America’s Tornadoes are Evolving

In the last few weeks a flurry of tornadoes devastated many regions in the midwestern United States.These storm cells left scientists and the communities wondering why tornadoes seem to be increasing in frequency, devastation, and expansion across the United States. Peak tornado season lasts between March and June with approximately 70 percent of yearly storm cells being recorded during those months. However, as a warming climate continues to modify atmospheric conditions scientists are observing certain changes in the aspect of tornado patterns and basic formation. 

The 2023 season has already observed five times reported preliminary tornado reports than the average between 1990 and 2010. The month of January alone had an astounding 168 reports of tornado storm cell activities across the United States. 

While it is still too early to definitively relate climate change to increased tornado activities, scientists are able to correlate some adverse side effects to the subtle evolution of tornado size, span, and frequency as they continue to wreak havoc across the United States each year. 

Understanding Tornado Patterns

Tornadoes are a rapidly rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm cell system in the atmosphere to the ground. Tornadoes become visible as they form a condensation tunnel of wind that collects water droplets, dust, and debris. Some tornadoes have been recorded with wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour, completely destroying anything in their path. These storm cells can be some of the most dangerous and destructive weather phenomena, responsible for countless deaths and economic damages each year. 

Tornadoes occur predominantly in the midwestern United States, but other areas of the world that experience them include Argentina, Bangladesh, and various reports on the other continents. The United States records about 1,200 tornadoes every year, however average reports overtime are somewhat inconsistent because official records only date back to 1950 and recording methods have changed overtime. 

The media often refers to an area of the United States known as tornado alley when discussing these deadly storm cells and their typical range across the United States.Although the region is a relatively common for tornado activities, the idea of “tornado alley” can be somewhat misleading.

Tornadoes have been reported in all fifty states, and many violent tornadoes have occurred outside of “tornado alley”. In the cooler months of the year tornadoes are more likely to affect the southeastern states, while the southern central plains regions are more at risk in the warmer months between May and June, and the northern plains during early summer months. 

Environmental Trends Affecting Tornadoes

To understand how environmental conditions may be affecting tornado storm cell development and resulting damages, meteorologists have been researching trends in their parent strom cell development. The scientists have been closely observing how changes in atmospheric humidity, temperature, and jet stream cycles may affect storm cell formation. 

Most tornadoes in the United States form from an uncommon supercell thunderstorm system which requires moist warm air to form close to the ground and a strong wind shear. The system requires a strong vertical wind shear caused by changing wind speeds and direction closer to the ground to draw the warm moisture up into the atmosphere. The air begins to spin cyclonically as it lifts off of the ground and continues to narrow and increase its cyclonic speed as it begins to form a menacing funnel cloud. The funnel and rotating system are the first indication of a potential tornado, but are only classified as such if they actually touch down on the ground. 

Factors Affecting Tornado Patterns 

• Increased heat and humidity in the atmosphere

• Modifications to the jet stream

• Larger and more frequent supercell thunderstorm systems

Since scientific data is fairly limited and inconsistent, scientists cannot definitively identify long term changes in the storm cells over time. They have described that we are currently in an “experimental” phase studying how tornadoes are evolving, and they can only hypothesize what the future will entail. 

The Future of Tornadoes

As warming surface trends, associated with ongoing climate changes, continue scientists have identified possible modifications to the patterns and formation of tornado storm systems as we have observed over the past 70 years. While long term predictions are not possible due to the lack of consistent and historical data, preliminary conclusions and warnings can be formulated. 

Meteorologists have already recorded an increase in the size and frequency of many supercell tornadoes, as damages have continued to surpass millions of dollars in economic losses each year. Continued expansion of industrial and residential development in at-risk regions has contributed to the increased death toll related to tornadoes in the past decades. Another factor is the increasing spread and range the storms are beginning to acquire, as unprepared regions are exposed to the severe risks associated with tornado development. 

Droughts and atmospheric conditions have resulted in fewer deadly tornadoes in states like Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. A dangerous tornado developed just last month in New Jersey leaving multiple people dead and more continue to appear in states outside the tornado alley region. The southeastern states have a long wind shear that forms the necessary conditions for tornadoes when combined with increased atmospheric temperature and humidity contributed by climate change. The necessary conditions may suggest the range of tornadoes will continue to expand to bordering states previously at a lower risk to these kinds of natural disasters. Meteorologists also suggest supercell thunderstorm formation will likely shift toward later winter and early spring months rather than summer and fall as seasonality is also affected by climate changes. 

There are many uncertainties associated with how and where tornadoes continue to evolve, but scientists are undoubtedly sure there will be continued increases in devastation, loss of life, and economic damages. The United States population has almost doubled since 1950 and increased development across tornado alley and the east coast, suggesting tornadoes are more likely to affect more people than ever before. 

