April 12, 2016 - GULF OF MEXICO - Scientists have finalized a four-year study of newborn and fetal
dolphins found stranded on beaches in the northern Gulf of Mexico
between 2010 and 2013. Their study, reported in the journal Diseases of Aquatic Organisms,
identified substantial differences between fetal and newborn dolphins
found stranded inside and outside the areas affected by the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The study team evaluated 69 perinatal common bottlenose dolphins
in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, the areas most affected by the
spill, and 26 others found in areas unaffected by the spill. The work
was conducted as part of an effort to investigate an "unusual mortality
event" in the Gulf primarily involving bottlenose dolphins, beginning in
early 2010 and continuing into 2014.
Scientists saw higher numbers of stranded perinatal dolphins in
the spill zone in 2011 than in other years, particularly in Mississippi
and Alabama, the researchers report. The young dolphins, which
died in the womb or shortly after birth, "were significantly smaller
than those that stranded during previous years and in other geographic
locations," they wrote.
Bottlenose dolphin gestation takes about 380 days, so perinatal
dolphins that died in the early months of 2011 could have been exposed
in the womb to petroleum products released the previous year,
said University of Illinois veterinary diagnostic laboratory professor
Kathleen Colegrove, who led the study. Colegrove works in the
Chicago-based Zoological Pathology Program at the U. of I.
"Dolphin dams losing fetuses in 2011 would have been in the earlier stages of pregnancy in 2010 during the oil spill," she said.
The researchers report that 88 percent of the perinatal dolphins
found in the spill zone had lung abnormalities, including partially or
completely collapsed lungs.That and their small size suggest
that they died in the womb or very soon after birth—before their lungs
had a chance to fully inflate. Only 15 percent of those found in areas unaffected by the spill had this lung abnormality, the researchers said.
The team also found that the spill-zone dolphins were "particularly
susceptible to late-term pregnancy failures, signs of fetal distress
and development of in utero infections including brucellosis," a
bacterial infection that can affect the brain, lungs, bones and
reproductive function. Extensive testing found no evidence that an
unusual or highly pathogenic Brucella strain was involved.
"These findings support that pregnant dolphins experienced significant
health abnormalities that contributed to increased fetal deaths or
deaths of dolphin neonates shortly after birth," Colegrove said.
A previous study by many of the same researchers revealed that nonperinatal bottlenose dolphinsstranded
in the spill zone after the spill were much more likely than other
stranded dolphins to have severe lung and adrenal gland damage
"consistent with petroleum product exposure."
"These diseases in pregnant dolphins likely led to reproductive losses," Colegrove said.
"Our new findings add to the mounting evidence from peer-reviewed studies that exposure
to petroleum compounds following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
negatively impacted the reproductive health of dolphin populations
living in the oil spill footprint in the northern Gulf of Mexico,"
said Dr. Teri Rowles, a veterinarian with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response
Program and a co-author on the study.
More information: KM Colegrove et al. Fetal distress and in utero
pneumonia in perinatal dolphins during the Northern Gulf of Mexico
unusual mortality event, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (2016). DOI: 10.3354/dao02969
March 12, 2016 - BOLIVIA - Thousands of small sardine-like fish have been found dead in lake
Alalay, but no one is completely sure what caused oxygen levels in the
lake to drop so dramatically
Thousands of dead fish have washed up onto the shores of a lake in Bolivia.
Just before they died, some of the fish had just hatched from their eggs
in lake Alalay, in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba.
No one yet knows the number of dead fish, but they have stockpiled five
cubic metres (177 cubic feet) so far, so it's possible there is over a
tonne of dead fish in the lake.
According to local media reports, the most affected species was the "platincho" fish which is similar in appearance to sardines.
The fish carcasses were taken to a local dump.
Authorities believe low oxygen levels in the waters of Lake Alalay, due
to the the highly polluted water, in addition to the last heatwave in
2015, led to the massive fish kill, but the exact cause of the
conditions were unclear.
WATCH: Mysteriously massive fish kill in Bolivia.
Oxygen levels dropped from 5 millimetres per litre to 2.8 millimetres,
according to a preliminary laboratory report, released by local
authorities.
Results will be compared with reports from SEMAPA, Cochabamba's municipal water company and the University of San Simon.
Environmentalists have said the lake is constantly threatened by fires, namely one last year, as well as discharge of sewage.
Authorities are analysing an immediate measure to oxygenate the lake to
prevent more fish from dying. Nevertheless, local media reported
equipment to help oxygenate the lake was not working.
"It is an environmental disaster. Thousands of fish are already dead, or
millions of dead fish. You can see wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow and
mechanical shovels full of unfortunately dead fish," said an
unidentified natural resources worker.
In 2015, local authorities allocated a budget of 9 million bolivians (£900,000) for the recovery of the lake to no avail.
"They are small fish that were just hatching, or just coming out of the
eggs, they were growing and as they were weak, they have not been able
to resist this kind of change and that is why they have died," said an
environmentalist from the municipality of Cochabamba.
Alalay is the last urban lake that lies within the city of Cochabamba.
The lagoon was created around 1930 to prevent flooding of the city with
the swelling of River Rocha but it also helps to absorb moisture and
organic matter. - Telegraph.
March 1, 2016 - UNITED STATES - Just as the worst methane leak in California's history is sealed and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledged that America pollutes much more methane than previously estimated, Earthworks—the group that filmed the videos revealing the scope of the methane disaster in Los Angeles County—released a map of 180+ infrared videos of oil and gas methane pollution events across the country.
