Earthweek: a diary of the planet
It’s time to take a look back at the big events that occurred on our planet in 2017:
Warming mismatch
The seasonal clock that guides migratory songbirds across North America is being disrupted by climate change, leaving some species unable to reach their summer homes by the key dates necessary for breeding success. They are now arriving out of sync with some of their food sources.
Earthquakes
The year’s deadliest earthquake, centered along the Iran-Iraq border, killed at least 530 people in Iran, and 10 others in Iraq, on Nov. 12.
Other earthquakes that occurred around the world included:
■ Two people were killed and hundreds injured on the Greek island of Kos and the Turkish resort of Bodrum by a powerful quake on July 21.
■ Mexico was ravaged by two quake disasters. At least 98 people were killed in Chiapas state on Sept. 7 by the country’s second-strongest earthquake on record. On Sept. 19, areas around Mexico City were devastated by a magnitude 7.1 quake that killed 370 people and injured 6,000 others.
■ A magnitude 7.0 quake on Aug. 8 in a scenic corner of China’s Sichuan province killed 25 people.
Arctic tsunami
A huge landslide near the western Greenland settlement of Nuugaatsiaq spawned a tsunami on June 17 that killed four people and washed 11 buildings into the sea.
Tropical cyclones
It was a very active year for deadly tropical cyclones around the world. The Atlantic basin underwent its most active period since records began, with hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria causing catastrophic damage from Texas and Florida to Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Windward Islands. Hurricane Ophelia came closer to Europe than any other storm in history before dissipating over Ireland. Deadly storms also lashed Central America, the South Pacific, eastern and southern Asia, and the Indian Ocean.
Ozone hole
The hole in Earth’s protective stratospheric ozone layer above Antarctica was the smallest since 1988 — at the time of year it typically reaches its greatest expanse. The hole was at its peak on Sept. 11, covering about 7.6 million square miles before its annual shrinking.