What is driving hundreds of dolphins to beach at Cape Cod? Mystery baffles scientists as another 11 wash up on beachBy Anthony Bond


The mystery surrounding huge numbers of dolphins beaching at Cape Cod has increased after a group of 11 washed up on a beach.

In the last month, 177 short-beaked common dolphins have stranded on Cape Cod and 124 have died.

This year’s strandings dwarf the average of 37 common dolphin strandings annually over the last 12 years, and no one can explain why the numbers have mysteriously spiked this year



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1mdJx6AVh

More water shortages for China?

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- China faces worsening water shortages, a government official warned.

The country's water shortages, along with serious river pollution and a deteriorating aquatic ecosystem, pose a growing threat to economic and social development, Hu Siyi, China's vice minister of water resources said Thursday, state-run news agency Xinhua reports.

China's population of 1.3 billion people consumes more than 600 billion cubic meters of water a year, equal to about three-quarters of its exploitable water resources, Hu said.

"The constraints of our available water resources become more apparent day by day."

New guidelines released Thursday by the State Council -- China's Cabinet -- cap the maximum volume of water use at 700 billion cubic meters by 2030.

Other measures include stricter government supervision of underground water supplies, greater protection of drinking water sources and the introduction of water-use licenses and other steps aimed at restoring the aquatic ecosystem.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy ... z1mdLTrpa5

Breaking Through the Ice at Lake Vostok


Europa on Earth – that’s just what Antarctica’s deep and dark Lake Vostok could be. A body of water the size of Lake Ontario, it lies beneath more than two miles of ice yet its waters are warm enough to potentially support life. Undiscovered until the 1990s, it since then became the goal of one of the great scientific quests of our time.

Finally, after more than 15 years of stop-and-go drilling, a team of Russian scientists and engineers did what hasn’t been done in nearly 20 million years: They breached the pristine confines of Vostok.

The surface temperatures were a brutal -50 F when the drill reached 12,366 feet down and began to pull a small amount of ancient water a small way up the long borehole. Pressure changes and the retreat of some of the drilling fluids in the borehole confirmed the breakthrough and the team was ecstatic.

But with weather conditions worsening and the time soon coming when airplanes could neither fly into nor out of Vostok Station, the Russians had little chance to either celebrate or research further. Instead, they had to pack their bags and head north, leaving the quickly frozen Vostok water deep in the borehole to be retrieved late this year.

When the achievement was formally announced on Feb. 8, however, none of this really mattered: A deep sub-glacial lake in Antarctica had been pierced for the first time, and it happened at the largest, the deepest and the most intriguing of them all. Scientists have located more than 200 subglacial lakes beneath the ice of Antarctica, and many of them no doubt hold remarkable secrets as well. But Vostok, by all accounts, is the “jewel of the crown.”

Valery Lukin, the director of the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, which conducted the expedition, was not at Vostok for the breakthrough, but he did make the formal announcement in Moscow and he called it an historic moment. "Conditions in subglacial lakes in Antarctica are the closest we can get to those where scientists expect to find extraterrestrial life," he told the Interfax New Agency. “For me, the discovery of this lake is comparable with the first flight into space. It was equal, he said, “by technological complexity, by importance, by uniqueness.”

http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/4571/ ... ake-vostok

Scouts Canada admits not all past sexual abuse reported to police


Scouts Canada's chief commissioner, Steve Kent, says he now accepts that his organization did not report all allegations of sexual abuse to police in past decades, contrary to previous denials.

The admission came in an interview with CBC’s The Fifth Estate as part of its ongoing investigation into how Scouts Canada dealt with past cases of sexual abuse.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... olice.html

German President Wulff quits in home loan scandal


German President Christian Wulff has announced his resignation, after prosecutors called for his immunity to be lifted.

An ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Wulff is embroiled in a scandal over a home loan that he accepted when he was premier of Lower Saxony.

Mrs Merkel cancelled a visit to Italy on Friday to deal with the crisis, and said she regret that Mr Wulff had quit.

German media say the crisis is unprecedented in post-war Germany.

Mrs Merkel had fought to get Mr Wulff, an ally in her centre-right Christian Democrat party (CDU), appointed as president. He had been in the job for less than two years.

She said she accepted his resignation "with respect but also with regret".

"He dedicated himself to the interests of Germany," she said in a brief statement at 10:30 GMT, shortly after his announcement on Friday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17072479

Trapped Heat Freezes Hundreds In South America


the Andes, freak cold extracts a brutal toll

Feb. 13, 2012

Climate change alters the environment in complex ways. The Andes, warming for decades, has seen three bitter winters that have left more than 400 dead and aid agencies scrambling.


http://www.real-science.com/trapped-hea ... th-america


Freezing temps negatively impact crops in western Guatemala

Due to the past passage of SEVERAL COLD fronts, temperatures have fallen below freezing and have negatively impacted crops in portions of western Guatemala.

http://www.fews.net/docs/Publications/c ... 9_2012.pdf


Snow depth reach 6 meters in eastern Turkey


As many parts of Turkey hit by cold weather and snowfall, snow depth reached 6 meters in eastern Turkish city of Bitlis.