The map, created with the help of FracTracker Alliance, includes two new videos that epitomize the national methane pollution problem.
"In November of 2012, the voters in Longmont banned fracking
to protect our health, safety and wellbeing, especially because of air
pollution," said Kaye Fissinger, president of Our Longmont.
"The air we breathe in Longmont is still subject to 'toxic trespass'
from extreme extraction in communities nearby. It's long past time for
government to stop tinkering around the edges and genuinely address the
ever-growing damage that fracking and drilling inflict."
WATCH: The first is of a well near Longmont, Colorado.
WATCH: The second one is of a massive pipeline blowdown in North Dakota's Bakken shale region.
"For the past eight years I have witnessed the rapid increase of oil and
gas industrialization and the environmental destruction that comes with
it," said Lisa DeVille of Dakota Resource Council and the Three
Affiliated Tribes. "Finally we can see the air pollution that's all
around us. We are concerned about the harmful health and environmental
impacts of methane and other air pollutants released from well sites.
This is an unmeasurable cost to tribal members on Ft. Berthold and those
downwind. We value our health and our lands."
With more being added every month, the 180+ infrared videos—filmed
starting in September 2014—expose otherwise invisible air pollution from
oil and gas development. Earthworks uses a FLIR
(Forward Looking InfraRed) GasFinder 320 camera that is specially
calibrated to detect approximately 20 pollutants associated with oil and
gas development including methane (a climate pollutant more than 80
times as powerful as carbon dioxide over 20 years), benzene (a known
carcinogen) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Earthworks ITC-certified
thermographers have documented air pollution from wells, compressor
stations, transmission infrastructure and storage facilities.
"After crisscrossing the country for more than a year collecting these
videos, we've learned oil and gas air pollution is inevitably associated
with oil and gas development," said Bruce Baizel, Earthworks energy
program director. "These videos show we need strong state and federal
rules for all new and and existing sources of this pollution. The
Environmental Protection Agency in particular needs to propose rules
covering existing pollution sources to accompany their proposal to cut
pollution from new oil and gas facilities."
The map comes on the heels of the Bureau of Land Management's proposal
to cut methane pollution from oil and gas development on public lands
from new and existing sources. Late last year the U.S. EPA proposed
rules to cut methane pollution from new and modified oil and gas
facilities. If the EPA does not begin a new rulemaking to address
existing sources of air pollution, communities living next to this
invisible oil and gas pollution will be left to breathe dirty air.
Earlier this week in a draft, the EPA revised its estimate of U.S. oil
and gas methane pollution upward by more than 25 percent.
"Infrared videos allow us to see the magnitude of EPA's draft Greenhouse
Gas Inventory revision in black and white. Oil and gas methane
pollution is more severe than previously thought, and more widespread,"
said Lauren Pagel, Earthworks' policy director. "We need EPA to step up
and set standards for oil and gas climate pollution from all facilities.
But frankly the best way to eliminate this pollution is to keep dirty
fossil fuels in the ground." - Ecowatch.
Expert says that this could be a precursor to mega-earthquakes, and is early disaster warning system
Carbon monoxide may signal earthquake
Ramesh Singh.
Earth emits a burst of carbon monoxide (CO) a few days before an
earthquake, according to geophysicist Ramesh Singh. He and co-workers
from France and the United States report that this gas could be used as
one of the precursor signals for an earthquake early warning system.
The scientists used data from an American satellite and analysed
changes in carbon monoxide at different altitudes. "The carbon monoxide
shows enhancement in concentration a few days prior to the earthquake,"
Singh said.
Singh, who was formerly with the Indian Institute of Technology in
Kanpur, is currently in the physics department of Chapman University in
California, USA. The project was funded by the Indo-French Centre for
the Promotion of Advanced Research in New Delhi.
The researchers discovered the connection between CO emission and
earthquake by analysing satellite remote sensing data collected around
the time when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Gujarat in western India
nine years ago killing about 20,000 people and rendering thousands
homeless.
Singh said that CO levels were taken by an instrument onboard NASA's
Terra satellite — launched in 2009 — circling the earth in a polar
orbit at a height of 705 km. The instrument measures CO concentrations
at different heights and also computes the total amount of the gas in a
vertical column of air above the earth surface.
Analysis of the satellite data showed a large peak in CO
concentrations during January 19 and 20 — a week before the main
earthquake event. On January 19, the total CO in the vertical column was
also higher than usual. After the 26 January earthquake the
concentration of the gas dropped.
According to the scientists, CO gas is forced out of the earth due
to the build up of stress prior to the earthquake "influencing the
hydrological regime around the epicentre."
Singh said an anomalous increase in land surface temperature a few
days prior to Gujarat earthquake — as inferred from the data of NASA's
other satellite MODIS — is also related to the CO emission.
"The
increase of column CO and concentrations of CO may have enhanced the
land surface temperature," he said.
"The anomalous changes in CO concentrations prior to the main
earthquake event and enhancement of temperature of the earth surface
observed from MODIS satellite data give an indication of coupling
between land and atmosphere," the scientists report. Singh said
observation by other researchers of a sudden increase in water vapour in
the atmosphere and changes in the ionosphere a few days prior to the
Gujarat earthquake all seem to be connected.
