Merapi Volcano in Indonesia’s Java Island erupted again, over a week after a powerful volcanic eruption sent plumes of ash high into the air, forced tourists to flee, and prompted the establishment of an exclusion zone.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the two significant volcanic eruptions at Mount Merapi this March.
However, increased volcanic activity remains.
Various reports showed that Indonesia’s most active volcano and one of the world’s most active one has blocked out the Sun during its eruption earlier in March and threatens nearby communities after releasing rock, lava, and gas.
Due to the volcanic threat, local authorities have warned residents in the area for volcanic mudflow threat and reduced visibility caused by volcanic material.
Merapi Volcano Erupts Again
(Photo : Photo by DEVI RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Lava spews out of Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano, as seen from the Tunggularum village in Sleman, Yogyakarta on March 13, 2023.
Merapi Volcano erupted again on Friday night, March 17, and has continued to spew volcanic ash and other geochemical material on Saturday, March 18.
Reported yet unobtained footage by the Indonesian government’s Merapi Volcano Observatory showed flaming lava pouring from Merapi’s crater and a tall column hot cloud rising 1,300 meters into the air, as cited by Channel News Asia.
Mount Merapi, locally known as Gunung Merapi, is the most volatile out of the 120 volcanoes in Indonesia.
It is a stratovolcano located along the border between the province of central Java and the Yogyakarta special region in Indonesia.
According to a YouTube video report of AP Archive, Mount Merapi’s sudden eruption blanketed several villages with falling ash, citing a statement from Hanik Humaida, head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, that the March 11 eruption was the largest lava flow since the Indonesian government raised the volcanic danger level in November 2020.
Humaida said residents living on the volcano’s slopes were advised by authorities to stay 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) away from the crater’s mouth.
Tourism and mining activities around Merapi Volcano were also halted until further notice.
Local officials have raised the alert level of Mount Merapi to the second highest out of four levels since it exhibited increased volcanic activity and went erupting in November 2020, The Associated Press reported.
2010, 1930 Mount Merapi Eruptions
Being an active volcano, Mount Merapi is not new to sporadic and explosive volcanic outbursts, wherein it has 68 historic eruptions since 1548 and the modern eruption starting in 1987, according to the Oregon State University.
In 2010, Merapi Volcano’s last major eruption occurred and killed over 300, forcing the evacuation of approximately 280,000 residents across the region.
In 1930, the volcano’s most powerful eruption transpired in recorded history, wherein around 1,300 people died.
Reports stated the eruption burnt and suffocated the victims.
Indonesia sits within the “Ring of Fire,” a horse shoe-shaped region across the Pacific Ocean where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are dynamic due to active seismic activities caused by the frequent collision of tectonic plates underneath the Earth.
As Americans prepared for the spring season, the latest weather forecast reported that a milder weather pattern could emerge this week in the Central and Eastern parts of the United States.
Weather agencies have been monitoring the development of potential winter storms and the arrival of the spring season.
In some parts of the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that potential mountain snow and rain could unload in Wester US this Monday.
Meanwhile, heavy snow could unload in Central Rockies and Sierras.
In addition, West Coast could expect a significant storm that could unload high winds and rain.
Milder weather patterns in the Eastern and Central US
(Photo : by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Washington, DC. As the spring season begins, the latest weather forecast said that milder temperature patterns could emerge in the Central, Eastern portions of the United States this week.
While Californians expect mountain snow and flooding rain, AccuWeather’s latest forecast explained that a milder weather pattern is likely to unfold in the Central and Eastern US this week.
The forecast said people in the Eastern and Central United States could feel spring-like temperatures starting Monday.
Based on the weather outlook, rain and showers could unload in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Charlotte.
Chilly and colder weather are expected in Washington, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, Houston, El Paso and Denver.
There could be a chance of snow in Billings.
Homeowners and motorists in the Eastern and Central United States should keep updated with the weather conditions to prepare for any severe weather risks.
In the mid-week, the forecast noted that chilly weather could unfold in Portland, Denver and Tucson.
Meanwhile, average temperatures could persist in Chicago, Washington D.C, Atlanta and Miami.
On the other hand, colder temperatures could unfold in parts of the South, with potential freezing temperatures.
