At least 370 dead from Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines
The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Bopha has risen to at 370, with hundreds more missing. Bopha (called "Pablo" in the Philippines), slammed ashore on the Philippine island of Mindanao at 4:45 am local time on Tuesday morning as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. Bopha is only Category 5 typhoon on record to make landfall on Mindanao, which rarely sees strong typhoons due to its position close to the Equator. Most of the deaths occurred in the gold-rush mountain towns of New Bataan and Monkayo due to typhoon-spawned landslides and flash floods. According to an op-ed published at sunstar.com, much of the death toll can be blamed on the fact that deforestation has reduced forest cover on Mindanao to just 10%, which allows more dangerous flash floods to occur. Passage over land has weakened Bopha to a Category 1 storm today, and the typhoon is now far enough from the Philippines that it no long poses a heavy rain threat. The island of Mindanao is highly vulnerable to flood disasters from tropical cyclones; last year's Tropical Storm Washi, which hit Mindanao on December 16, 2011 with 60 mph winds and torrential rains, killed over 1200 people. Before hitting the Philippines, Typhoon Bopha brought a storm surge estimated at ten feet to the island nation of Palau, where near-total destruction is being reported in some coastal areas.
Figure 1. Super Typhoon Bopha as seen from the International Space Station on December 2, 2012. At the time, Bopha had top sustained winds of 150 - 155 mph. Image credit: NASA.
Figure 2. The devastation brought about by powerful Typhoon Bopha is seen at Montevista township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Extreme damage on Mindanao
Category 5 storms make landfall only once every few years somewhere in the world, and the damage they cause is invariably extreme and dramatic. According to a story at inquirer.net, a 10-hectare plantation of coconut trees in the town of Baganga, Davao Oriental, were all felled. It's takes some pretty extreme winds to bring down coconut trees, which commonly are the only things still standing after passage of a major hurricane or typhoon. Damage surveys from Tropical Cyclone Larry, which made landfall in 2006 in Australia as a Category 4 storm, indicated that coconut trees were able to withstand wind gusts of 135 mph, but toppled when the gusts reached 145 mph (thanks go to Dr. Bruce Buckley of the Reinsurance Group Australia for this info.) Aerial damage surveys from Mindanao (Video 1) show very heavy damage near where the eye came ashore, due to extreme winds and high storm surge.
Video 1. An aerial survey of damage near where the eye of Typhoon Bopha made landfall in Davao Oriental province on Mindanao Island in the Philippines shows widespread severe damage, bordering on catastrophic.
The International Red Cross is accepting donations for typhoon relief in the Philippines.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 — Blog Index
hmm, cut out the middleman Aussie, need my address?? :)
You have to add the effects of all the poisonous soils in densly farmed coastal areas too.
Pesticides, weedicides, fungicides, and so on.
Should be fun.
Speaking of Grothar, I haven't seen much of him around lately. Praying to the weather Gods to make more blobs to talk about :)
Agreed..
Those levee's are a gonner..
By the way that's the most current and really the only link I have to share on the sea level topic..
One would think there would be more..but sadly no..
At least I couldn't find any in that understandable format..
when did you become a mind reader???
Albert A. Bartlett, physicist
The quote above is very significant when discussing AGW in the context of temperature and sea level and the potential outcome for humans.
Once the exponential function is understood, people can realize that 4C or 8" average sea level rise has exceptionally far-reaching implications for everyone on earth.
As Bartlett often used this funtion in the context of population growth, fueled almost entirely by progress in basic sanitation, basic medical science and growth of "easy" energy, it should be part of every discussion on rapid (on a geologic scale) AGW.
sounds like a song title...
I was not reading your mind, you know.
I was reading your comments.
Yep.
And people still need me, people still feed me.....
:):))
they sent a letter to the president, let's see what he will do about it...thanks for sharing the link...
But, what do you think about it?
I deal with that every day.. friggen "legend" pollution.. The most diverse estuary in all of North America is collapsing because of nutrient laden storm water. We can't send Okeechobee Lake water south into the Florida Everglades because it is too polluted.. from legend nutrients in the sediments.. All of Florida has been impacted by nutrient and pesticide overload.
depends who funds the studies....
It must be driving you (and others who understand) crazy !
We reap what we sow, and it's a Bitter Harvest.
i think it's in his hands now, let's see what he will do about it...
Absolutely True.
But at the end of the day, some people can see through the haze and muck, and recognise the Physical Evidence for what it is.
Some people can't, of course.
Or won't.
By JEFFREY SCHMALZ, Special to The New York Times
Published: September 17, 1989
Sign In to E-Mail
Print
Single-Page
The National Audubon Society estimates that the number of long-legged wading birds, like wood storks and egrets, that nest in the waters of the Everglades has declined 90 percent since the 1920's.