According to the report, all these observations including the latest
discovery of CO emission show the existence of a 'strong coupling'
between land-atmosphere-ionosphere. "The integration of all these
parameters in a seismically active region therefore looks a potential
approach to understand earthquake processes and may provide reliable
information about an impending earthquake," the researchers conclude.
References
Singh, R.P. et al. Satellite detection of carbon monoxide emission prior to the Gujarat earthquake of 26 January 2001. Appl. Geochem. doi: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.01.014 (2010)
February 27, 2016 - EARTH - Here are the latest incidents of methane blasts, gas leaks and chemical explosions across the planet.
California gas leak was 'worst climate disaster in US history', over 100,000 TONS of methane released into the atmosphere, larger impact than The 2010 BP oil disaster
Getty Images
A devastating methane leak in California was probably the worst single environmental disaster in US history, researchers have said.
The natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon, near Los Angeles, saw more than 100,000 tonnes of methane and ethane vented into the atmosphere.
Researchers now estimate it was probably the worst man-made greenhouse gas disaster in US history, with a larger impact on the climate than the 2010 BP oil disaster. The impact of the leak was equivalent to the annual output of an extra half a million cars, researchers now estimate.
The leak was first detected in October 2015, but was not sealed until 18 February. More than 11,000 residents had to be evacuated after one of the 115 wells connected to an underground gas storage system failed.
Analysing air samples collected downwind from the leak across three months, a team at the University of California-Davis found surprisingly high levels of atmospheric ozone. Led by Stephen Conley, the group reported that the leak effectively doubled the emissions of the entire Los Angeles Basin.
They also said that the gas released in a single day was enough to fill a balloon the size of a major stadium; the leak lasted for 112 days.
"The climate impact is the largest on a record," Conley told the Washington Post. He added that the leak may have undone much of California's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- which include extra subsidies for electric vehicles -- and said leaks will "continue to happen".
A closure notice is posted on a gate at Porter Ranch Community School. Around 1,700 homes were evacuated due to the leak.
Getty Images
The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently attempting to reinforce rules around methane leaks, amid fears that such accidents are vastly underreported across the oil and gas industry.
The wider environmental impact of methane is often under-reported; a 2013 analysis of methane suggested that because non-CO2 greenhouse gases dissipate in the atmosphere much quicker than CO2, reducing their emission would be more immediately beneficial to the climate.
"We clearly need to reduce the burning of fossil fuels to cut CO2 emissions," said William Ripple, a professor at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, at the time of that report. "But that addresses only part of the problem. We also need to reduce non-CO2 greenhouse gases to lessen the likelihood of us crossing this climatic threshold." - WIRED.
Massive fire as 3 explosions rock factory in Mexico
Three strong explosions, supposedly involving chemicals, has
rocked a factory in Mexico’s central city of Irapuato, according to
reports. A massive blaze has been seen spreading black smoke throughout
the area.
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, but 12 families have been evacuated, according to Guana Juato Informa.
Three rescue workers are said to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
WATCH: 3 explosions rock factory in Mexico.
The fire quickly intensified, as the factory allegedly had 600 liters of gasoline stored inside. - RT.
Methane explosion in Russian coal mine kills 4, dozens trapped
At least four miners were killed after a structural collapse at a coal
mine in northern Russia, and the rescue operation was further
complicated by a second explosion when emergency workers were trying to
reach dozens of miners trapped underground, officials and media reports
said Friday.
About 110 coal miners were underground at the "Severnaya" coal mine —
operated by the Vorkutaugol company in the northern region of Komi —
when a seismic jolt caused part of the structure to collapse on
Thursday, the regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry said
in a statement. Shortly before midnight, 80 of the miners had been
rescued, the ministry said. Eight of them had suffered injuries.
Rescuers have also recovered the bodies of four more miners, while 26
others were listed as missing as of Friday afternoon, according to
Russian media reports.
28 miners still trapped underground. Rescue efforts continue. Next rescue operation update meeting within an hour. pic.twitter.com/rMpEX4lKad
About an hour after the initial jolt, when attempts to evacuate workers
were already underway, the mine suffered a second "explosion,"
Vorkutaugol technical director Igor Paykin said, the Interfax news
agency reported Friday.
The second blast caused additional structural collapses in the mine,
stoked a fire, and caused clouds of smoke to fill the mine shaft, Paykin
was quoted as saying.
"It appears impossible to extinguish it [the fire] through ordinary
methods," he said, Interfax reported. "We will look into the option of
temporarily isolating the combustion section."
Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov, who was in
Vorkuta on Friday to direct the rescue operation, said his agency
dispatched an Ilyushin-76 strategic airlifter to bring an additional 70
rescuers to the site to "organize continuous shift work by
mountain-rescue teams," Interfax reported.
The primary version of the event considers human factors the root cause,
an unidentified source in the region's technical inspection services
told the Interfax news agency. The source added that the reasons for the
tragedy could be complex, including both human and natural factors.
Meanwhile, according to Vorkutaugol, the incident was caused by a
methane explosion, the TASS news agency reported, citing the company's
spokeswoman Tatyana Bushkova. Russia's Investigative Committee has
opened a criminal case over the violation of safety rules during
operations at the mine.
Russian coal mines have suffered multiple accidents in recent decades
and are considered among the most dangerous in the world. Part of the
danger stems from the lack of modern safety features at many of the
facilities. - The Moscow Times.
Huge explosion rocks waste treatment plant in Antwerp, Belgium
A large explosion has hit a waste treatment plant in the Belgian port of
Antwerp. Local fire services have described the incident as a
“municipal disaster” and asked the locals to keep doors and windows
shut.
