friday that the hatch could not hold under high pressure after heavy rains.

The dam is being constructed over the Gokdere River near the town of Kozan in the Adana province.

Authorities say two other workers were rescued alive in the flooded river bed.

- Sapa-AP-IOL

Snow in Italy

2012-02-25T07:32:00.000+02:00

NASA image acquired February 24, 2012

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image of Italy at 12:35 UTC on February 24, 2012. Looking like a giant boot covered with snow.

Instrument - Aqua/MODIS

Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team

LESOTHO: Weather extremes threaten food security

2012-02-25T07:29:00.000+02:00

Photo: Eva-Lotta Jansson/IRIN
Malira Sekho lacks the resources or manpower to farm her land

MASERU, 24 February 2012 (IRIN) - Lesotho is facing a food security crisis as changing weather patterns and poverty leave some smallholder farmers with no option but to abandon farming and sell their land.

Many subsistence farmers in Lesotho are still struggling to recover from heavy rains over much of the country in December 2010 and January 2011 that devastated crops and livestock.

Damage caused by the flooding reduced yields of maize, the staple food, by an average of 62 percent compared to the previous year, according to the 2011 Lesotho Food Security and Vulnerability Monitoring (LVAC) Report, by the country's Disaster Management Authority. Out of a population of just over two million, the LVAC report estimated that 514,000 needed humanitarian assistance in 2011, twice the number that needed assistance in 2010.

The flooding at the beginning of 2011 was followed by below-normal rains towards the end of the year during the crucial planting season, while in January 2012, the Disaster Management Authority warned farming communities to be prepared for above-normal rainfall during the first three months of the year.

In a country where nearly 60 percent of the population live below the poverty line, and some 40 percent live in extreme poverty, such weather extremes are pushing the coping mechanisms of families already devastated by the effects of HIV and AIDS to breaking point. Lesotho has one of the highest prevalences of HIV in the world. The epidemic has created a shortage of farm labour and left 130,000 children orphaned, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Malebohang Makhoathi, a 68-year-old widow, has over four hectares of land in Ha Makhoathi, just outside the capital, Maseru - more than enough for her to grow all the food she needs to feed the four grandchildren in her care, but she has not ploughed the fields for the last six years since her son, the family's main breadwinner, passed away. She has neither the money nor the manpower to cultivate the land and is contemplating selling it for short-term relief.

“The money will make some difference in my family, even if it’s for a short period of time,” said Makhoathi, who will have to wait another two years before she qualifies for a government pension.

Lejoetso Thekiso, 50, who lives in Ha Mosalla, 15km from Maseru, is among the lucky few subsistence farmers whose children are employed. “Had it not been for my son’s financial support, I wouldn’t be hoeing here,” he told IRIN, as he worked a field rented from a neighbour who could not afford the necessary inputs to cultivate his land. Although the late rains prevented Thekiso from planting until late December 2011, he is hopeful that his crops will survive.

Unused seed, fertilizer

Even among the more than 20,000 families countrywide who received free seed and fertilizer through the government and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), some have not planted.

“I wouldn’t take the risk of planting under this current weather which is very unpredictable; it would be like throwing the seeds and fertilizer away, and hiring a tractor is very expensive," said Lejang Tsotetsi, the acting chief of a rural area covering three villages, who showed IRIN bags of unused fertilizer and seeds donated by FAO.

"We expected rain in September or October and it never came," he said, adding that those who had planted late were in trouble because winter was fast approaching, "and the frost is coming".

Mofihli Motsetsero, a crop production officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, said merely handing out free seeds and fertilizer was not enough in a country where high rates of stock-theft had robbed many people - too poor to rent tractors - of their only way to plough their fields.

While farmers like Tsotetsi wait for the next farming season to plant and hope for better weather, they will have to buy maize to feed their families at an ever growing cost. The low production in 2011 pushed up maize prices, a trend that is expected to continue in 2012. According to the LVAC report, the price of maize rose by 10 percent between June 2010 and June 2011, while the cost of cooking oil and paraffin increased by as much as 25 percent.

According to Motsetsero, the number of smallholder farmers who have not planted this year appears to have increased. “Even though there is no officially approved data to back up my observation at the moment, the number of fields planted is smaller than the number of the fields that were planted last year. I have been on numerous fieldwork trips and witnessed it first-hand.”

The increasing amount of land left fallow is likely to further reduce Lesotho's capacity to feed its people. The country's mountainous topography means that it already has a shortage of arable land, a problem that has been compounded by soil erosion resulting from poor farming practices.

The Ministry of Agriculture is partnering with various other government departments and international NGOs to help farmers cope with changing climactic conditions which, based on projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will result in severe water shortages for Lesotho by 2045. “We are feeling the effects of climate change and the most important thing our farmers need to do, is know exactly what to plant and when to plant,” said Motsetsero.

