Latest news with #USNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News AU
Tsunami advisory issued then cancelled after shallow 7.3-magnitude quake rattles Alaska's south coast
A powerful undersea earthquake struck off the southern coast of Alaska on Wednesday, setting off a tsunami advisory and prompting concern along the state's remote peninsula region. The tremor, recorded at a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, struck just after midday, approximately 80 km south of the small fishing community of Sand Point, according to data from the United States National Weather Service. Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning but later downgraded and then cancelled it as more information became available. Despite this, officials have confirmed that a tsunami was generated, and coastal residents were urged to remain cautious, but widespread coastal flooding is not expected. A strong earthquake Wednesday off the Alaska coast triggered a tsunami warning. Photo: AP Graphic 'The good news is this event happened in shallow water,' Dave Snider, a tsunami warning coordinator at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told CBS affiliate KTUU-TV. 'We're not expecting to see a large inundation of water coming up on shore.' The earthquake occurred at a depth of roughly 19 km, and several aftershocks have since rattled the area, according to the US Geological Survey. The affected coastal stretch includes the Kennedy Entrance, a key waterway connecting the Gulf of Alaska to the Cook Inlet, and extends to Unimak Pass, just west of Unimak Island at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Scenic view of Anchorage in Alaska. Photo: Supplied Officials in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, confirmed there was no immediate threat to the area as of late Wednesday afternoon. The main quake was felt widely across southern Alaska, shaking communities along the peninsula. There are no initial reports of any damage from either the quake or tsunami. Earlier in the day, a separate magnitude 5.2 tremor was reported roughly 65 km southeast of Atka Island, highlighting the region's seismic volatility. Alaska sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a horseshoe-shaped zone known for its intense tectonic activity and frequent earthquakes. The state has a sobering history of seismic disasters. In March 1964, it was the epicentre of North America's most powerful recorded earthquake which was a catastrophic 9.2 magnitude event that flattened parts of Anchorage and unleashed a deadly tsunami, claiming over 250 lives. Officials continue to monitor aftershocks and wave activity along the coast as residents remain on edge.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Explainer: How Climate Change May Force FIFA To Rethink World Cup Calendar
Geneva: Soccer had a fierce reckoning with heat at the recently concluded in the United States - a sweltering preview of what players and fans may face when the US co-hosts the World Cup with Mexico and Canada next summer. With temperatures rising worldwide, scientists warn that staging the World Cup and other soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere summer is getting increasingly dangerous for both players and spectators. Some suggest that FIFA may have to consider adjusting the soccer calendar to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses. "The deeper we go in the decade, the greater the risk without considering more dramatic measures, such as playing in the winter months and/or cooler latitudes," said Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in Leeds, England. "I'm getting increasingly worried that we are only one heatwave away from a sporting tragedy and I would like to see governing bodies lean into the climate and health science." Tournament soccer in June and July is a tradition going back to the first World Cup in 1930. Since then, the three-month period of June, July and August globally has, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, European summer temperatures have increased by 1.81 degrees celsius(1.89 degrees Fahrenheit). The rate of warming has accelerated since the 1990's. Climate scientists say that's a factor that needs to be considered when playing high-intensity outdoor sports like soccer. "If you want to play football for 10 hours a day, they'll have to be the hours of the early morning and late evening," climatologist Friederike Otto from Imperial College, London, told The Associated Press in an email, "if you don't want to have players and fans die from heatstroke or get severely ill with heat exhaustion." made an impact on FIFA's newly expanded tournament for club teams. The Club World Cup was held in 11 American cities from June 14 to July 13. FIFA adapted by tweaking its extreme heat protocol to include extra breaks in play, more field-side water, and cooling the team benches with air fans and more shade. Still, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández said the heat and urged FIFA to avoid afternoon kickoffs at the World Cup next year. The global soccer players union, , has warned that six of the 16 World Cup cities next year are at "extremely high risk" for heat stress. FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed the heat concerns on Saturday, saying the handful of World Cup stadiums that are covered would be used for day-time games next year. Extreme heat could become an even bigger challenge at the following , which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Games are scheduled to be played in afternoons and early evenings from mid-June to mid-July. All three countries have already seen above 40 degrees celsius (well above 100 Fahrenheit) this summer. FIFA downplayed the heat risk in its of the 2030 World Cup bid, saying "weather conditions are difficult to predict with the current development in global and local climate, but are unlikely to affect the health of players or other participants." The physical effects of playing 90 minutes of soccer in direct sunshine during the hottest part of the day can be severe and potentially result in hyperthermia - abnormally high body temperatures. "When players experience hyperthermia, they also experience an increase in cardiovascular strain," said Julien Periard of the University of Canberra. "If core temperature increases excessively, exertional heat illness can occur," leading to muscle cramping, heat exhaustion, and even life-threatening heat stroke, he said. Many sports events held in the summer adjust their start times to early morning or late night to minimize the risk heat-related illness, including marathons at the or track . Morning kickoffs, however, are rare in soccer, where World Cup match schedules are often set with European TV audiences in mind. It would be hard for FIFA to avoid day-time World Cup kickoffs given the packed match schedule as the number of participating teams increases from 32 to 48 in 2026. Heat mainly becomes an issue when the World Cup is held in the Northern Hemisphere, because June and July are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere. FIFA has stuck to its traditional June-July schedule for the