The blast occurred in a storage bunker at an industrial waste
treatment plant belonging to the Indaver company on Friday.
Photos from
social media networks show dark clouds of smoke curling upwards.About 60
firefighters have arrived at the site, the RTBF public broadcaster
reports.
The Antwerp fire service said on Twitter that neighboring
Tijsmanstunnel on the R2 roadway was closed.
WATCH: Plant explosion in Belgium.
Indaver said that there were
no casualties or injuries resulting from the incident, as it managed to
evacuate its staff from the site unharmed, according to Reuters.
The cause and nature of the blast remain unknown. - RT.
Elderly Couple Killed In Cooking Gas Explosion In Jaipur, India
An elderly couple were killed today in an LPG cylinder explosion at their house in Viswakarma area in the district, police said.
Jagdish Nayak and his wife Dhapu Devi, both in their 60s, were residents of in Akeda village.
The woman was a cancer patient and bed-ridden.
Her husband Jagdish was working in the kitchen early in the morning when
the cylinder exploded. Both of them were burnt alive, police said.
The bodies were shifted to a hospital for postmortem, they said. - NDTV.
Unstoppable Gas Leaks in Texas Even Worse than California’s, Media Silent
A massive leak from a Texas fracking operation dwarfs the infamous
methane leak in California’s Aliso Canyon.
Photo credit: Scott Towery /
Flickr
After the mammoth methane gas leak that spewed uncontrollably from a damaged well in California’s Aliso Canyon was finally capped last week,
residents of nearby Porter Ranch began trepidatiously returning to
their homes. Lingering doubts over whether Southern California Gas
Company will continue using the underground storage field have left many wondering if concerns for their safety are being considered at all — particularly considering the company has, so far, only been charged with misdemeanor violations.
All told, the Aliso Canyon leak thrust an estimated 96,000 metric tons of potent methane — not to mention benzene, nitrogen oxides, and other noxious substances — into the atmosphere over a period of months. So vast was the impact of the leak, it has been likened in impactful scope to BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Texas is dealing with a comparable disaster that has been overlooked
by officials and the media, in part, because the state’s methane
emanates from a powerful industry’s infrastructure. According to the Texas Observer’s Naveena Sadasivam: “Every hour, natural gas facilities in North Texas’ Barnett Shale
region emit thousands of tons of methane — a greenhouse gas at least 20
times more potent than carbon dioxide — and a slate of noxious
pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and benzene. “The Aliso Canyon leak was big. The Barnett leaks, combined, are even bigger.”
At its peak, the SoCal Gas leak emitted 58,000 kilograms of methane per hour. By comparison, researchers with universities in Colorado and Michigan, partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund, estimate around 60,000 kilograms
are spewed every hour by over 25,000 natural gas wells in operation on
the Barnett Shale — with the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex at the center.
This amounts to around 544,000 tons of methane every year. But contrary
to the magnitude of the Aliso Canyon event, emissions caused by oil and gas
extraction from the Barnett Shale — and a second large formation, Eagle
Ford Shale — won’t cease as long as hydraulic fracturing remains the
boon it has been to the fossil fuel industry.
An eight-month long study of Eagle Ford by the Center for Public Integrity, the Weather Channel, and InsideClimate News found “a system that does more to protect the industry than the public.”
Due to a scarcity of air quality
monitoring stations, with only five permanent monitors to cover Eagle
Ford’s nearly 20,000 square miles, state officials simply don’t know the
extent of pollutants in the air. Many facilities are permitted to
police themselves, and aren’t required to submit those findings. Not
that regulators would have an easy time enforcing a reporting mandate,
as the “Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which regulates most air emissions, doesn’t even know some of these facilities exist.”
David Sterling, chair of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, told InsideClimate News, “As
much as I would like to believe that industry can police itself,
history has shown that that has not worked without sufficient
oversight.” With TCEQ’s budget having fallen 34 percent between 2010 and 2014, it’s virtually impossible to imagine such oversight increasing in the future.
There is a dearth of accountability for lawbreakers in Texas’ oil and gas
industry. As the study discovered, in a period of nearly two years
beginning in January 2010, 284 complaints against the industry — and “164 documented violations” — led to just two non-punitive fines, the larger of which was a mere $14,250.
Though alarming, that gap in accountability isn’t a surprise. “Texas officials tasked with overseeing the industry are often its strongest defenders,” stated the study. “The Texas Railroad Commission, which issues drilling permits and regulates all other aspects of oil and gas production, is controlled by three elected commissioners who accepted more than $2 million in campaign contributions from the industry during the 2012 election cycle, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.”
Texas lawmakers are often personally tied to the industry, as “nearly
one in four state legislators, or his or her spouse, has a financial
interest in at least one energy company active in the Eagle Ford,” according to an analysis of personal financial forms by CPI cited by the study.
Residents located in the two Texas shale production regions experience many similar symptoms
to those in Porter Ranch near Aliso Canyon, such as nosebleeds,
dizziness, nausea, and various respiratory ailments. Those symptoms
could be due to any number of pollutants and toxins. As the study
described: “Chemicals released during oil and gas extraction include hydrogen
sulfide, a deadly gas found in abundance in Eagle Ford wells; volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, a known carcinogen; sulfur
dioxide and particulate matter, which irritate the lungs; and other
harmful substances such as carbon monoxide and carbon disulfide. VOCs
also mix with nitrogen oxides emitted from field equipment to create ozone, a major respiratory hazard. “Studies show that, depending on the concentration and length of
exposure, these chemicals can cause a range of ailments, from minor
headaches to neurological damage and cancer. People in the Eagle Ford
face an added risk: hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S or sour gas, a naturally occurring component of crude oil and natural gas that lurks underground.”