FAO is encouraging farmers to plant seed varieties that can be recycled for two to three seasons, and training around 500 farmers in conservation agriculture - a technique that helps restore soil health and improve yields.

Lesotho Meteorological Services has its owns climate change programme, including a project to improve disaster preparedness through better forecasting of extreme weather, a better system for alerting rural communities likely to be affected and improving the capacity of Lesotho's Disaster Management Authority to mount rescue operations.

- IRIN

Space debris lands in Brazil village

2012-02-25T07:18:00.000+02:00

Through Carlos Bella on the satobs mailing list, news broke today that an object which almost certainly is space-debris crashed in the Brazilian village of Anapurus on February 22, 2012, near 6 am local time (9 UTC). It landed about 6 yards from a house and damaged trees upon impact.

Photo's of the object can be seen here. They show a spherical object that strongly resembles a spherical rocket fuel cell (tank). These are the most resistent objects among space debris and often involved in reported cases of space-debris reaching earth surface.

Ted Molczan quickly noted that date, time and location correspond well to the re-entry of 1997-016C, an Ariane 44L rocket stage from the launch of two geostationary satellites, Thaicom 3 and Bsat-1A, on 17 April 1997.

The Ariane 44L r/b in question re-entered at 9:09 UTC +/- 1 min on 22 February 2012, near 4 S, 312 E. This corresponds well with the time and location of the Anapurus event (3.7 S, 317 E). Anapurus is located right on the re-entry track and was passed within a minute of the estimated re-entry time (movement of the r/b was from West to East, i.e. to the right in the map):

- Sattrackcam Laiden

Dismay at closure of boating radio service!

2012-02-25T07:12:00.001+02:00

I enclose an article that appeared in the newspaper, Thursday.......its about the demise of 'penguin', the radio station up at Cape Point. I think you must pop it on the blog, and lets see what response comes thru, from it. I certainly have a lot to add to it, especially the negative response from the NSRI, whom are financially supported by 90% of the people, whom used 'penguin'. read it and let me know.. with thanks, andrew perrins, ex-chairman, and ex-safety officer of CBSC, for 35 years. PS: I used to have to go in 40 knots of wind, and replace the broken antennas, up at Cape Point, when I was a youngster. There is a huge story behind penguin, and how, and why it came about, and about the light house keepers, we were like a family. To see it 'just close', and have no contact with 'light house services', so we can put a repeater in, is..well unsafe, what about the safety of the boats fishing off Cape Point, out of cell phone reach? - Andrew Perrins

Article: Cape Argus (Click on image for larger view. If still not readable, save image and then open with image viewer like Irvanview.)

SA’s new ice warrior ready for trials in frozen sea

2012-02-25T06:58:00.000+02:00

Image: SA s new R1.3 billion polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II, will play multiple roles as tanker, cargo carrier, passenger ship, research vessel and helicopter carrier as well as performing its icebreaking duties.

SA’s new R1.3 billion state-of-the-art polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II, will be crunching its way through sea ice in Finland’s Bay of Bothnia in the coming weeks during final trials before heading south.

The vessel, which will play multiple roles as tanker, cargo carrier, passenger ship, research vessel and helicopter carrier as well as performing icebreaking duties, is due to embark on its maiden voyage from the Finnish shipyard on April 3 and should reach Cape Town a month later.

The official handover to the Department of Environmental Affairs is scheduled for May 29, when it will replace the ageing SA Agulhas, which has been plying the Southern Ocean for more than 30 years and is completing its last supply voyage to SA’s Antarctic base, Sanae IV.

The new vessel is being built by STX Finland. It will undergo two sets of trials in the next few weeks.

The first is a sea trial that will include testing the propulsion systems and fuel economy, and the setting up of all its machinery.

Tests will be done on the navigation and dynamic positioning instrumentation, as well as on communication equipment and the alarm system.

“While at sea, the manoeuvrability of the ship also will be tested by doing a big circle and a figure of eight to measure how fast it can turn. A single crash stop will also be conducted at sea,” said STX.

“The last of the sea trials includes testing all the scientific systems on board.”

The ice trials will start after the sea trials, and include a multi-institutional research programme to further the understanding of the hull design of icebreaking ships and their reaction in different ice conditions.The SA Agulhas II has been specially designed to allow it to cut through ice one metre thick at five knots.

Stellenbosch University researchers are part of the programme.

“The aim of this programme is to create and improve a scientific basis for design of ice-going ships including factors such as the hull, propulsion, power requirement, comfort for passengers and crew on board and safe navigation in ice,” said STX.

