Earthweek: a diary of the planet
Winged tragedy
Wildlife experts in Idaho Falls, Idaho, say a gaggle of more than 100 geese found dead in a parking lot and on nearby rooftops was brought down by lightning in a freak accident. A violent hailstorm had occurred just before the migrating snow geese fell from the sky. Because examinations showed that the dead birds had exploded internal organs, Idaho Department of Fish and Game officer Jacob Berl said it’s proof lightning caused their demise. “Mother Nature is sometimes cruel to the wildlife kingdom,” said colleague James Brower. “We worry about accidents with cars and trucks — sometimes animals are affected just by the weather.”
Baby belugas
One species of whale has been found to demonstrate that it values culture as well as ancestral roots and family ties — just like humans. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University conducted a genetic study of kinship among beluga whales from the Gulf of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean. They found that related whales returned to the same locations year after year, and even generation after generation. The marine biologists also found that the sophisticated vocalizations and acoustic systems used by the belugas suggest that they are capable of forming complex relationships and groups.
Japanese eruption
Shinmoedake Volcano erupted, sending incandescent rocks flying and plumes of fiery gas and ash soaring thousands of feet above southern Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture. Some of the glowing, ballistic rocks were clocked at more than 300 mph on impact.
Zombie raccoons
People in northeastern Ohio are reporting a weird phenomenon. Dozens of people in Youngstown have called police to report seemingly crazed raccoons that are standing on their hind legs. Residents say the animals are terrorizing the town. The callers say the normally nocturnal animals are coming out in broad daylight, being aggressive by baring their teeth, then falling over in what is being described as a comatose state. Wildlife biologists say the weird behavior could be caused by distemper, which can’t be passed to humans. Dogs and cats that aren’t vaccinated and allowed to wander unattended, however, are at risk of infection.
Southern snowfall
Antarctica has experienced a significant increase in snowfall during the past 200 years, with a new study finding a rise of 10 percent for the frozen precipitation over the period. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey said their examination of ice cores going back two centuries revealed the trend as they looked into current Antarctic ice loss. The increased annual snowfall around the South Pole would produce enough water to cover all of New Zealand to a depth of 3.3 feet.
Tropical cyclone
Fiji was lashed by the second tropical cyclone within a week when Cyclone Keni passed just to the south of the Pacific island nation and neighboring Tonga. The Fijian island of Kadavu bore the brunt of Keni’s fury, with homes there destroyed, trees uprooted and boats capsized. There was no loss of life.
Earthquakes
It was an unusually active week for seismic activity, with damage reported from quakes in central Italy, central Papua New Guinea and western Japan. Earth movements also were felt in Wales, Chile’s central coast, northwestern Oklahoma and central Nebraska.