Texas’ shale facilities are responsible for
8 percent of the nation’s methane emissions, already; but the
combination of faulty equipment and lack of monitoring sites mean
occasional large methane releases from wells — called “super-emitters” — won’t necessarily be noticed immediately. “If one well was a super-emitter the day we measured them, it could change the next day,” explained Daniel Zavala-Araiza, lead researcher of a 2015 Barnett Shale methane study by the Environmental Defense Fund, in the Observer. “It’s
not just about finding a handful of sites. You need to be looking
continuously to keep finding the ones that are malfunctioning … If you
don’t have frequent monitoring, there’s no way you’re going to know when
one of these super-emitters begins spewing.”
In fact, a recent study
by Harvard University points the finger at the United States as the
cause of an enormous spike in global methane emissions over the past
decade, accounting for 30 – 60 percent of all “human-caused atmospheric emissions.” “I believe the U.S. probably is responsible for this much of an increase in global methane emissions,” said Roger Howarth, a methane researcher at Cornell University, who is unaffiliated with the Harvard study, theGuardian reported. “And, the increase almost certainly must be coming from the fracking and from the increase in use of natural gas.”
Texas residents unfortunate enough to find their homes positioned
near oil or gas facilities aren’t left with much recourse to combat the
state’s infamous industry. Shale gas production more than doubled between 2009 and 2014, though it has slowed slightly with the recent glut. As InsideClimate News reported, state Representative Harvey Hilderbran tellingly asserted to a media panel in 2014: “I believe if you’re anti-oil and gas, you’re anti-Texas.”
February 16, 2016 - AUSTRALIA - Landholders in Queensland are calling on the State Government to find the cause of methane gas bubbling in a major river, which they say has intensified in recent months.
The so-called methane seeps in the Condamine River near Chinchilla were reported in 2012, triggering a series of investigations.
But the Government has told the ABC that it does not have sufficient information to identify the cause of the seeps.
Professor Damian Barrett, the CSIRO's lead researcher into unconventional gas, has been monitoring the Condamine gas seeps.
He confirmed to the ABC that the bubbling had intensified.
"There have been changes in the flux of methane through the river over the past 12 months," he said.
WATCH: Scientists unsure cause of methane bubble.
ABC visited the most prominent methane seep in the river about six
kilometres west of the Chinchilla weir, observing large, concentrated
bubbles rising to the water's surface.
"From what I've visually seen since the first videos back when
they were originally found, they were just minor bubbles in particular
locations," Helen Bender, whose family owns two properties near the
Condamine, said.
"In terms of the number of bubbles along the river, both upstream and downstream, [it] is increasing."
A 2013 report by scientific analysis firm Norwest Corporation outlined
several "scenarios" which could be contributing to the bubbling in the
river.
These included natural events such as drought and the recharging of aquifers after floods.
Human activity such as coal seam gas (CSG) operations and water bore drilling were other possible contributing factors.
"We know that methane is coming to the surface along a fault
line, a very small fault line that occurs and intersects with the
river," said Professor Barrett, who is also the director of the Gas
Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance,a partnership between the CSIRO and the CSG industry.
"We know that the methane that is bubbling in that river is varying in
time and the reason for that — while it is unknown — could be perfectly
natural."
Origin Energy, which operates CSG wells in the district, is monitoring the bubbling in the Condamine.
"I have to question if Origin is doing the ongoing monitoring, why isn't
more of an independent person doing the ongoing monitoring so that
there's some real transparency with what's actually happening?" Ms
Bender said.
Western Darling Downs landholder and anti-coal seam gas activist John
Jenkyn said the bubbling had worsened since the arrival of the CSG
industry.
"I think [it's] the de-watering. As [the CSG companies] take all the
water out of the wells I presume the gas has found the easiest route out
of the ground, which happens to be in the river. So up she comes," he
said.
A Queensland Government report released in December 2012 found that the
cause of the bubbles was "unlikely to be determined in the short-term,
and that a long-term approach to find more science-based answers to the
phenomenon was needed".
"I think there's a lot missing in those [methane seep] reports which we
need to know the answers to now, because the bubbles are getting worse
as the CSG activities continue," Ms Bender said.
A spokesman for Queensland's Department of Natural Resources and Mines
confirmed that there was "currently insufficient information to identify
the cause of the gas seeps" and that further investigation was
warranted.
"Geological complexity and the requirement to gather and analyse surface
and subsurface data make this a long-term investigation," the spokesman
said. - ABC Australia.
This picture shows a swarm of sharks migrating a short distance from the coast in Palm Beach, Florida
February 15, 2016 - FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - With temperatures plummeting below freezing in parts of the country, you may be temped to escape to some winter sun in Florida.
But if you do hit the sunny beaches, you may want to avoid going for a swim.
That's because tens of thousands of sharks are migrating in huge swarms, and it's happening just off the coast.
Florida Atlantic University biological sciences professor Stephen
Kajiura took video from the air of blacktip sharks invading the waters
of Palm Beach, on Florida's Atlantic coast
He has been monitoring their movement since January 15. But he decided to get footage from 5,000ft in the air.