“STX Finland have conducted numerous ice trials before but never as extensive as this. All their calculations are based on theoretical calculations, computer modelling of the hull form and model testing in a tank.”

l On the web: www.saagul hasii.co.za

- Cape Argus

Man in critical condition after near drowning

2012-02-25T06:50:00.002+02:00

A twenty two-year-old man is in a critical condition in the Polokwane State Hospital after a near drowning in a swimming pool at a residence this evening.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain unclear.

Common cause information indicates that the man had been among a group having a party at the residence. Other revelers noticed the man at the bottom of the swimming pool and pulled him from the water.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene and immediately initiated care. They started CPR and intubated him before placing him on a manual ventilator. Effective CPR was eventually successful and the man regained a pulse. He was rushed by ambulance to the state medical facility for the urgent care he required.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Man mauled by dogs

2012-02-25T06:49:00.000+02:00

A man is fighting for his life in a Johannesburg Hospital after he was mauled by two BoerBull Terriers at a residence in Helderkruin, Roodepoort, this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain unclear.

Common cause information indicates that the man, working as part of a garden service team, had been stowing equipment in a vehicle when the large dogs got loose and attacked him. The animals mauled the man before they were eventually warded off.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the man in a critical condition, having sustained limb fractures, lacerations and several puncture wounds to a large portion of his body.

He was rapidly treated and stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to a nearby private medical facility for the urgent care that he required.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

SA Weather Satellite Image: 25 February 2012 01h05 SAST

2012-02-25T06:47:00.000+02:00

Image: NOAA19 (Nic Cronje, Nelspruit) Click on image for larger view.

The Aral Sea, Before the Streams Ran Dry

2012-02-25T06:45:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

It was once the fourth largest lake in the world. Fed primarily by snowmelt and precipitation from faraway mountains, the Aral Sea supported extensive fishing communities and a temperate oasis in a mostly arid region of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

But in the 1950s and 60s, the government of the Soviet Union launched projects that diverted the region’s two major rivers—the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya. The dams, canals, and other water works were built in order to transform the desert into agricultural fields for cotton and other crops. The Aral Sea has been slowly disappearing ever since.

An Argon reconnaissance satellite acquired this image of the Aral Sea on August 22, 1964, before the drop in water levels altered the shoreline and devastated surrounding communities. This inland “Sea of Islands” was home to more than a thousand of them. Vozrozhdeniye, translated as “renaissance” or “rebirth” island, was the home of biological weapons lab in 1966. That island is now part of a peninsula, having been reconnected to the mainland in 2001. (A U.S.-Uzbek team decontaminated the former island in 2002.)

Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea. As the lake dried up, fisheries and the communities that depended on them collapsed. The increasingly salty water became polluted with fertilizer and pesticides. Blowing, salty dust from the exposed lakebed became a public health hazard and degraded the soil. Croplands had to be flushed with larger and larger volumes of river water. The loss of the moderating influence of the Aral Sea made winters colder and summers hotter and drier.

Fifty years after its water sources were diverted, the Aral Sea is virtually gone. Some estimates suggest that the lake is just 10 percent of its original size.

iPad users can view more images of the Aral Sea by downloading the free NASA Visualization Explorer app. Those images are also available on the Web. For a time-series of the past decade on the Aral Sea, see World of Change: Shrinking Aral Sea on the Earth Observatory.

Image from the U.S. Air Force KH-5 9066A reconnaissance satellite, the last of the Argon series. Declassified satellite imagery is archived by the USGS EROS Data Center. Caption by Robert Simmon and Mike Carlowicz, with original reporting from Rebecca Lindsey.

Instrument:
Reconnaissance Satellite - NASA

Important Notice: SAWDOS

2012-02-24T17:36:00.002+02:00

IMPORTANT: The S.A. Weather and Disaster Observation Service provides a weather and disaster observation (Weather and Disaster Watching/Spotting) service in South Africa and not a weather prediction or disaster management service. Do not use the information on this web-page to predict weather or disasters.

The SAWDOS is not responsible for, nor do we endorse the opinions, accuracy, or comments of re-posted articles from other sites, unless specifically so indicated in our post. Often we may refer to articles which are diametrically opposed to our vision and mission, in order to provoke additional thought and further education.

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 24 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-24T17:33:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 24/02/2012 15:48:24
Watch: Be prepared
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 25-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced over the north-eastern parts of KwaZulu Natal.

Current warning: Western Province
Updated: 24/02/2012 15:48:24
Warning: Take action
Subject: Extremely uncomfortable conditions
Detail: Valid 25-02-2010 ------------------ Extremely uncomfortable conditions will be experienced in the West Coast District and Little Karoo.

Current warning: All remaining Provinces
Updated: 24/02/2012 15:48:24
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 24 February 2012 16H00 SAST

2012-02-24T17:27:00.002+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

Papua New Guinea: Landslides: Information Bulletin n° 1

2012-02-24T14:57:00.000+02:00

This bulletin is being issued for information only and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Red Cross Society will, however, accept direct assistance to provide support to the affected population.

