California wildfires: What is a firenado? Image copyright Getty Images Amidst the devastation of a huge wildfire in the US state of California, photos have emerged of a rare force of nature. Firenadoes, torrents of wind and flame that burn at extreme temperatures, have been spotted in the hills near San Bernardino, 60 miles (96km) east of Los Angeles.
The whirlwinds form when a fire heats air above it and pulls in cool air at its base, creating a self-sustaining vortex. When large enough, these swirling columns are capable of ripping trees from the ground and pulling roofs off houses. California's inferno currently spans 58 sq mi (150 sq km) in a dry, drought-ridden region of hills. Firefighters tend to avoid firenadoes due to their extreme heat and volatility. Firenadoes are known to occur around the world, but are most common in the US and Australia. Those spotted in California this year have been exceptionally large, stretching to as much as 500 ft (152 m) in diameter. "The brush is like stick. Surface water shifting around the Earth. Image copyright deltares Scientists have used satellite images to study how the water on the Earth's surface has changed over 30 years.
They found that 115,000 sq km (44,000 sq miles) of land is now covered in water and 173,000 sq km (67,000 sq miles) of water has now become land. The largest increase in water has been on the Tibetan Plateau, while the Aral Sea has been the biggest conversion of water to land. The team said many coastal areas have also changed significantly. The research, carried out by the Deltares Research Institute in the Netherlands, is published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Image copyright Deltares The researchers analysed satellite images recorded by Nasa's Landsat satellites, which have observed the Earth for decades.
They were able to monitor changes in the Earth's surface down to a resolution of 30m, which can be seen on the Deltares Aqua Monitor. Dr Fedor Baart from Deltares said: "We started to look at areas that had not been mapped before. Endangered glaciers: Alpine ice begins Antarctic voyage. More than 400 pieces of Alpine ice have been moved to a giant freezer - a first step in their journey to Antarctica. The seemingly strange plan to send ice to the coldest place on Earth is part of a scientific mission to "rescue" some of the world's most endangered glacial ice. Bubbles in old, deep glacial ice are frozen records of our past atmosphere. Scientists say their purpose-built Antarctic ice bunker will keep these safe for future research.
Image copyright Victoria Gill "What we know for sure is that the ice will not be here in 50 or 100 years time - any glacier below 3,500m altitude will be gone by the end of the century," explained Jerome Chappellaz from France's National Centre for Scientific Research, one of the leaders of the project. "[In the Alps], we're trying to recover ice cores from one of the glaciers that is in danger. " That glacier is at Col du Dome - just below the peak of Mont Blanc. The team set up a high altitude research camp on the ice while they worked.
Arctic Ocean shipping routes 'to open for months' Image copyright SPL Shipping routes across the Arctic are going to open up significantly this century even with a best-case reduction in CO2 emissions, a new study suggests. University of Reading, UK, researchers have investigated how the decline in sea-ice, driven by warmer temperatures, will make the region more accessible. They find that by 2050, opportunities to transit the Arctic will double for non ice-strengthened vessels.
These open-water ships will even be going right over the top at times. And if CO2 emissions are not curtailed - if the aspirations of the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise "well below two degrees" are not implemented - then moderately ice-strengthened vessels could be routinely ploughing across the Arctic by late century for perhaps 10-12 months of the year. "The reduction in summer sea-ice, perhaps the most striking sign of climate change, may also provide economic opportunities," commented Reading's Dr Nathanael Melia.
Image copyright NASA. Louisiana floods: One of the worst recent US disasters. Hundreds of flights cancelled as typhoon hits Tokyo. Image copyright EPA A strong typhoon packing heavy rain and wind has struck near Tokyo, grounding hundreds of domestic flights. Typhoon Mindulle made landfall at about 12:30pm local time (04:30 GMT) in Tateyama city, some 80km (50 miles) southeast of the capital. The storm packed gusts of up to 180 km/h (112 mph), and was headed north at a speed of 20 km/h, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Officials have warned of landslides and flooding. "In Tokyo... please exercise caution for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, surging rivers, violent wind and high waves," said the weather agency. There were no official reports of casualties, however local media reports said at least two are feared dead. The storm caused airlines across the country to cancel about 400 domestic flights, local media said, with the majority going to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport.