Kajiura told WPEC: 'There are literally tens of thousands of sharks a stone's throw away from our shoreline.
Florida Atlantic University biological sciences
professor Stephen Kajiura took video of blacktip sharks invading the
waters of Palm Beach, on Florida's Atlantic coast. A paddle boarder is
seen on the bottom left of the screen near the hoard of sharks
'You could throw a pebble and literally strike a shark. They are that close
Blacktips are the most common species in that part of Florida and are behind the majority of shark bites.
However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there hasn't been a fatal attack yet.
WATCH: Tens of thousands of sharks migrating off Florida beach.
They are named by the black markings on the tips of their fins and are
common in the warm Atlantic waters between South Carolina and Texas.
Every winter, during their mating season, they move to find warmer parts of the ocean.
They feed on fish, stingrays and squids.
Blacktips have also been known to follow fishing boats and feed on culled catches. - Daily Mail.
February 9, 2016 - BRAHMAGIRI, INDIA - Days after dead whales were found near the coast in Odisha's Ganjam and
Kendrapara locale, another cadaver of whale was found from the coast
close Motagaon zone in Brahmagiri locale on Tuesday morning.
Prior this month, a cadaver of a whale measuring 33 feet long with a width of 12 feet was located at Podampetta coast in Ganjam area on February 3 while the corpse of another whale measuring 66 feet long was found at Chinchiri mouth at Rajnagar in Kendrapara locale on February 5.
A few days before this, a giant dead whale washed ashore at the Juhi beach in Mumbai.
Last month, carcasses of more than 60 whales were sighted along the coast in Tamil Nadu a month ago
Following the death of the whales, the State Environment and Forest
department has decided to apprise the Ministry of Forest and Environment
(MoEF) of the unusual death of the giant marine mammals. - The Samaya.
February 8, 2016 - MEXICO - She's the world's largest shark, dubbed Deep Blue, and she was captured on video off the coast of Mexico.
New video has surfaced of Deep Blue, which is as big as a metro bus, and
it's giving scientist a better perspective at the giant that shocked
the world when her existence was first revealed.
Michael Maier was the man behind the camera and he released more video from the aquatic encounter that captivated the world.
Maier and his fellow divers were submerged off Guadalupe Island, which is located about 300 miles southwest of San Diego.
The divers were dangling large chunks of meat when the leviathan slowly emerged from the depths.
Deep Blue appeared and she made a move at one of the divers, but the diver quickly ducked into the safety of the cage.
The great white shark took the bait and did a few laps around the diving
cage. At one point a diver gave her a high five as she glided by.
WATCH: The world's largest shark.
Shark experts believe Deep Blue is about 50 years old and was possibly
pregnant and about to give birth when the encounter took place.
Experts said it's possible that she has given birth to more than 100 babies in her lifetime.
There is no tracking device on Deep Blue, so it's not known where she currently is located. - ABC7NY.
The carcass of the whale was found at Chinchira beach, an unmanned island under Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district on Saturday
after which local fishermen thronged to see it. (Source: Express photo)
February 6, 2016 - INDIA - Two days after a 33-feet long Sperm whale beached on coastline of Ganjam
district in Odisha, a 66-feet long whale washed ashore on an unmanned
island of Kendrapara district in the state.
Though it is not clear to which species the whale belongs, Rajnagar divisional forest officer Bimal Acharyasaid the 66-feet-long animal bore no injury marks.
It may have been a normal death, he said. Whales are Schedule-I animals.
The carcass of the whale was found at Chinchira beach, an unmanned
island under Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district on Saturday after
which local fishermen thronged to see it.
Two days ago the 33-foot sperm whale, which washed up on the Rushikulya beach of Ganjam district,
its carcass bore injury marks.
Experts said the whale might have died
after being hit by fishing trawlers. The district officials later got a
crane to lift the carcass and bury it. - The Indian Express.
February 6, 2016 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - California Attorney General Kamala Harris has filed a lawsuit against
the gas company responsible for the methane gas leak near Los Angeles,
calling it a “monumental environmental disaster.” Over 30 suits and
probes related to the disaster are pending.
On Tuesday, Harris joined both Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer
and Los Angeles County in a revised civil complaint filed against
Southern California Gas Company (SoCal Gas), a subsidiary of the San
Diego-based Sempra Energy. The California Air Resources Board,
represented by Harris, also joined the lawsuit.
A methane leak from an underground gas storage facility in Aliso Canyon was first detected on October 23 last year, but no official cause has been given for the event that has forced 6,600 homes in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles to be evacuated.
“This gas leak has caused significant damage to the Porter Ranch community as well as our statewide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the impacts of climate change. My office will continue to lead this cross-jurisdictional enforcement action to ensure justice and relief for Californians and our environment,” Harris said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Monday, SoCal Gas released an “incident update,” citing its own success in drilling past 200 feet of caprock above the storage zone. The next step is more drilling, but will be within the storage reservoir, requiring care and accuracy to intercept the targeted well at “the appropriate angle and depth,” the statement read. The goal is to stop the leak by the end of February.
WATCH: California methane leak now said to be affecting pets.
The updated lawsuit contends that by causing the release of some 80,000 metric tons of methane so far, SoCal Gas broke health and safety codes, public nuisance laws, and violated hazardous materials reporting requirements. Furthermore, it alleges the company’s business practices were unethical. Civil penalties, injunctions, and restitution are all sought to hold the company accountable.