The situation

A number of incidences of flooding and landslides have been reported across Southern Highlands, Morobe, Western Highlands, Enga, Sandaun, National Capital District, Central and Gulf Provinces.

Southern Highlands Province

At approximately 6.30 am on Tuesday, 24 January, a landslide 1.5 km long, 500-600 metres wide and around 50 metres deep buried houses at Tumbi, a small settlement near the town of Tari in the Southern Highlands Province.

Initial figures estimated that 42 houses and properties were buried and approximately 60 people died.

However, according to the National Disaster Centre on 16 February 2012, the number of people confirmed dead is 25 and up to 35 people are still missing.

A large number of mourners have travelled to the site to wait for the bodies of their relatives to be retrieved for burial. They have erected mourning houses, each house accommodating up to 50 people.

Other people are transiting over the landslide-covered road to and from the town of Komo. Needs of up to 3,000 people include clean water, sanitation, counselling, sexually transmitted disease education and hygiene education.

- ReliefWeb

Storm Causes Significant Damage at Grand Central - 22 February 2012 21h00 - 22h00 SAST

2012-02-24T14:46:00.000+02:00

Image: Avcom (Click on image for larger view.)

Between 21:00 and 22:00 on the 22nd of February 2012 a storm with severe gusting winds created significant damage to aircraft and hangars at the Grand Central Airport in Midrand. During the early hours on the 23rd of February the area was cordoned off while the CAA, SAPS and airport management assessed the damage.

More pictures on Pilot's Post: Click HERE

Further info and photos on Avcom: Click HERE

- Avcom/Pilot's Post

Wind dop Cessnas op rug (22 Februarie 2012)

2012-02-24T14:34:00.000+02:00

Foto: ’n Cessna-vliegtuig wat eergister op die Grand Central-lughawe in Midrand deur ’n rukwind omgedop is. Foto: Felix Dlangamandla

Hyskrane gaan vandag by die Grand Central-lughawe in Midrand ingespan word om twee Cessna-vliegtuie wat Woensdag deur erge stormwinde op hul rug gekeer is, regop te draai.

Dié vliegtuie – onderskeidelik die eiendom van Flight Training Services en High Flyers Aviation – het Woensdag erge skade opgedoen toe drie rukwinde die lughawe getref het.

’n Derde vliegtuig is beskadig toe ’n vliegtuig-loods se deur afgeruk is en daarop geval het.

Vier ander vliegtuie het minder ernstige skade opgedoen.

Mnr. Eric Venter, eienaar van High Flyers, het gesê hy raam die skade aan sy vliegtuig alleen op sowat R700 000.

Volgens mnr. Gary Renault, hoofbestuurder by die lughawe, was die rukwinde so sterk dat dit ook sewe bome in New Road omgewaai het.

Renault het gesê dat die lughawe gister weer ten volle operasioneel was en dat helikopter-vlugte al 06:00 hervat het.

Die restaurant Maxi’s The Bridge by die Caltex Star-vulstasie langs die N1-snelweg in Midrand is ook eergister laatnag deur ’n rukwind beskadig.

Me. Madelain Roscher van PR Worx het namens Maxi’s gesê ’n erge wind het veroorsaak dat die koeëlvaste vensters in die dak gekraak het. Die vensters by die restaurant se sitplekke het selfs gebreek.

Die dak het ook op dele erge skade opgedoen.

Roscher het gesê daar was mense in die eetplek terwyl die wind chaos gesaai het, maar niemand is beseer nie.

“Hierdie is ’n baie bekende Maxi’s-restaurant en daar word daaraan gewerk om dit so vinnig moontlik weer oop te kry,” het Roscher gesê.

Die eetplek is tydelik gesluit. Dit is nog nie bekend wanneer dit weer sal oop wees nie, maar die herstelwerk het reeds begin.

Foto: Maxi’s The Bridge nadat ’n rukwind dit eergisteraand beetgekry het.

- Beeld

Small planes damaged by winds in Midrand

Johannesburg - Seven small planes have been damaged by strong winds at Midrand's Grand Central Airport, Beeld reported.

Cranes would be used on Friday to lift and turn two Cessnas that flipped over when wind gusted through the airport, according to the newspaper.

The pilot's door of a third plane was torn off and landed on the aircraft's roof in the wind on Wednesday. Four other planes were less seriously damaged.

The Cessnas were the property of Flight Training Services and High Flyers Aviation.

High Flyers owner Eric Venter said the damage to his plane was estimated at R700 000.

Airport manager Gary Renault told Beeld the wind was so strong it uprooted seven trees in New Road, Midrand.

He said the airport was fully operational and that business was proceeding as usual.