men's World Cup except in 2022 when it moved the tournament to November-December to avoid the summer heat in Qatar. Something similar is expected when neighboring Saudi Arabia hosts the tournament in 2034. However, moving the World Cup to another part of the year is complicated because it means Europe's powerful soccer leagues must interrupt their season, affecting both domestic leagues and the Champions League. FIFA didn't respond to questions from AP about whether alternate dates for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups were being considered. When and where to schedule the World Cup and other outdoor sports events is likely to become more pressing as the world continues to warm. Athletes and even everyday people doing basic physical activities are now exposed to 28% more of moderate or higher heat risk in 2023 than they were in the 1990s, said Ollie Jay, a professor at the University of Sydney who has helped shape policy for the . "This is symbolic of something bigger," said Michael Mann, a University of Pennsylvania climate scientist. "Not just the danger and inconvenience to fans and players, but the fundamentally disruptive nature of climate change when it comes our current way of life."
Euronews
5 days ago
- Climate
- Euronews
Climate change could force FIFA to rethink the World Cup calendar
Football had a fierce reckoning with heat at the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, a sweltering preview of what players and fans may face when the US co-hosts the World Cup with Mexico and Canada next summer. With temperatures rising worldwide, scientists warn that staging the World Cup and other football tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere summer is getting increasingly dangerous for both players and spectators. Some suggest that FIFA may have to consider adjusting the football calendar to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses. 'The deeper we go in the decade, the greater the risk without considering more dramatic measures, such as playing in the winter months and/or cooler latitudes,' said Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in Leeds, England. 'I'm getting increasingly worried that we are only one heatwave away from a sporting tragedy and I would like to see governing bodies lean into the climate and health science.' Tournament football in June and July is a tradition going back to the first World Cup in 1930. Since then, the three-month period of June, July and August globally has warmed by 1.05 degrees Celsius, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, European summer temperatures have increased by 1.81 degrees Celsius. The rate of warming has accelerated since the 1990s. Climate scientists say that's a factor that needs to be considered when playing high-intensity outdoor sports like football. 'If you want to play football for 10 hours a day, they'll have to be the hours of the early morning and late evening,' climatologist Friederike Otto from Imperial College, London, told The Associated Press in an email, 'if you don't want to have players and fans die from heatstroke or get severely ill with heat exhaustion.' FIFA has had to adapt to a changing climate Extreme heat and thunderstorms made an impact on FIFA's newly expanded tournament for club teams. The Club World Cup was held in 11 American cities from 14 June to 13 July. FIFA adapted by tweaking its extreme heat protocol to include extra breaks in play, more field-side water, and cooling the team benches with air fans and more shade. Still, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández said the heat made him dizzy and urged FIFA to avoid afternoon kickoffs at the World Cup next year. The global football players' union, FIFPRO, has warned that six of the 16 World Cup cities next year are at 'extremely high risk' for heat stress. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed the heat concerns on Saturday, saying the handful of World Cup stadiums that are covered would be used for daytime games next year. Extreme heat could become an even bigger challenge at the following World Cup in 2030, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Games are scheduled to be played in afternoons and early evenings from mid-June to mid-July. All three countries have already seen temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius this summer. FIFA downplayed the heat risk in its in-house evaluation of the 2030 World Cup bid, saying 'weather conditions are difficult to predict with the current development in global and local climate, but are unlikely to affect the health of players or other participants.' Heat exhaustion is a real risk The physical effects of playing 90 minutes of football in direct sunshine during the hottest part of the day can be severe and potentially result in hyperthermia - abnormally high body temperatures. 'When players experience hyperthermia, they also experience an increase in cardiovascular strain,' said Julien Périard of the University of Canberra. 'If core temperature increases excessively, exertional heat illness can occur,' leading to muscle cramping, heat exhaustion, and even life-threatening heat stroke, he said. Many sports events held in the summer adjust their start times to early morning or late night to minimise the risk of heat-related illness, including marathons at the Olympics or track world championships. Morning kickoffs, however, are rare in football, where World Cup match schedules are often set with European TV audiences in mind. It would be hard for FIFA to avoid daytime World Cup kickoffs given the packed match schedule as the number of participating teams increases from 32 to 48 in 2026. A calendar rethink Heat mainly becomes an issue when the World Cup is held in the Northern Hemisphere, because June and July are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere. FIFA has stuck to its traditional June-July schedule for the men's World Cup, except in 2022 when it moved the tournament to November-December to avoid the summer heat in Qatar. Something similar is expected when neighbouring Saudi Arabia hosts the tournament in 2034. However, moving the World Cup to another part of the year is complicated because it means Europe's powerful football leagues must interrupt their season, affecting both domestic leagues and the Champions League. FIFA didn't respond to questions from AP about whether alternate dates for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups were being considered. When and where to schedule the World Cup and other outdoor sports events is likely to become more pressing as the world continues to warm. Athletes and even everyday people doing basic physical activities are now exposed to 28 per cent more moderate or higher heat risk in 2023 than they were in the 1990s, said Ollie Jay, a professor at the University of Sydney who has helped shape policy for the Australian Open in tennis. 'This is symbolic of something bigger,' said Michael Mann, a University of Pennsylvania climate scientist. 'Not just the danger and inconvenience to fans and players, but the fundamentally disruptive nature of climate change when it comes our current way of life.'
