The Earthquake Disaster in Tohoku and Kanto Districtand the Subsequent Nuclear Power Plant Accident 18 March 2011 A gigantic earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred on 11 March 2011 off the Pacific coast of Sanriku, Northeast Japan, and it generated huge tsunami, killing a large number of people in and near the coastal areas of Tohoku [...]
Professor Yukio Himiyama reports... The hard situation in the disaster areas still continues, though relief operations are accelerated. The situation of the atomic plant is still at a critical level, and a large number of people have been evacuating from the danger zone. However, the general public, mass media, and many of the political leaders [...]
A word from Professor Yukio Himiyama (one of our IGU Vice-Presidents) from the Institute of Geography at Hokkaido University of Education on his experience of the recent events in Japan. Dear All, Thank you very much for your continuous support and encouragement. Here is some information which may not have reached you: General: Fragility of the current [...]
Aerial photos taken over Japan have revealed the scale of devastation across dozens of suburbs and tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Click here to view the photos
The hearts and minds of the global community of geographers go out to the nation of Japan as it begins to deal with the magnitude of their biggest ever seismic event. The IGU wishes to express its condolences to those who have lost loved ones in this latest tragedy. • 8.9 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks [...]
Scientists in helicopters survey lava rising from a crater floor on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on March 6. The volcano's Pu'u 'O'o crater collapsed on Saturday, and a 0.33-mile-long (0.5-kilometer-long) fissure ripped open on a separate region of the volcano. The new vent has since been sporadically erupting lava up to 80 feet (25 meters) high, [...]
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/02/110228-antarctica-green-algae-bloom-global-warming-science-environment/ "Crazy green" pools teeming with life have been found among remote Antarctic sea ice, scientists say—and they may be a global warming boon. Observed in the little-studied Amundsen Sea (see map), the brilliant blooms owe their colors to chlorophyll, a pigment in various types of phytoplankton, or tiny algae. Algae-eating zooplankton, small crustaceans called [...]
Rescuers are toiling overnight in Christchurch, New Zealand to reach scores of trapped people after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake which has claimed at least 65 lives. Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says more than 100 people are feared buried in collapsed buildings in the city. The disaster struck at a shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles) on [...]
Tanks roll into Tahrir Square outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Sunday, January 30, 2011. During the chaotic protests two nights before, would-be looters broke into the 108-year-old building through a skylight, according to official reports. The vandals damaged mummies and artifacts but were arrested before they could make off with anything. (From: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/pictures/110131-egyptian-museum-looted-artifacts-damaged-egypt-protests-mubarak/) [...]
From: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net South Africa was warned on Wednesday to brace for months of heavy rains and storms as the government admitted it could have been better prepared for floods that have killed more than 120 people. Weeks of above normal rains, caused by the "La Niña" weather phenomenon – also blamed for deadly floods in [...]