- SAPA/News24

Weather law hampers progress

2012-02-24T14:19:00.000+02:00

Last month, a proposed amendment to the SA Weather Service Act caused an outcry. It is symptomatic of anti-innovation regulation, however.

An amendment to the SA Weather Services Act caused an uproar last month, as penalties of up to ten years in prison or a R10 million fine were for the first time prescribed for anyone who issues ‘severe weather-related warnings’ or ‘air quality-related
warnings’ without the written permission of the SA Weather Service (SAWS).

Although the original act already contemplated these actions as an offence, the original provisions escaped the public’s notice at the time, but the extraordinary severity of the new penalties caused an outcry.

Read more at IT Web: Brainstorm by clicking HERE.

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 24 February 2012 04h00 SAST

2012-02-24T07:45:00.000+02:00

Current warning: All provinces in South Africa
Updated: 24/02/2012 04:52:54
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 24 February 2012 07h00 SAST

2012-02-24T07:41:00.000+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

GFS Medium Range Forecasts of Vertical Velocity and Precipitation

2012-02-24T07:36:00.000+02:00

Image: U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Click on image for larger view.)

New boats allow Tsunami survivors to live at sea.

2012-02-24T07:34:00.000+02:00

Japan is developing lifeboats that will allow people to live at sea for days after a tsunami.

The tsunami lifeboats will be equipped with food and toilets, and will be strong enough to be able to withstand the impact of floating debris.

It is planned for the lifeboats to be stored at kindergartens, schools and senior citizens' homes.

With room for between 20 and 50 people, the designers say evacuees will be able to live at sea onboard the boats for several days after a tsunami.

- 7 News

Climate change fight gets tax nod too

2012-02-24T07:29:00.000+02:00

An innovative carbon tax that rewards and punishes businesses was raised in the treasury's tax proposals document. Although it was not launched during the budget speech, it will be introduced next year. The first phase lasts until 2020.

The proposed tax, R120 per tonne of emissions, will penalise companies that do not start lowering their emissions. It will also reward efficiency.

Each company will have to calculate its carbon emissions, something many already do for the JSE's voluntary disclosure project. Of these emissions, 60% will be exempt from tax, for now, but emissions over this threshold will incur the R120 tax. The amount will increase by 10% every year until 2020. Compounded annually, this means the tax will eventually be R212.

Companies can also offset 5% to 10% of their emissions above the 60% by buying carbon credits.

Electricity generation is the most heavily taxed, getting no reductions and no chance to off-set costs by buying credits. Most other industries have a chance to reduce their tax by as much as 80%. An additional 10% reduction is given to companies the treasury said had "trade exposure", to keep them competitive.

Agriculture, forestry, land use and waste get a 100% exemption. Mining, outside of coal, is also exempt.

For now, the revenues from this tax have not been earmarked, but the treasury said "consideration will be given to spending to address environmental concerns".

Ferrial Adam, Greenpeace Africa climate and energy campaigner, said the tax had to be ring-fenced to ensure it went towards renewable energy development. This would allow the government to fund medium-cost climate change projects, she said.

The hardest-hit companies will be Eskom and Sasol, based on their emissions supplied in the JSE's voluntary disclosure project. At 230-million tonnes, Eskom will pay about R11-billion a year. Sasol, at 61-million tonnes, will pay R2.2-billion.

The tax is in line with the department of environmental affairs's white paper on national climate change response. In response to parliamentary questions this month, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said "market-based instruments such as an escalating carbon tax" could be used to lower the country's emissions.

The plan was to lower business-as-usual emissions by 42% by 2025, she said.

The head of the World Wide Fund for Nature's living planet unit, Saliem Fakir, said that although the tax was still being debated, he welcomed the "explicit acknowledgement" of the need for it.

By 2025, the treasury document said, the scheme could be replaced by an absolute emissions threshold. A second draft policy paper on the tax would be released this year.

- Mail and Guardian

Official: Argentine train crash was avoidable

2012-02-24T07:27:00.000+02:00

BUENOS AIRES (AP) – Argentina's deadliest train accident in decades was foreseeable and preventable, the nation's auditor general complained Thursday, saying years of failed safety tests and other problems had given the government more than enough reason to cancel the train operator's concession.

Others pointed to high-level corruption: years-old allegations still awaiting trial that a former transportation secretary took free vacations and other gifts from executives of the Trains of Buenos Aires company in exchange for favorable treatment.

The TBA blamed government price controls, saying that keeping fares to less than 25 cents a ride made it impossible to finance improvements.

Rail safety experts, meanwhile, said modern trains are built to withstand the kind of hard stop that killed 50 passengers and injured more than 700 Wednesday.