National Observer
5 days ago
- Climate
- National Observer
Climate change could force FIFA to rethink the World Cup calendar
Soccer had a fierce reckoning with heat at the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States — a sweltering preview of what players and fans may face when the US co-hosts the World Cup with Mexico and Canada next summer. With temperatures rising worldwide, scientists warn that staging the World Cup and other soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere summer is getting increasingly dangerous for both players and spectators. Some suggest that FIFA may have to consider adjusting the soccer calendar to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses. 'The deeper we go in the decade, the greater the risk without considering more dramatic measures, such as playing in the winter months and/or cooler latitudes,' said Prof. Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in Leeds, England. 'I'm getting increasingly worried that we are only one heatwave away from a sporting tragedy and I would like to see governing bodies lean into the climate and health science.' Tournament soccer in June and July is a tradition going back to the first World Cup in 1930. Since then, the three-month period of June, July and August globally has warmed by 1.05 degrees Celsius (1.89 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, European summer temperatures have increased by 1.81 degrees C. The rate of warming has accelerated since the 1990's. Climate scientists say that's a factor that needs to be considered when playing high-intensity outdoor sports like soccer. How climate change could force FIFA to rethink the World Cup calendar. 'If you want to play football for 10 hours a day, they'll have to be the hours of the early morning and late evening,' climatologist Friederike Otto from Imperial College, London, told The Associated Press in an email, 'if you don't want to have players and fans die from heatstroke or get severely ill with heat exhaustion.' FIFA adapts Extreme heat and thunderstorms made an impact on FIFA's newly expanded tournament for club teams. The Club World Cup was held in 11 American cities from June 14 to July 13. FIFA adapted by tweaking its extreme heat protocol to include extra breaks in play, more field-side water, and cooling the team benches with air fans and more shade. Still, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández said the heat made him dizzy and urged FIFA to avoid afternoon kickoffs at the World Cup next year. The global soccer players union, FIFPRO, has warned that six of the 16 World Cup cities next year are at 'extremely high risk' for heat stress. FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed the heat concerns on Saturday, saying the handful of World Cup stadiums that are covered would be used for day-time games next year. Extreme heat could become an even bigger challenge at the following World Cup in 2030, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Games are scheduled to be played in afternoons and early evenings from mid-June to mid-July. All three countries have already seen temperatures rise above 40 degrees C (well above 100 Fahrenheit) this summer. FIFA downplayed the heat risk in its in-house evaluation of the 2030 World Cup bid, saying 'weather conditions are difficult to predict with the current development in global and local climate, but are unlikely to affect the health of players or other participants.' Heat exhaustion The physical effects of playing 90 minutes of soccer in direct sunshine during the hottest part of the day can be severe and potentially result in hyperthermia – abnormally high body temperatures. 'When players experience hyperthermia, they also experience an increase in cardiovascular strain,' said Julien Périard of the University of Canberra. 'If core temperature increases excessively, exertional heat illness can occur,' leading to muscle cramping, heat exhaustion, and even life-threatening heat stroke, he said. Many sports events held in the summer adjust their start times to early morning or late night to minimize the risk heat-related illness, including marathons at the Olympics or track world championships. Morning kickoffs, however, are rare in soccer, where World Cup match schedules are often set with European TV audiences in mind. It would be hard for FIFA to avoid day-time World Cup kickoffs given the packed match schedule as the number of participating teams increases from 32 to 48 in 2026. Calendar rethink Heat mainly becomes an issue when the World Cup is held in the Northern Hemisphere, because June and July are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere. FIFA has stuck to its traditional June-July schedule for the men's World Cup except in 2022 when it moved the tournament to November-December to avoid the summer heat in Qatar. Something similar is expected when neighboring Saudi Arabia hosts the tournament in 2034. However, moving the World Cup to another part of the year is complicated because it means Europe's powerful soccer leagues must interrupt their season, affecting both domestic leagues and the Champions League. FIFA didn't respond to questions from AP about whether alternate dates for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups were being considered. When and where to schedule the World Cup and other outdoor sports events is likely to become more pressing as the world continues to warm. Athletes and even everyday people doing basic physical activities are now exposed to 28% more of moderate or higher heat risk in 2023 than they were in the 1990s, said Ollie Jay, a professor at the University of Sydney who has helped shape policy for the Australian Open in tennis. 'This is symbolic of something bigger,' said Michael Mann, a University of Pennsylvania climate scientist. 'Not just the danger and inconvenience to fans and players, but the fundamentally disruptive nature of climate change when it comes our current way of life.'