Starting early Monday morning, a freezing threat could emerge in Mobile, Atlanta, Charlotte and Shreveport.
Forecasts in other parts of the US
Although the spring season is expected to unfold soon, the NWS Weather Prediction Center showed that astronomical winter is not yet over.
More winter storms may occur at the last stretch of the winter season.
The latest forecast explained that low temperatures could emerge in parts of the US. As mentioned, widespread freezing conditions could unload in the Southeast.
On the other hand, NWS reported that heavy lake-effect snow could unleash in the Lakes Erie and Ontario on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the NWS Eastern Region reported that Eastern US experienced the lowest snowfall season (2022 – 2023). Read here.
In California, the early beginnings of March unloaded heavy snow and rain, causing immediate evacuations and safety concerns.
In the latest advisory, the NWS San Diego reported that heavy rain could unload this Tuesday morning.
The weather advisory noted that possible thunderstorms could unfold this Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition, a storm system could bring moisture to California.
Stay updated with the Nature World News (NWN) for more weather updates.
A new storm train will hit California and the Pacific Northwest with heavy rain and mountain snow in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The first in the parade of storms will strike the Golden State with Pacific moisture until Sunday night, March 19. The NWS weather forecast also highlight the occurrence of heavy snow in Sierra Nevada with wind gusts reaching 50 miles per hour.
For more than a week, California has experienced a cascade of torrential rain and thick snowfall, which led to widespread disruption and some residents trapped in their homes. The new series of storms are also similar weather hazards that the region has suffered since January 2023, wherein the Pacific storm train, driven by atmospheric rivers drenched, California in floodwaters and mudslides.
New Storm Train
(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) PAJARO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: A car sits submerged in floodwaters on March 14, 2023 in Pajaro, California. Northern California has been hit by another atmospheric river that has brought heavy rains and flooding throughout the region. The town has been inundated with floodwaters since Saturday after a levee was breached along the Pajaro River.
US meteorologists recently used the term “storm train” to depict the occurrence of arriving storms along the American West from the Eastern Pacific Ocean in a consecutive manner. Based on latest weather forecasts, twin storms are heading towards California and the Pacific Northwest.
In its short-range forecast on Sunday, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) of the NWS stated a strong storm system on Tuesday, March 21, will impact southern California with high winds, in addition to the heavy mountain snow and rain. Related precipitation is expected in some parts of the Intermountain West, Rockies, northern Plains, and Upper Midwest.
The NWS – WPC outlook is valid from Monday to Wednesday, March 20 to March 22. During this period, power outages and cancellations or delays of flights are possible across the country.
The US weather agency adds the next potent storm system set to impact California will bring the hazardous weather inland, with unsettled conditions mainly affecting the southern half of the state. Strong winds from the central California to southern California could result in tree damage and power outages, agency says.
Meanwhile, AccuWeather meteorologists issued a related weather warning but pertains to “dual storms” heading towards California, which is at risk of renewed flooding rain. The twin storms early this week can bring another round of precipitation, as the weather system first impact northern California followed by southern California.
Southeast Freezing Temperatures
Meanwhile, the NWS reported freezing temperatures in the US Southeast, forecasting that record-breaking cold is possible across the region by Monday morning. The agency highlights the potential occurrence of harmful freezing temperatures.
Citing the NWS, FOX Weather reported areas between the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; and Charlotte, North Carolina could experience low temperatures ranging in the upper 20s. Nashville could also had its temperature plummet into 20 degrees by Monday.
Freeze warnings are in effect in the mentioned cities, while the weather authorities have issued freeze watches in areas of South Carolina and eastern-central Georgia.
The coral reefs nearby have suffered over 19 thousand square feet of damage as a result of a luxury yacht that ran aground off the coast of Maui, Hawaii.
The Nakoa, a 94-foot boat, ran aground outside the Honolua-Mokulē’ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District on the northwest coast of Maui two weeks earlier and was freed on March 5. Now that the impact of the massive vessel on the local wildlife has been evaluated, the results are not promising.
The first impact when the boat grounded, and then the scars on the coral reef that occurred as the yacht was dragged back off the flat reef surface and into deeper water, according to Russel Sparks, an aquatic biologist with the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) – Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. Sparks oversaw the evaluation and assessment of the damaged reefs.
