Amazing video from Japan

Mount Ontake erupted in Japan on Saturday, September 27 (yes, today).  It just took place much earlier due to the time differential.

I saw this video first on Accuweather.com.  Awesome and scary at the same time!

Pretty amazing!

Two totally unrelated topics...

Two totally unrelated topics today...

1. This humorous article just caught my eye a few minutes ago.  I thought it appropriate since we've been learning about topographic maps.
How Flat Is Kansas?


2. 76 years ago, yesterday, September 21...The Great Hurricane of 1938 slammed into Long Island.  It caused massive damage in central & eastern Suffolk, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.  Here's a great summary by the National Weather Service.
NWS - Hurricane of '38

The Immense Sahara Desert

Image Credit - Wikipedia

Fascinating article here about the Sahara Desert.  Some new climate model runs suggest that the Sahara Desert may be as old as 7 million years.  Its origins could very well be linked with plate tectonics activity.

Read on for more info...
Smithsonian Magazine - Sahara Desert

Tropical Weather in the Desert Southwest?

Image Credit - NASA

Well, not really.  However, the remnant low of Hurricane Odile, the storm that whacked Cabo San Lucas, and all of its associated moisture are slowly making their way through the US desert southwest.  This heavy rain event followed quickly on the heals of the flooding rain from Hurricane Norbert.

Here's a linked article from Accuweather.com.
Accuweather - Flooding Rain in the Southwest

Icelandic Lava Flows

Map of Major Icelandic Volcanoes

Here's a great article and images from NASA's Earth Observatory website.  The current eruption in Iceland is in a very remote area.  The weather has been miserable, hampering attempts to image the area via satellite.

NASA Earth Observatory - Bardarbunga Eruption

California Drought and Groundwater

Follow the link to a superb article on NOAA's website about the current severe, no extreme, California drought and the amount of groundwater withdrawal.  It's not a pretty picture.

NOAA Drought Article

Here on Long Island, we all need to exercise extreme care when utilizing our precious groundwater resources.

Here's a stark reminder about the California drought's severity:

Shasta Reservoir, CA