Bitlis where have been taking non- stop snowfall since one week, layer of snow reached tremendous dimensions.

According to Turkish meteorological authorities snow drift reached 640 cm across the Bitlis. Daily life nearly stops in beautiful eastern Turkish city. City also get most snowfall among Turkey’s other cities.
Meanwhile, hundreds of village’s road totally closed of excessive snowfall which put many people in hard condition. Bitlis municipality took extra measure to struggle incredibly high snow drift.

http://www.arabstoday.net/en/2012021288 ... urkey.html



Cold Snap Torments Balkans


The worst wintry conditions in decades continue to torment the Balkans, causing deaths, cutting power and blocking roads

In some places, criticism against local authorities is mounting over their handling of the cold snap.

The cold weather should ease its grip on Europe next week, the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday.

SERBIA

Wednesday and Thursday will be the coldest of the coming days for Serbia, with forecast predicting temperatures between minus 15 and minus 25 degrees Celsius.

The number of lives claimed by the freezing weather has risen to 17 people, according to the Department of Emergency Situations.

The Serbian government on Sunday evening declared a state of emergency across its entire territory due to heavy snowfall and very low temperatures. On Wednesday, Serbian authorities introduced emergency measures to combat ice on rivers.

The buildup of ice can lead to rivers flooding and the situation is most critical on the Ibar river in central Serbia. Nikola Marjanovic, director of Serbia Waters, said it would be decided today whether to break up the ice there with explosives or other measures.







Coastal town of Senj in Croatia | Photo by: AP/Darko Bandic


The situation is also serious on the Morava, Nisava and Sava rivers but Serbia's biggest river, the Danube, is still open to shipping.

Highways and roads are still covered by up to 5 centimeters of snow, with ice on some routes as well.

BOSNIA

Thousands of people in Bosnia are snowed in and many villages still lack water and electricity. Civil protection crews managed to get to some villages around Mostar in the south of the country and deliver medicines and food but some villages near Foca have had to be evacuated.

Three persons were reported to have been found frozen to death on Tuesday -- a woman and a man near Mostar, and a man near Travnik, in central Bosnia. The number of people found frozen to death has risen to five since the snow started falling heavily at the end of last week.

The Bosnian military and foreign missions have been using helicopters to evacuate endangered people and deliver food and medicine. They have also worked to remove snow from streets of Sarajevo so that traffic could start flowing again.








Belgrade | Photo by: AP/Darko Vojinovic



The traffic is now moving in the capital and trams have started working again after four days out of action. Sarajevo Airport is working but some flights are likely to be canceled. Bus lines are mostly working but not between all towns in Herzegovina and not on mountain roads.

CROATIA

Snow has not fallen in Croatia since Tuesday afternoon but difficulties remain, especially in the Dalmatian hinterland and in the northern coastal region of Kvarner. Inhabitants there said they could not recall a strong icy wind like the one which hit the region on Tuesday.

Road links to Vrgorac and Imotski, small cities in the Dalmatian hinterland, were cleared on Tuesday but villages in that area are still cut off, lacking basic goods.

In Kvarner, where the temperature fell several degrees below zero, a northern wind known locally as the "bura" reached more than 160 km/h at times. The strong winds and freezing temperatures brought traffic to a standstill and caused power outages.

In Zumberak, in the north west of the country, a group of war veterans alongside war veterans minister Predrag Matic dug their way with shovels on Tuesday to reach several old people who live alone in hills which were cut off by the snow for several days.

In the coastal city of Split, more than 550 people received treatment in hospital after falling on icy sidewalks which had not been treated. Opposition politicians and media called on mayor Zeljko Kerum to resign over his administation's handling of the cold weather problems but he refused. He put the blame on the government, saying "people can't afford shovels and winter tires after high taxes took away all their money".









Sarajevo | Photo by: AP/Amel Emric



MACEDONIA

The winter has began showing its teeth in Macedonia over the weekend and has now claimed its first fatality. Macedonian said a 51-year-old resident of the eastern town of Kocani died on Tuesday from injuries sustained when he slipped and fell on the ice.

Authorities are still attempting to reach some 1000 people in about 80 mountain villages across Macedonia that remain cut off by heavy snowfalls that began this weekend and still persist in some areas.

“The health of these people is not in danger, nor do they have urgent medical needs,” said Dusko Petrovski from the Crisis Management Centre.

He said about 150 kilometers of local mountain roads that lead to these villages remain buried under snow.