Newer cars resist the accordion-like crumpling that shoved hundreds into a jumbled mass of limbs, metal and blood in the first two cars when the commuter train hit a shock-absorbing barrier at less than 12 mph. But these cars were more than four decades old, "Toshiba Classics" that were refurbished after being cast off by other urban systems.

President Cristina Fernandez declared two days of mourning and sent at least four Cabinet ministers out to give news conferences describing the government's response to the tragedy. None took questions.

One man who might explain why passengers said he repeatedly struggled with the train's brakes before the accident — motorman Marcos Antonio Cordoba, 28 — remained in intensive care and had yet to make a statement.

The current transportation secretary, Juan Pablo Schiavi, said the train's speed while approaching its final stop at the busy downtown Once station was normal, that the motorman was already slowing and that he should have been able to stop during the final 130 feet from the point where the speed was last recorded.

"Those last 40 meters today remain a mystery," Schiavi said.

The crash happened after Cordoba had traveled the length of the Sarmiento line — 14 stations. Before him, another motorman had driven the same route 10 times, since 2:45 a.m. Wednesday morning. Union leaders said the train was in good condition when checked the day before.

Auditor General Leandro Despouy, however, said TBA had been failing safety requirements since 2002. Many of these compliance problems were raised in an extremely critical report in 2008, which recommended ending the concession granted to TBA in 1995 during Argentina's privatization era.

"Back in 2008 we had verification of dramatic and alarming brake problems," Despouy said.
Schiavi said Thursday's news conferences and its support of a thorough crash probe by an investigative judge proves that the government is acting responsibly.

The train's "black box" recordings of conversations between the motorman and control room were already in the judge's hands, and other evidence abounds, from GPS data to cameras and other recordings as well as physical evidence from the wrecked train, he said.

With 703 injuries among the estimated 1,500 passengers, thousands of people desperately rushed around Buenos Aires checking lists of survivors and hoping their loved ones weren't in the morgue.

Many of the dozen or more hospitals that treated the injured said they had no unidentified patients, and by Thursday afternoon the morgue had identified all 50 fatalities.

The Bolivian Embassy announced that a pregnant consular official, Nayda Tatiana Lezano Alandia, was among the dead. She left behind three daughters, Argentina's state-run Telam news agency reported.

Sabrina Espindola, 29, who worked downtown by day and studied to be a surgical assistant until midnight each night, was pulled from the first car, her husband, X-ray technician Ezequiel Mercado, told The Associated Press. "She was getting her degree this year," he said, sobbing at the thought of retrieving her body at the morgue.

The body of Sofia Peralta, 19, also turned up at the morgue, while her brother Fernando, 18, was hospitalized with multiple leg fractures and damage to his arm and face.

"When he woke up, he remembered first his sister. We told him Sofia was gone. He looked at us for a while, then he went very quiet," their uncle Daniel Peralta said.

The siblings worked together as telemarketers at Nextel and took the train together every day, he said. "They were always together," Peralta said.

With the crash still unexplained, Thursday's commute was unnerving for some of the millions of people who have to ride the city's trains each day.

A woman who gave only her first name, Marta, said she abandoned one train after the motorman complained to passengers that he couldn't get the engine to work, followed by a lengthy delay and then lurching stops.

"I got down with the kid and said to myself: 'No, that's enough. I'm getting out of here,'" she said.

- USA Today/AP

Maya doom teaches climate lesson

2012-02-24T07:21:00.000+02:00

Image: The elements in different layers of stalagmites in Yucatan Peninsula caves, such as this one, were analyzed to determine how rainfall varied through the centuries.

Scientists have long assumed that the Classic Maya civilization was done in more than a millennium ago by a series of droughts, but now they say natural records suggest those droughts were "modest," with no more than a 40 percent reduction in rainfall. And that, in turn, suggests that similarly modest climate changes over the next century could have a not-so-modest effect.

"What seems like a minor reduction in water availability may lead to important, long-lasting problems ... Today, we have the benefit of awareness, and we should act accordingly," Martin Medina-Elizalde, a researcher at the Yucatan Center for Scientific Research in Mexico, said in a news release.

The study — conducted by Medina-Elizalde and Eelco Rohling, a colleague from the University of Southampton — appears in this week's issue of the journal Science. It addresses one of the big mysteries of Maya history: What caused a civilization that dominated areas of present-day Guatemala and Mexico in the year 800 to collapse by the year 1000? Deforestation and drought have figured prominently as the prime suspects, but just how dire did those droughts get?

To shed additional light on the mystery, the two climate experts analyzed chemicals in lake sediments, marine shells and cave stalagmites to track variations in rainfall. For example, the ratio of oxygen-16 to oxygen-18 in a particular layer of mineral can tell you how much rainfall fell during the season when the mineral was laid down. Such variations can be read year by year, like tree rings.