In the afternoon, Narita International airport briefly closed its runways. Typhoon Lionrock: Nine die in flooded Japan care home. US storm Hermine: Eastern states brace for heavy rain. Image copyright Reuters US east coast states are on alert for Tropical Storm Hermine, which is pushing north-eastward as people take time off for the long holiday weekend. The high winds have left a trail of destruction in the south-east of the US.
They are the tail-end of the first hurricane to hit Florida in a decade. Two people have been killed in Hermine-related incidents, AP news agency said. The governors of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina have declared emergencies in some areas. The moves activate emergency operations plans and give greater powers to state police. Earlier on Saturday in North Carolina, high winds blew a lorry over, killing the driver. Hermine is a "storm to take seriously" with "life-threatening water levels along the coast," Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, warned. Image copyright AP Hurricane Hermine in picturesThe storms names that were retired - and whyWhat's the difference between hurricanes and typhoons?
Storm Hermine regains power to threaten US north-east. Image copyright AP Storm Hermine is regaining power as it moves up the US eastern seaboard, threatening the north-east with dangerous coastal surges. Hermine is forecast to return to the Category 1 hurricane strength it lost as it pummelled Florida. The storm left a trail of destruction in the south-east, killing two people. Governors have announced emergency plans along the coast as far north as Connecticut, with many Labor Day weekend events cancelled. Hurricane Hermine in picturesThe storms names that were retired - and whyWhat's the difference between hurricanes and typhoons?
The biggest threat, forecasters say, could be from storm surges stretching from Virginia to New Jersey. They could reach up to 5ft (1.5m) if they hit at high tide, they say. He predicted rainfall of up to 7in (18cm) from Virginia to Long Island. At 09:45 GMT on Sunday, Hermine was about 220 miles (350km) off the coast of Virginia packing winds of 62mph. Mexico on alert as Hurricane Newton heads for Pacific coast. Image copyright AFP A huge storm bearing down on the Pacific coast of Mexico has strengthened to a hurricane just hours before it is due to make landfall. Hurricane Newton is heading north-west towards the southern end of the Baja California peninsula with winds of about 75mph (120 km/h). The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Newton could trigger flash floods. It warned that preparations to protect life and property "should be rushed to completion". Late on Monday, overcast skies in the Los Cabos municipality gave way to heavy rain and the wind was building in strength.
Twelve shelters opened and motorists queued to fill their cars with fuel ahead of the hurricane's arrival. Image copyright AP The same weather system lashed areas of the south-western state of Guerrero over the weekend before strengthening to a tropical storm. Torrential rain that began on Saturday caused more than 30 mudslides across the state, forcing main roads to close. The region is a popular tourist destination.
Greece flash floods leave at least three dead. Image copyright Getty Images Three people have been found dead and a woman is missing after torrential rain caused flash flooding in Greece. The worst casualties were in and around the south-western city of Kalamata, where a disabled woman aged 63 and a man of 80 died in their basement homes. A 90 year-old was also found dead. Another woman was missing after abandoning her car in floods in northern Greece. The floods destroyed homes and businesses and swept cars out to sea. Emergency services rescued a Romanian woman and her two children at Igoumenitsa on the north-west coast. The flooding hit towns and cities from Thessaloniki in the north-east to Sparta in the south.
Pictures shared on social media showed vehicles stacked on top of each other in narrow streets in Kalamata, the second most populous city in the southern Peloponnese region. Kalamata Mayor Panagiotis Nikas told Reuters news agency that he had "never seen anything like it". "About 140mm of rain fell in an hour this morning.