Coral Reefs
The biodiversity of coral reefs is among the highest on Earth. They shelter one-fourth of all fish species on the planet and shield coastlines from erosion and storms. According to the University of Hawaii, the eight main Hawaiian Islands are home to over 410,000 acres of living reef that is home to over 7,000 known species of aquatic plants and animals. 1,250 of these species can only be found in the reefs of Hawaii.
Damages of Over 19 Thousand Square Feet
A total of 19,434 square feet of live rock and damaged coral were discovered to have been disturbed by the yacht, according to the investigation. The first 49 feet of the visible damage, which extended from the landing point to a depth of about 246 feet in the ocean, were made up of two significant scars that resembled “trench-like” depressions.
Getting the yacht out of the shallow waters required more than two weeks. The yacht was shelved in 800 feet of water due to the serious damage to its hull.
NEW: Divers from Hawaii’s Dept. of Land and Natural Resources found that nearly 20,000 square feet worth of coral reef in Honolua Bay on Maui was damaged by the luxury yacht Nakoa that was stuck for two weeks and then sunk after being pulled from the rocks @KITV4pic.twitter.com/jF2HnLaC2I
According to DAR, the yacht damaged more than 19,000 square feet of live rock and coral. Additionally, 19 coral colonies were destroyed or damaged.
Aside from that, the attempt to drag the yacht into deeper water had an adverse effect on over 100 coral colonies and live rock, KHON2 reports.
The Maui News reports that the salvage efforts, which the state estimated to have cost at least $460,000, took about two weeks to complete and started with the removal of fuel barrels, batteries, and other potentially dangerous materials from the yacht. Poor weather along with failed rigging repeatedly thwarted attempts to remove it from the shoreline, forcing the contractor to go back to Oahu for more powerful machinery.
Unfortunately, several different threats, such as overfishing, disease, and rising ocean temperatures, can threaten these vital ecosystems. Such direct physical harm puts additional stress on these sensitive habitats.
The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute and the Department of Land and Natural Resources are putting forth a lot of effort to quickly fix and restore the damage.
The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, according to Sparks, has located a few colonies of loose coral that will be reattached as soon as the ocean conditions improve. He added that the team is grateful for the center’s quick action and knowledgeable assistance with coral restoration in stabilizing as well as restoring this site.
According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the yacht’s owner is responsible for the expenses of the towing operation and any environmental harm that results, Newsweek reports.
I’m glad I read this book, and I’ve never read one quite like it. It’s an exploration of landscapes – how we portray them and how we feel about them. It ranges widely from the lunar landscape via Antarctica to East Anglia and from urban to rural. The author is a landscape architect (and I realised I didn’t really know what that meant) and has a long career in this area. She writes very gently and clearly – it’s a thoughful book.
There are many references to poetry, art and popular culture. When we are in The Fens we hear from Dorothy L. Sayers, Graham Swift, John Clare and others.
If you’d like to be nudged, gently nudged, into thinking more about how the world around you looks, then you will enjoy this book. I certainly did.
The cover? Far less interesting than the book – I’d give it 6/10.
Landscape: a common place by Rosamunde Codling is published by Mascot Media
My forthcoming book, Reflections, will be published on 4 July and already can be ordered.
Any book which starts with a quote from Audrey Hepburn is off to a good start with me. She said that to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. No wonder there are now so many areas of artificial turf and gravel. But this book is an antidote to that as a ‘practical and easy-to use’ guide to gardening. Any guide is always called practical and easy to use but this one really is.
How to create nectar-rich borders, a wildflower meadow, a hedge or a pond are all explained here. So too are the ins and outs of producing compost and/or a wormery or a leaf cage. There is helpful advice on which plants to choose to benefit different groups of wildlife. All in all, the amount of information imparted, clearly and briefly, is impressive. I learned a lot – but then, I’m no gardener, and I guess that means I’m in the target audience.
The author is a Garden Manager at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. That seems quite a good provenance.
The cover? As with all the illustrations, it is by Hazel France. The style is simple, but fairly accurate, and very pleasing. I’d give it 8/10.
Planting with Nature: a guide to sustainable gardening by Kirsty Wilson (illustrated by Hazel France) is published by Birlinn and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
My forthcoming book, Reflections, will be published on 4 July and already can be ordered.
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