This summer, for the first time, fish in most parts of the Everglades have been declared unsafe for eating, because of mercury contamination. Alligator hunting, in season this month in Florida, has been banned in the Everglades because of high mercury levels in gator meat as well. Unwanted Plant Life
But of even more concern to officials is the runoff from dairy, sugar-cane and other farms. Environmentalists say the runoff, rich in nutrients, has fed an explosion in the growth of plant varieties that clog open waterways, robbing them of oxygen and crowding out animal life. The plants, especially cattails, are spreading at the rate of four acres a day.Pollution Poses Growing Threat To Everglades
By JEFFREY SCHMALZ, Special to The New York Times
Published: September 17, 1989
Sign In to E-Mail
Print
Single-Page
The Everglades, 10,000 square miles of delicate marshland that is home to some of the country's rarest birds and other animals, are caught in a worsening environmental crisis, with thousands of acres already unable to sustain wildlife.
The National Audubon Society estimates that the number of long-legged wading birds, like wood storks and egrets, that nest in the waters of the Everglades has declined 90 percent since the 1920's.
This summer, for the first time, fish in most parts of the Everglades have been declared unsafe for eating, because of mercury contamination. Alligator hunting, in season this month in Florida, has been banned in the Everglades because of high mercury levels in gator meat as well. Unwanted Plant Life
But of even more concern to officials is the runoff from dairy, sugar-cane and other farms. Environmentalists say the runoff, rich in nutrients, has fed an explosion in the growth of plant varieties that clog open waterways, robbing them of oxygen and crowding out animal life. The plants, especially cattails, are spreading at the rate of four acres a day.
Ads by Google
Meanwhile, 110,000 acres of the Everglades was swept this summer by fires that went unchecked because of drought.
''Of all the national parks, it is the one closest to extinction,'' said George T. Frampton, the president of the Wilderness Society. ''We ditched, diked and drained Florida thinking that was progress before we realized we totally changed the whole balance.'' What Should Be Done? Officials have responded with a flurry of proposals. The United States Attorney in Miami, Dexter Lehtinen, has sued the state to compel it to enforce its own water-discharge standards. The Army Corps of Engineers has begun studies on how to control the flow of water so that the dry season stays dry and the wet season wet - an important cycle affecting birds' nesting habits that was disrupted by man-made levees.
Congress is considering a bill that would bring 100,000 more acres under the protection of the Everglades National Park, which encompasses about a fifth of all the Everglades. State water managers have proposed seizing 40,000 acres of private- and state-owned wetlands that would be used as a natural purification system to filter out nutrients before they reach sensitive areas.
But the proposals are bogged down in bitter fighting between environmentalists, who charge that state water managers favor the agriculture industry, and the industry itself, which argues that it is being made a scapegoat for the state's failure to manage growth and that, in any case, the pollution is not so bad as everyone says it is.
State water managers say that the Everglades system may simply not have enough water to meet the demands placed on it and that South Florida is going to have to face up to painful choices: supplying water to the 4.5 million residents of the area, meeting the needs of agriculture or supporting the environment.
This week, for the first time in a decade, the state began pumping water that it knows is laden with nutrients into Lake Okeechobee, the main source of the Everglades' water. Officials said they had to do this so they could draw on the lake, which has been running low, to supply the drought-stricken Miami area, 50 miles to the south.
''We're living on the edge with this system in terms of meeting the water needs for 4.5 million people,'' said John R. Wodraska, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District. ''If man is going to live in South Florida and have enough water to drink, we're going to have to do some things to compromise the environment.
plus, your question was answered, but somehow I don't think it's going to make a difference...
"Sea level has already risen about 8 inches along Florida’s coast and is having profound effects...
“We just spent $10 million on new wells because salt water seeped into six of our wells that were close to the coast,” said Hallandale Beach City Commissioner Keith London, who also signed the letter. “We’re skimming water off of the top of another two wells because salt water is at the bottom.”
“The canal system was built on a decline, using about a foot of gravity,” said Berry. “As sea level has risen, more than half of that foot gradient is now gone. During some high tides the canal gates have to be closed to prevent sea water from flowing into the canals.”
so wait, are you agreeing that 8" is bad, or that 8 more inches may actually be catastrophic for many areas of FL? or did you just post that 'thanks' to make it sound like you're open to the information? or are you going to take issue with whoever funded that particular piece of information?
you don't think there are hidden agenda on both sides of the debate???
By adding to the water height you add to the location where waves crash, in some cases you may actually increase the maximum size of the waves in the first place, allowing them to crash even farther inland.
the wave action, first a few millimeters, then a centimeter, then 20cm/8 inches (whatever), adds up to erosion and salt water intrusion in rivers and marshes, which means barrier islands will get wiped out faster and faster, and our coastal marshes will be inundated and poisoned more and more.
So, 8 inches, what does it matter?
In Louisiana, 12 inches of water would increase the penetration of storm surges by an average of about 1 mile, which is about 0.4% of the width and height of the state.
So it's not just the average added to topography.
It's what the average does to erosion and salt water intrustion.
It's also what the average does to the dynamics o storm surges.
It's also what the average does to isostatic forces causing continents and ocean plates to sink or rise on the Mantle. Which this doesn't happen quickly, but it does happen fast enough that NASA and USGS can track it already in Greenland...
