Earthweek: a diary of the planet

For the week ending Friday, May 12.

Winged tragedy

Almost 400 migratory birds died after they smashed into a Galveston, Texas, office tower during a storm, falling onto the sidewalk. Three surviving birds were taken to a wildlife center. Most of the victims were Nashville warblers or Blackburnian warblers that were flying northward from Central and South America. The fierce storm probably forced the birds to fly low.

Eruption of fire

About 300 people were quickly evacuated from the foot of Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire after the restive mountain spewed hot ash more than 15,000 feet into the atmosphere. Ten schools suspended classes because of falling ash. The eruption was accompanied by loud blasts and fresh lava flows, according to the country’s volcanic monitoring agency. The volcano has spewed ash several times this year.

Beach resurrection

Residents of a remote and rugged Irish seaside village awakened to find a sandy beach that disappeared 33 years ago back in place after a freak tide. Fierce storms in the spring of 1984 washed away all the sand at Dooagh, leaving only rocks riddled with pools of seawater. But strong north winds during a cold snap over Easter brought in a surge of sand from an unknown source. “We have a beautiful little village as it is, but it is great to look out and see this beautiful beach instead of just rocks,” said local businessman Alan Gielty.

Glacier rescue

Dutch researchers are trying to reverse the loss of one of Switzerland’s most prized Alpine glaciers by developing a process to create artificial snow and blow it over the receding river of ice each summer for insulation. The Morteratsch glacier could be the first of several to be restored should the technique, developed by scientists at Holland’s Utrecht University, work. Machines will apply artificial snow to a small artificial glacier this summer to test the process.

Vinegary solution

A coral-munching starfish that threatens further damage to Australia’s struggling Great Barrier Reef may be brought under control with a simple household liquid. Researchers from James Cook University say applying vinegar to the crown-of-thorns starfish will cause them to die within 48 hours without harming other marine life. Dive teams would simply inject each starfish. Pollution and agricultural runoff have caused the native species to proliferate