Main roads, however, remain open. Despite delays, railway and air traffic is also functioning.

But the snow seems to have caught Skopje authorities by surprise. Many roads and sidewalks in the capital remained under snow on Wednesday, causing traffic jams and angering residents. The city insists it is doing everything in its power to clear the snow.

KOSOVO

Heavy snowfall and temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees over the past week have paralysed almost all of Kosovo.

Villages in the regions of Sharri, Prizren, Peja, Gjakova/Djakovica, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Shtime, Sterpce, Drenas/Glogovac, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Novobrdo, Klokot, Partes, Kamenica, Vitina, Kacanik and Podujeva have been cut off for days by snow that reached about a meter high.

The municipalities of Kacanik, Peja, Kamenica, Vitina and Novobrdo have declared a state of emergency due to heavy snowfall and strong winds.

A number of flights at Pristina International Airport have been cancelled, with some even redirected to neighbouring airports. Public transport is struggling to maintain its services in and outside the capital, due to snow on the roads which can’t be cleared by the maintenance companies.








Skopje | Photo by: AP/Boris Grdanoski



Unconfirmed reports claim that one person was found dead in a truck in Pristina on Tuesday night. Meanwhile police suspect -- but cannot yet confirm -- that a 50-year-old victim died due to freezing in a temperature of minus 18 degrees. Kosovo’s Meteorological Institute has forecast a low of minus 22 degrees for the entire week. Snow is expected to continue falling, at least into the first half of next week.

Due to heavy consumption of electricity for heating, Kosovo’s Power Company (KEK) has imposed a system of selective power cuts.

BULGARIA

On Wednesday, Bulgaria decided to close all schools for the next three days, citing severe winter weather conditions and road traffic disruptions.

More than 1000 schools in Bulgaria had already been closed in various places, either because of harsh weather conditions or because of flu epidemics.

Severe floods continue to hit villages in the south under pressure from heavy rain and snow.

The Bulgarian village of Biser, near the southern town of Harmanly, has been flooded, because the local "Ivanovo" dam has burst.

The National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has declared a Code Red warning, for very dangerous weather, in the regions of Smolyan and Kurdjali because of the combined hazards of heavy rain and runoff from previous heavy snowfall.


ROMANIA

In Romania, where temperatures dropped to minus 31 Celsius, at least 39 people have died because of the cold snap. Traffic is still in chaos with almost all main highways and roads blocked, airports closed and many trains canceled, state news agency Agerpres reported.








Tuzla, BiH, | Photo by: A. Alic


There are also reports of several cargo boats stuck in the Danube river due to ice.

At least 400 homeless people have sought refuge in emergency shelters provided by the authorities and at least 100 were hospitalized due to injuries or frostbite.

Local meteorologists forecast possible blizzards in the days to come for half of the country.

MONTENEGRO

Montenegrins have criticised the government for its reluctance to declare a state of emergency. Prime Minister Igor Luksic said that the lack of a legal framework is the main reason why the government has not followed the examples of neighboring countries.

The situation is especially bad in the north, where dozens of villages remain inaccessible and damage to energy infrastructure is making life on low temperatures difficult to bear. The residents of two northern municipalities, Kolasin and Mojkovac, with a total population of 17000 people, were without power for almost all of Tuesday.

In the capital, Podgorica, snowfall was replaced on Tuesday by a strong northern wind, which damaged houses and city parks. Roofs of even some of the newer buildings were blown off, while trees fell close to houses, damaging parked cars.

ALBANIA

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha called on Tuesday for the creation of an inter-ministerial committee which will monitor and provide emergency supplies and healthcare to villages cut off by the heavy snow.

According to a police statement issued on Wednesday morning, 13 roads still remain impassable due to snow, most of them in the mountainous north. Many mountain villages remain cut off.



http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article ... ts-balkans

Dozens reported dead due to snow in Algeria


Dozens of people were reported to have died from a cold wave sweeping Algeria, local media reported on Wednesday (February 14).

Many died in road accidents as an unprecedented snowfall hit the country.

Dozens of roads in mountain areas have been blocked, and entire villages isolated.

Anger among residents ran high as gas and food supplies dwindled.

"We remained isolated for about 3-4 days. The road is blocked and there is no way to get out. There is no gas, no electricity. Some families here don't even have anything to eat. Now, thank God, everything is all right," said one man, named Rachid, as the situation in his area improved.

But elsewhere, people watched helplessly.

"We are really isolated, we haven't received anything. We see on TV, the other towns are fine, and they receive everything -- food, gas but us we didn't get anything and some people are really isolated," said Abdallah.

"No gas, no semolina, we are dead in here. We are dead, no one cares about us. It seems like we have no officials, no authorities, no municipal, nothing," said another man, Meheni Mohamed.

Many people were unable to get any supplies for days

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/s ... _category2