Irish Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Trump fingerprints are all voer America's unfolding disaster movie
America has always felt as much like a movie set as a real country. From New York to Disneyland, its sweeping frontier plains to its grand canyons. Everywhere you go are familiar sights and iconic landmarks from the big screen, a place where it's never been hard for fantasy to trump reality. It's the home of Hollywood, where now even politics is just another arc in a grand plot. And increasingly the American genre of choice is 'Disaster Movie'. There's a scene in George Clooney's 2000 film where after days trapped inside the 'Perfect Storm', there is a chink in the angry clouds. A shaft of sunshine lights the faces of the exhausted fishermen. But just as the Hollywood happy ending seems on, the storm clouds close over once more. 'It's not going to let us out,' says Clooney's boat captain Billy Tyne. It's where America seems to now find itself. Trapped inside a perfect storm of ignorance with no way to avert disaster. Donald Trump's supporters reacted with fury when links were drawn from last week's tragedy in Texas to his administration's attacks on science. Over 100 people died in raging floodwaters, including 27 kids and counsellors attending Camp Mystic, a summer camp on the banks of the Guadalope river. The kneejerk attempts to lay the deaths directly at the door of a lack of weather forecasters due to MAGA cuts were premature. But only because they have not had time to fully bite. They will. And Trump and his sycophancy of dunces will have their fingerprints all over each new disaster. The Project 2025 blueprint for his second term spells it out. THE US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one of the most respected and important authorities on climate and weather. Project 2025 branded it the primary component 'of the climate change alarm industry' and called for it to be 'broken up.' In just a few months, Trump and his backers from the oil industry have launched a blitzkrieg on American science, and its ability to react to the next inevitable Camp Mystic. They have embraced a tenet of the most classic authoritarian playbook of them all - George Orwell's 1984 – in which the Ministry of Truth spreads the gospel: 'Ignorance is Strength.' The Ministry of Trump is similarly trying to erase the evidence of the climate crimes of the fossil fuel industry. It has fired hundreds of scientists and even removed any references to the crisis from websites. Trump's Big Beautiful Bill passed last week was also an assault on tax incentives to transition to renewable energy – a key demand of Project 2025. His loyal followers including press secretary Karoline Leavitt reacted with fury to attempts to blame him for Camp Mystic. They branded the 'politicisation of this natural disaster' disgusting. You could remind them of how their boss ranted about diversity hires in air traffic control while the bodies of plane crash victims were still smouldering on the runway. But really what's the point? Better to be ignorant of facts. In North Carolina they blamed Joe Biden for directing a storm at their state by cloud seeding. I suspect it wouldn't be too hard to find MAGA devotees who believe Trump can divert hurricanes with bolts of lightning from his arse. Orwell also had this advice for a world of creeping authoritarianism: 'We have now sunk to a depth where restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.' So here goes. The conditions created for the Texas rain bomb to form over the Gulf of Mexico (it's probably ok not to call it the Gulf of America on this occasion) were made more extreme, likely and volatile by the fossil fuelled climate crisis. The International Disaster Database estimates that human-caused climate change intensified all of the 10 most deadly extreme weather events of the past 20 years and contributed to more than 570,000 deaths. That included three tropical cyclones, four heatwaves, one drought and two major floods. In all cases they were made more intense, more likely, and more deadly by 250 years of atmospheric warming caused by burning oil, gas and coal. "This study should be an eye-opener for political leaders,' said one leading expert. "We have the knowledge to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and build a safer, healthier world. But we need political leaders to step up and make it happen." Unfortunately, that's not a movie coming any time soon to America's theatre of ignorance.
