Volcano erupts in Japan

Fantastic footage on the BBC website here
and an article here

Key points:

• Mount Asama volcano erupted at 1:51 a.m. Monday 2nd Feb 2009
• Situated 145km NW of Tokyo.
• Mount Asama is 2,568m (8,425 ft) high, with snow-covered peaks.
• No lava flows could be seen.
• Smoke billowed about 2,000 meters into the air and caused ash to drift over parts of the capital, Tokyo.
• Rocks were thrown more than 1 km from the crater
• There have been no reports of injuries or serious damage.
• The meteorological agency issued a crater proximity warning Sunday after detecting swelling at the top of the volcano, which is seen as a precursor of an eruption. It also raised the alert level from level 2 (do not approach the crater) to level 3 (do not go within four kilometers of the crater).
• Traffic in the area has been restricted and 45,000 local people warned to be ready to leave their homes should the danger intensify.
• It last erupted in August, 2008, causing no major damage.
  The last major eruption of Mount Asama took place in September 2004, when it spewed ash and rock as far as 200km away.
  
  Questions:
  What is 'ash'?
  This volcano lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. What type of plate boundary exists here and can you name the plates?

what a waste....

The recycled rubbish being kept in storage because no one will buy it. Read this article from Mail Online here

Green scheme scrapped as household recycling is sent to landfill - Telegraph

Call to recycle food separately - BBC News

Hurricane Ike - Hurricane season 2008

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Ike's eye was passing over the Turks and Caicos early Sunday (7th Sept). The NHC Web site showed hurricane force winds from Ike battering the island. It was moving west about 15 miles per hour with winds near 135 mph (215km/h). Its path would take it by the southeastern Bahamas early Sunday and near eastern Cuba Sunday night or early Monday.

There is a warning that Ike could dump 12 inches (30cm) of rain in places and cause storm surge flooding of up to 18ft (5.5m) above normal tide levels.

The hurricane is expected to reach the south-eastern Bahamas later on Sunday (7th Sept).
After weakening on Saturday, Ike regained strength as it approached the islands.

The NHC now classes it as "extremely dangerous" Category Four hurricane.

Preparations

Thousands of tourists and residents have left the islands.

The airport in Providenciales, the most populated of the island chains, has closed.

Areas likely to be affected:

The centre of the hurricane is forecast to pass to the north of Haiti

Haiti which is still recovering from Hanna will not be spared, where a humanitarian crisis was unfolding after flooding from Hanna left more than 500 people dead and thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.
Further flooding in Haiti is expected as the storm's outer rain bands were forecast to unleash torrential downpours up to 12 inches on the country's vulnerable northwest coast. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides over mountainous terrain

Dominican Republic

Preparations are underwy with troops put on full alert with the potential risk of flooding. The ground is saturated and some of the dams in the south-east region are fairly close to their maximum capacity.

Heading west south-west at about 15mph, Ike should hit the northern coast of eastern Cuba by late Sunday or early Monday, according to the NHC forecast, putting the crumbling colonial buildings of the capital, Havana, at risk

source: BBC

Hurricane Hanna

What have been the consequences of hurricane Hanna? read this article from AFP here

Winds and rain battering Britain

Heavy rainfall and strong winds are sweeping across Britain causing floods in many areas.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Wales and many parts of England.
Some places have suffered more than a month of rainfall in 24 hours.

A major incident has been declared in Bridgend due to rising water levels in the River Ogmore. The council is evacuating staff from its civic offices

• The Jazz in the Park event in Pontypool has been cancelled, as was Cardiff Pride 2008

• A number of roads are under water in Gloucestershire

• Arriva Trains is advising people in south east Wales not to travel by train as all rail services are severely disrupted by flooding

Read the whole article from BBC here

South Wales Fire Service said it had received 350 flood-related calls in six hours on Friday, compared with a normal daily total of about 130.

Fire crews and council workers were called to homes in the Lydney area of Gloucestershire on Thursday after flash floods.

The ground is saturated after an unusually wet August, increasing the risk of flooding across the UK, experts said.
"We are expecting 20mm to 40mm of rainfall in the next 24 hours on already saturated ground, which is the biggest problem.

Flooding is likely to disrupt businesses in the worst affected areas.

Hurricane Gustav

Rise in 2008 hurricanes predicted

How and why do hurricanes form? watch the animated guide

New Orleans prepares for Hurricane Gustav 01/09/08

Hurricane Gustav brings torrential rain and violent winds to Cuba 31/08/09

News reports highlighting the path of the hurricane can be viewed on the BBC site here

Canadian Arctic sheds ice chunk

Nearly 20 sq km (eight sq miles) of ice from the Ward Hunt shelf has split away from Ellesmere Island, according to satellite pictures.

Loss of ice in the Arctic, and in particular the extensive sea-ice, has global implications. The "white parasol" at the top of the planet reflects energy from the Sun straight back out into space, helping to cool the Earth.

Read the full article from BBC news here