So far, there are 11 governmental lawsuits or investigations on the local, state and federal level, and 20 private lawsuits waged by affected residents against SoCal Gas.
California Governor Jerry Brown recognized the situation as a state of emergency on January 6. - RT.
January 29, 2016 - ISRAEL - Hundreds of seagulls have been found dead on the Sea of Galilee's
western shore, with an initial inquiry pointing to botulism poisoning.
Another 78 injured birds were given emergency first aid at the Tel Afeq
National Park veterinary hospital's quarantine station in Tel Aviv, with
some being tested to eliminate any suspicion that they may have contracted bird flu, the Walla website reported Thursday.
The gulls were subsequently transferred to the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, some of them in serious condition.
Botulism spores are commonly found in soil and water. They produce the
botulinum toxin in conditions such as low oxygen and hot temperatures.
"It's not a sight that we are used to," a spokesperson
for the Safari said. There had been cases of 15 animals needing
treatment, but 80 in one go was "a real mass attack."
The treatment would continue for several days in the hope that the gulls
could be returned to nature as quickly as possible, the Safari added.
Dr. Roni King, chief veterinarian for the Israel Nature and Parks
Authority, said botulism poisoning was a known phenomenon. There had
been cases in the US of hundreds of thousands of dead birds being found
in lakes.
Less than two months ago in Israel, a smaller number of gulls sustained poisoning in the Hadera area of the Mediterranean coast.
A few years ago, 150 birds were picked up from the beach between Acre and the Krayot, north of Haifa, of which only 50 survived.
In the current case, the poison was not from the Sea of Galilee, King
said. The birds probably picked it up at their feeding site, only
feeling the effects when they flew back to the lake. - The Times of Israel.
A Porter Ranch resident wears a gas mask during a protest
Saturday outside a meeting of the Air Quality Management Board over the
Aliso Canyon gas leak. The leak
started in October and has forced
thousands of residents to flee from the Los Angeles suburb of Porter
Ranch. Regulators have ordered the
gas company to shut down the leaking
well; some residents want the entire facility shuttered.
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
January 29, 2016 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - “This the largest natural gas leak in history. We were up there yesterday… what we heard was aloud sound of natural gas escaping that you could hear quite loudly from over half a mile away.” - Rep. Brad Sherman, U.S. House of Representatives.
WATCH: Utilities and Commerce Committee Hearing in Granada Hills over Aliso Canyon Gas Leak.
“Now it’s kind of simple — if you have a well blow-out, you quit
injecting [more gas] underground… No order had been issued [to stop
this] though… We sent a letter [to the Division of Oil, Gas &
Geothermal Resources (DOGGR)] saying, “Stop all of the injections, until
you can stop the leak”… So we sent a letter on Dec. 1 asking them to
stop all injections… Nine days later, they said, “Stop injecting gas”…
You’d think that at least temporarily settled it — because if [SoCalGas]
didn’t like that, SoCalGas could have temporarily appealed… I have no
record of appeal… AQMD [Air Quality Management District] inspected the
facility on Nov. 10… and they found all these wells that weren’t accessible — 16 approximately… We don’t know yet why they were inaccessible. We also learned that 15 wells were leaking. We also don’t know why that happened. I spoke at the AQMD hearing this last week and said, “I’m concerned that the fact that now you guys are looking at these injection wells — you don’t know what that means.” You see,DOGGR knows what that means— and that’s a sign that SoCalGas lost control entirely of the entire field and it’s leaking everywhere…
So we were like, “We want proof. Now if it’s just coincidental, and you
show us why that’s not what’s happening, that’s fine, but provide the
evidence”… Families have a right to know what’s going on in that oil
field.” - Patricia Oliver, attorney (at 11:30 in), Porter Ranch Town Hall Meeting.
WATCH: Porter Ranch Town Hall Meeting - January 22, 2016.
Residents attack slow response to what official called ‘a mini-Chernobyl’… “This is a mini-Chernobyl,”
Mike Antonovich, the LA county supervisor, told a public hearing at the
weekend… [It] is the largest leak of… methane known to experts. - The Guardian.
A new report shows the level of toxins released… has been seriously underestimated,
state regulators said… The findings were released in response to
[SoCalGas' admission that they] underestimated the number of times the
cancer-causing chemical benzene has spiked. - CBS/AP.
Officials Waited Months To Monitor California’s Massive Gas Leak — A massive natural gas leak… had been out of control
for more than a month when the county’s acting health director said in
November that long-term impacts of the cancer-causing chemical benzene
should be measured. It took many more weeks to implement the testing…
“We can always look back and say, ‘Why didn’t we start with an expanded
monitoring program?’” said Angelo Bellomo, deputy county director for
health protection… Rob Jackson, an environmental scientist at Stanford
University, said… it had undermined the ability to measure health
impacts. - AP.
Porter Ranch residents report unexplained ailments, behaviors in pets… [A family] lost all 20 of their brightly colored Koi fish after they started dying… [Others] have noticed fewer bird and wildlife sightings. - City News Service.
[The Katz's], parents of five… are living a nightmare…
Her pride and joy was her garden and a koi pond. She cries when she
recounts how all 20 fish died…“The birds, the butterflies, all of this is gone. It’s quiet now.” - Al Jazeera.
“We used to see coyotes and animals” [Jennifer Marotta] said. “It makes me wonder how bad it really is.” - L.A. Daily News.