The researchers found that there was indeed a deficit in rainfall in the period between the years 800 and 1000. But that deficit was modest, amounting to a 25 to 40 percent reduction in the drought years. Medina-Elizalde and Rohling assume that the droughts took the form of reductions in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms during the summer.

"Summer was the main season for cultivation and replenishment of Mayan freshwater storage systems, and there are no rivers in the Yucatan lowlands," Rohling said in the news release. "Societal disruptions and abandonment of cities are likely consequences of critical water shortages, especially because there seems to have been a rapid repetition of multiyear droughts."

In an email, Medina-Elizalde told me that "these droughts may not have been strong enough to cause by themselves the collapse of the civilization, but they were likely strong enough and persistent enough ... to cause major sociopolitical disruptions that ultimately led to the final outcome."

"Let's imagine that today, from one year to another, major cities can no longer supply fresh water to a third of their populations. ... With no freshwater pumping systems, how would we keep producing agricultural produce and supplying fresh water to support the entire populations of these cities?" he wrote.

Today, much of the Yucatan Peninsula's rural population still relies on summer rainfall to support their crops. Medina-Elizalde said access to fresh water isn't so much of a problem, thanks to modern pumping systems. But he noted that lower-than-average summer rains still "have fairly dire consequences" for local farmers.

The current models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict that there could be annual rainfall reductions of up to 50 percent in the Yucatan Peninsula by the end of this century, Medina-Elizalde said. He and his colleagues are studying how such reductions might affect freshwater supplies in the region.

"Some climate models suggest that local vegetation does contribute to increase rainfall significantly ... which would suggest that by preserving the forests, we are mitigating the impacts of climate change," he said. "Definitely, local governments need to start making serious efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change in light of the forecast for the next decades."

What do you think? Does this research merely add an interesting twist on a centuries-old story, or does it serve as a warning about our future fate? Please feel free to weigh in with your comments.

- MSNBC News

R23m needed for Mozambique cyclone victims: Red Cross

2012-02-24T06:47:00.000+02:00

The Red Cross appealed on Thursday for nearly R23 million to help thousands of families still waiting for aid after two tropical cyclones that killed at least 12 people in Mozambique last month.

"The damage caused by the cyclone is beyond the coping capacity of most affected families and the sooner we provide assistance, the better we can avert a humanitarian and food crisis," said Americo Ubisse, secretary general of the Mozambique Red Cross.

"We have exhausted our stocks and yet our staff and volunteers are confronted with desperate situations in the field. Aid is needed now to reduce human suffering."

The appeal by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for R23 million would support 70 000 people for the next year, it said in a statement.

The main needs are restoring clean water, sanitation and shelter, particularly in central Mozambique, it said.

- Times Live

Vlieënier steeds in hospitaal

2012-02-24T06:45:00.000+02:00

MOSSELBAAI NUUS - Die man wat op 13 Februarie teen kragdrade by Klein-Brakrivier met sy mikroligte vliegtuig vasgevlieg het, mnr Japie Theron, het, benewens gekraakte rugwerwels, 'n long wat platgeval het en 'n skeur in sy slagaar wat inwendige bloeding veroorsaak het.

Hy is van die Mosselbaai Provinsiale hospitaal eers na die George Provinsiale Hospitaal en daarna na Tygerberg Hospitaal se hoësorgeenheid oorgeplaas.

Tydens die Mossel Bay Advertiser se onderhoud met Theron het hy gewag op uitslae van 'n skandering. Indien die skandering wys dat die slagaar nie met konserwatiewe behandeling herstel nie, sal dokters moontlik eers daaraan moet werk voordat sy rug geopereer kan word. Sy long het intussen herstel.

"Ek lê soos 'n baksteen in 'n bed. Ek kan glad nie beweeg nie en hulle moet alles vir my doen," het Theron gesê. "Dis net genade dat ek nog aan die gang is," sê hy.

Die vrou wat saam met hom gevlieg het, me. Sanet Horwitz, is in die Life Bay View Hospitaal in Mosselbaai opgeneem met kopbeserings en 'n ernstige beenbreuk. Teen druktyd sou sy, na wat verneem word, ontslaan word.

Die Burgerlugvaartowerheid ondersoek tans die voorval.

- Mossel Bay Advertiser

Men stung by swarm of bees

2012-02-24T06:43:00.002+02:00

Two men have been badly injured when they were stung by a swarm of bees in Glenwood, Pietermaritzburg.

Two men were badly injured when they were stung by a swarm of bees in Glenwood, Pietermaritzburg, on Thursday, paramedics said.

The men, one aged 65 and the other in his 30s, were walking along a path when they disturbed a swarm of bees around noon, said ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks.

The older man was stung more than 500 times and his face and arms were badly swollen.