Greenland and Antarctica will rise by hundreds of feet eventually, by the time complete or near-complete melt-downs happen. Everything else will sink by several dozen feet eventually, because they will have more water on them, but the water will be spread out far more thinly than the ice was on the ice caps so the effect won't be as much as the reverse effect in Greenland or Antarctica.
In general, based on the density of rock vs water, if the Gulf of Mexico saw a 12 inch initial water rise, it and the coastlines around it would then sink by a further 3 inches, causing the net coastal water rise to be around 15 inches. Or if it saw an 8 inch initial water rise, it would then sink by about 2 inches, giving a net increase of 10 inches.
Scientists and recreational scuba divers a few hundred years from now will be studying the coral reefs and other aquatic live growing on the sunken man-made structures in NOLA, Tampa Bay, Miami, the keys, and Galveston.
Unfortunately, it is NOT in his hands alone.
Your President is restrained by many things, and among the most important are Political Opposition and Popular Opinion. (You may read Votes, here).
Opps...I meant the 2ed half of the month(especially toward the Winter Solstice) Link.:)
they provided a link showing that it has already risen i belive the data....and if we are in such a dire situation the president can write an executive order....let's see what he will do...
Ther're not very well hidden, actually.
But some folks still get confused.......
he has the authority to write an executive order to protect the american citizens....let's see how dire he thinks this is....they sent him the letter so it'ss on him...
Or he can wave a magic wand.
Probably be just as effective, you know.
if you think climatology is some giant conspiracy, go back to the fever swamps...read some 9/11 truthers or moon-landing deniers, but stay off the science and weather boards.
your right...one side wants to continue to use fossil fuels the other side wants to tax the poor and middle class with a carbon tax.....
OH NO!!!!
this one was so much fun, man !
I would have beach front property then. I-10 would be my boat launch. ... I was wanting to get another boat. .... Hey, Pottery! How are you coming along on that ark?
The president can write an Executive Order, as long as it does not involve any new spending. Congress has sole possession of the purse.
It had a mini-peak about 6 hours ago with very warm core temperatures and a small eye again, but now its getting some cover over the eye again.
2012DEC07 113000 6.0 929.7/ +2.7 /115.0 6.0 6.4 6.8 2.2T/6hr OFF OFF 11.40 -73.78 EYE 16 IR 15.42 -116.05 COMBO
2012DEC07 123000 6.0 929.6/ +2.6 /115.0 6.0 6.4 6.6 2.7T/12hr OFF OFF 4.49 -72.86 EYE 16 IR 15.50 -116.16 COMBO
2012DEC07 125700 6.1 927.0/ +2.6 /117.4 6.1 6.4 6.6 2.7T/12hr OFF OFF 5.59 -73.47 EYE 16 IR 15.64 -116.17 COMBO
2012DEC07 133000 6.2 924.4/ +2.6 /119.8 6.2 6.4 6.5 2.7T/12hr OFF OFF -12.05 -74.96 EYE -99 IR 15.71 -116.19 COMBO
2012DEC07 135700 6.3 921.8/ +2.6 /122.2 6.3 6.2 6.2 NO LIMIT OFF OFF -33.63 -75.54 EYE -99 IR 15.66 -116.20 SPRL
2012DEC07 143000 6.3 921.8/ +2.5 /122.2 6.3 6.3 6.3 NO LIMIT OFF OFF -30.16 -75.54 EYE/P -99 IR 15.81 -116.32 SPRL
2012DEC07 145700 6.3 921.7/ +2.5 /122.2 6.3 6.2 6.2 NO LIMIT OFF OFF -33.65 -75.35 EYE/P -99 IR 15.86 -116.34 SPRL
2012DEC07 153000 6.3 921.7/ +2.5 /122.2 6.1 5.2 5.2 0.7T/6hr ON OFF -60.44 -74.91 EMBC N/A 15.91 -116.36 SPRL
2012DEC07 155700 6.3 921.7/ +2.5 /122.2 5.9 5.2 5.2 0.7T/6hr ON OFF -63.66 -75.63 EMBC N/A 15.96 -116.37 SPRL
2012DEC07 163000 6.3 921.7/ +2.5 /122.2 5.8 5.2 4.7 0.7T/6hr ON FLG -74.91 -74.47 UNIFRM N/A 16.01 -116.81 SPRL
2012DEC07 165700 6.3 921.6/ +2.4 /122.2 5.6 5.0 4.6 1.2T/12hr ON FLG -72.83 -72.85 UNIFRM N/A 16.35 -116.72 SPRL
Last time it was calculated, the radius of maximum winds was still 16NM.
QUOTE OF THE YEAR! BTW, 74 and mostly cloudy here in NOLA...no waves washing over our walls yet.
That's sort of like being a butterfly and having a fear of flying!
Poor thing!
omg this is perfect. do you mind if i steal this for my current novel?
it's not debate. it's trolling.
Viewing: 751 - 798
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 — Blog Index