Nuclear reactor in Belgium shut down due to suspicion of cracked component

August 08, 2012

Doel 3 nuclear reactor at Doel Nuclear Power Station in Belgium was shut down on August 8, 2012 under the suspicion that one of its components might be cracked. "We have found anomalies," said Karina De Beule, spokesman for the ACFN, the federal agency for nuclear

NASA to hold news conference on upcoming Radiation Belt Storm Probes launch

August 08, 2012

NASA will hold a news conference at 18:00 UTC, Thursday, Aug. 9 to discuss the upcoming launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), a mission to study Earth’s radiation belts. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's

Eruption of New Zealand's Mount Tongariro - updates and info

August 08, 2012

New Zealand’s Mount Tongariro erupted on August 6, 2012, spewing a cloud of ash over North Island, closing roads, and cancelling domestic flights. The Volcanic Alert Level for Tongariro was elevated from 1 to 2 and the Aviation Colour Code from yellow to red on

Tropical Storm Gilma is nearing hurricane strength

August 08, 2012

On August 7, Tropical Depression 7E had become more organized and has developed into Tropical Storm Gilma; moving through the eastern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storm Gilma is being steered by a huge elongated area of high pressure that extends from the southwestern

Mutated flu virus is killing New England harbor seals

August 08, 2012

In the fall of 2011, 162 young harbor seals were discovered stranded or dead on New England beaches. It was officially declared and classified as UME (Unusual Mortality Event) by federal government. H3N8 seal virus is likely to have caused the 2011 mortality event in

New study shows Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake risk to be much higher than previously thought

August 08, 2012

America's Pacific Northwest has a 37% chance of being hit by a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake in the next 50 years, a new study shows. That's more than double previous estimates of a 10-15% risk. Great Subduction Zone earthquakes are the largest earthquakes in the

Tropical Storm Haikui impacting China

August 08, 2012

Typhoon Haikui is expected to make landfall overnight August 7–8, 2012. Authorities closed schools, grounded flights, and halted passenger train travel in coastal regions of China’s Zhejiang Province. Haikui approached the coast of China in the wake of Damrey

Hurricane Ernesto to make landfall at easthern Yucatan

August 08, 2012

Hurricane Ernesto is intensifying as it moves toward the eastern Yucatan Peninsula  as Category 1 hurricane. Warm water, lower wind shear and less interaction with the continent of South America, has allowed Ernesto to become a hurricane. Ernesto is expected to