[Residents] have noticed fewerbird and wildlife sightings… [Attorney Rex Parris wrote to officials] that pets are ill or disappearing and wildlife, such as birds and rabbits, seem to be disappearing as well
from the community… [Sally Taylor’s dog] quickly became lethargic and
threw up some 20 times within an hour… “[The vet hospital] said it was
the worst blood work the vet has ever seen”… For the Balen family, it’s the sound of birds they’ve missed the most. In late December, they said the absence made their home… “completely quiet… for 10 years… every morning, we wake up to the birds chirping. Not anymore.” - L.A. Daily News.
KABC,
Jan 19, 2016: [The gas leak is] affecting many pets… “We’re seeing
probably several hundred total and it’s been going on for around three
months now,” [Dr. David Smith at Northridge Animal Hospital] said. Smith
said it started shortly after [they] first reported the leak… Smith
said he has serious concerns about the health risks for the animals. - .
Government officials have come up with their own interesting explanations for the disappearance of wildlife:
Wild animals may have left the area because of the noisecoming from crews attempting to fix the well, [Department of Fish and Wildlife] spokeswoman Mary Fricke said. - L.A. Times.
January 26, 2016 - FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - For Bud and Susan Whiten, a stroll on the beach in Port St. Joe early Sunday afternoon turned out to be a little fishy.
"We walk this beach every day if we can, preferably at low tide, looking
for shell, coral, whatever we can see because it's a beautiful nature
area," Susan Whiten said.
But they said their trip to the beach left them star struck.
"We saw what looked to be a whole lot of shells that had washed up, but it was actually thousands of starfish," Whiten said. "I just couldn't imagine that there would be any starfish left as many as we saw. It was just unbelievable."
"I've never seen it like this before," Mike Forbess, a resident from Callaway, said. "There's
just thousands upon thousands of them. We walked on the beach for maybe
a quarter mile, and it was just solid dead starfish."The
Whitens said they saw thousands of starfish lined up and down the
shoreline about a mile east of the public access point at St. Joe Bay.
But Whiten and others say they hope to not see other creatures show up on shore.
"I just hope that we don't see another specimen wash up like we did
these," Whiten said. "We do see occasional horseshoe crab and sea slugs,
but we just hope that there aren't a lot of these that wash up."
"I hate to see it, but I guess it's just part of nature," Forbess said.
WATCH: Thousands of starfish wash ashore Florida beach.
WJHG/WECP spoke with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials about the case.
They said they receive calls about similar cases every so often.
Researchers said environmental factors such as temperature change or the
recent case of red tide could've caused the starfish to wash ashore.
FWC officials said they plan on studying the area in general after researching this particular case. - WJHG.
January 25, 2016 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - The following excerpts are taken from the Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Town Hall, which was published on January 11, 2016.
Several quotations have been highlighted for emphasis.
• Bob Bowcock, environmental scientist (at 18:00 in):
“We’re starting to hear about the largest natural gas well leak in
the U.S… The State of California and Southern California Gas Company say
it’s leaking somewhere between 45,000 and 50,000 kilograms [99,000 and
110,000 pounds] per hour… We’ve done actual field measurements [and] it
can be as much as three times greater than what’s being reported.”
• Erin Brockovich (at 31:05 in): “Every person I’ve talked to — thousands of people — are sufferingrashes, dizziness, shakiness, they feel like they’re in a fog,
nosebleeds, massive headaches… Reports of animals losing their hair,
animals vomiting, animals with diarrhea — people actually relocate to
hotels to find their animals have passed… You are actually the guinea pig in this situation… As we’re now learning that themagnitude of this is way beyond what any of us have ever been told, and reaches beyondwhere we have come in and know that there’s been dangers. We need to learn that that’s been happening.
• Camille Sears, meteorologist (at 41:45 in):
“SoCalGas has said that things aren’t so bad because the leak is 1,200
feet above the elevation of the community, and that gas is lighter than
air. Well, that’s not really the whole story… That gas is going downhill… [Infrared videos] show the plume just running down the hill like water… [which then] goes right into the communities. It’s very little dilution… At night, from midnight to 6:00 in the morning, 90% of the time the winds are coming from that direction [from the gas leak to the communities].
I doubled checked this, because it seems like a phenomenal amount of
time that the winds are blowing from the gas leak to the community… It’s
a very unfortunate situation that the leak is located where it is…
The releases are probably two to three times greater than what the California Air Research Board has been reporting… It’s becoming quite clear that the State is underestimating the amount of gas that’s leaking. I’ve been doing this kind of analysis for 35 years. I’ve done thousands of them since I started doing this in 1980. I’ve never seen a release of this magnitude before… I feel really bad… to report this.It’s not only a worst case emission, it’s the great magnitude of emissions coming out, but it’s also sort of a worst case meteorological scenario
that these releases happened to blow from the gas leak down in to the
community at night 90 percent of the time. As we’ve seen, those gas emissions tend to flow downhill like water and go right into the communities.”
• Robin Greenberg, attorney (at 1:01:00 in): “Pets are really being affected… Time and again someone sends me photographs of their pet and have these horrible sores.”
• Bowcock (at 1:43:45 in): “This isa very dangerous condition, and it’s something that you all should be very, very concernedwith… That’s a pretty substantial area and everyone in that are needs to be concerned about it… Veterinarians are very concerned about it… because the vets are actually seeing a lot of really, really sick animals… It is impacting the animals much, much more — believe me.”