Paramedics used every advanced life support drug they could to stabilise him and he was taken to Greys Hospital in a critical condition.

The younger man was also treated at the scene and taken to hospital in a serious, but stable condition.

- Sapa

Fire detection cameras reintroduced in Cape Town

2012-02-24T06:42:00.000+02:00

Cape Town firefighters will hopefully be able to respond to fires faster thanks to the reintroduction of smoke and fire detection cameras.

The camera system was used until three years ago after which it was decommissioned.

Safety and Security mayoral committee member JP Smith explained the effectiveness of the six devices.

“We can now respond more quickly to a fire and can respond before somebody calls us.”

He said the 250,000 cameras are placed in strategic locations throughout the city including the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town International Airport and Muizenberg.

Smith added that one of the biggest advantages of the system was that it acted as a GPS device.

“It can guide the fire trucks through informal settlements and on bush trails to where the nearest road access point is. Fire vehicles will now get to their destinations quicker.”

- EWN

Dogs rescued at Kloof Gorge

2012-02-24T06:40:00.000+02:00

(Above: The rescue team with the two rescued Jack Russells)

Two Jack Russells have had a narrow escape after being trapped for nearly five days at the Kloof Gorge.

A Rescue Tech team has managed to bring the dogs to safety after they fell about 30 metres into a ravine.

The team's Mark Easton says rescuers had to abseil through the narrow opening to reach the dogs yesterday.

Easton says the playful pair miraculously haven't been injured.

"They were extremely excited to see our rescue technician come down and in fact ran towards him. I can't describe or explain to you the look on his face as he saw the two dogs coming towards him," he said.

He says the SPCA was notified yesterday by a Kloof resident who had heard the dogs barking from across the gorge.

The dogs are now in the care of the local SPCA.

- East Coast Radio

SA Weather Satellite Image: 24 February 2012 01H42 SAST 24 FEB 2012 01H42 SAST

2012-02-24T06:35:00.000+02:00

Image: NOAA18 (Nic Cronje, Nelspruit) Click on image for larger view.

Dust Storm in Texas

2012-02-24T06:31:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

In late February 2012, a dust storm in the Texas Panhandle dropped visibility to near-zero, and caused numerous accidents and two deaths, according to news station WJLA. The dust swept from eastern New Mexico through Texas, forming a giant arc north of Lubbock.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on February 20, 2012. The dust is thickest north of Lubbock, but some dust hovers over that city as well.

References
WJLA. (2012, February 21). Dust storm big enough to be seen from space over Texas. Accessed February 23, 2012.
NASA images courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA

Activity at Kizimen Volcano

2012-02-24T06:29:00.000+02:00

(Click on image for larger view.)

The ongoing eruption of Russia’s Kizimen Volcano is reshaping the mountain. A massive lava flow is growing on the volcano’s eastern flank, and debris from the flow is building up the lower slopes. Additional debris is filling a stream valley north of the volcano.

This false-color image was collected by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite. The lava flow and rubble that has fallen off of it is dark brown. Fresh ash on the snowy landscape is lighter brown, and surrounding forests are colored reddish-brown. A light-colored gas and ash plume streams from Kizimen’s summit.

NASA Earth Observaotry image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, with data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

Instrument:
Terra - ASTER - NASA

SA National Severe Weather Warning: 23 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-23T17:10:00.000+02:00

Current warning: Eastern Cape
Updated: 23/02/2012 15:33:27
Warning: Take action
Subject: Very rough seas.
Detail: Valid: 24-02-2012: 1. Very rough seas with wave heights exceeding 4m is expected along the east coast from Cape St. Francis to Port St. Johns in the morning.

Current warning: Kwazulu Natal
Updated: 23/02/2012 15:33:27
Warning: Take action
Subject: Very rough seas.
Detail: Valid: 24-02-2012: 1. Very rough seas with wave heights exceeding 4m is expected along the entire coast in the morning.

Current warning: All remaining Provinces
Updated: 23/02/2012 15:33:27
No warnings nor advisories in effect
Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Image: 23 February 2012 16h00 SAST

2012-02-23T17:06:00.002+02:00

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

2 firemen hurt in Durban flat fire

2012-02-23T12:29:00.000+02:00

Two firemen are recovering after suffering minor burns while extinguishing a blaze at a block of flats in Durban's Windermere area.

ER24's Derrick Banks says the two emergency workers were treated at the scene in Adrain Road this morning before being taken to hospital.

Banks says the fire department arrived on scene within minutes and firefighters were able to prevent the fire from engulfing the whole building.

He says, however, the top floor's been gutted. No was else has been hurt.

"Everyone from the block of flats was evacuated before emergency personnel arrived on scene. The fire department has been going through the block bit by bit, just to make sure everything has been extinguished," Banks said.

(Photos: ER24)

- East Coast Radio