Train Derailment in Ohio Threatens State’s Environmental Health

A massive ecological disaster is currently underway in East Palestine Ohio after a severe train derailment releases a variety of different chemicals into the environment. Scientists have been able to identify several of these chemicals released from the train cars including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and isobutylene. 

Health officials are on high alert because many of the harmful chemicals have been known to cause a variety of harm to human health including irritation, breathing difficulties, cancer, and eye damage. The alarm continues to rise as the full breadth of the disaster continues to unfold, raising major concerns about the severity of exposure and contamination resulting from the incident. 

After the initial derailment of the 150 car freight train occurred, authorities decided to burn some of the spilled chemicals to avoid any potential explosions. The chemical burning has sparked additional concerns regarding human and environmental health for the greater portion of eastern Ohio, as the contaminants have now been observed entering the local atmosphere and essential resources like waterways and nearby farms.  

5 Toxic Chemicals Identified Around Derailment

Residents of the Palestine Ohio area have been told it is safe to return home after the initial assessments of the impacted area, however questions still remain over the extent of exposure to the region’s resources and additional safety concerns surrounding the chemical burning. Scientists are working to determine the level of exposure to the soil, air, and water. They have already been able to identify at least 5 different contaminants released by the train derailment. 

1. Vinyl Chloride: This compound is a known carcinogen, observable as a colorless flammable gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) components. PVC is the plastic material used in many different types of packing materials, electronics, medical supplies, and construction products. Extended exposure to vinyl chloride can result in drowsiness, disorientation, extremity numbing, nausea, and eventually cancer. This chemical is also a culprit of severe eye and skin irritation, among many of the initial reports from affecting individuals. Vinyl chloride has also been recorded causing extensive liver damages to those with long term exposure able to seep into soil and pollute groundwater resources. 

2. Butyl acrylate: This colorless liquid chemical is also used to produce various types of plastics, polymers, resins, and material coatings. Butyl acrylate is colorless with a fruity odor causing irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tracts after long exposures. 

3. Isobutylene: A colorless gas utilized in plastic production for packing materials and resins. Exposure to isobutylene causes dizziness and headaches.The shipping company transporting this company reported in an inventory briefing that the cells carrying this chemical had no breaches, although it has still been observed in the scientist’s environmental assessment surveys. 

4. Ethylene glycol: A synthetic compound used in components of paint, ink, hydraulic brake fluid, and antifreeze compounds. Exposure to ethylene glycol has been recorded causing irritation to eyes, skin, and upper respiratory tracts. 

5. Ethylhexyl acrylate: This colorless liquid is used to produce plastics and polymer compounds. Any person exposed can experience irritation to their eyes and skin as well as nausea and sore throats. 

Experts Criticize Disaster Response

Most of the country has been kept in the dark regarding the massive derailment, and many experts are now highly skeptical concerning the actual response from county officials and site surveys. The derailment was overshadowed in the news by sightings of rogue balloons thought to be of Chinese origin over the continental USA, and the superbowl. As more information and public highlighting of the events happening in the Ohio town reach the rest of the country, people are demanding more cohesive explanations regarding how officials are handling the spill. 

So far the conclusions are unsure if officials have done enough to study the effects and potential concerns for immediate and long term impacts the chemical spill could pose to human and environmental health. Evidently there has been a lot of testing and safety discussions since the initial accident, however there has not been any formal reports outlining the comprehensive actions taken to address the contamination concerns and consequences. 

Other expert scientists have also drawn concerns to the potential pollutants that may have been created as a byproduct of the derailment and fire. When some of the identified chemicals are burned they can produce byproducts known as dioxins which are extremely harmful and toxic substances. 

Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency has stated they will be continuing to monitor and survey the quality of Palestine’s air, soil, and water however they have not identified if they will also be testing for the harmful chemical byproducts adding to further criticism. 

The dioxins are heavy sticky compounds able to settle on people’s properties and tracked inside their homes, creating health hazards after being inhaled or ingested. These toxic compounds by products also do not break down easily and can sometimes persist for decades.

Environmental Damages

Initial estimates have been updated to suggest the freight train derailment is responsible for more than 44,000 animal deaths. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) estimates the deaths account for more than 38,000 minnows, plus more than 5,000 additional species that include fish, amphibians, crayfish, and macroinvertebrates. 

Shortly after the derailment officials declared it unsafe to enter waterways in the area unless prepared with specialized protective gear and equipment. Residents reported hundreds if not thousands of fish washing up on the shores of the rivers and streams further downstream from the incident, although officials have observed fish returning to the initial areas closer to where the incident happened. 

Hazardous trains are also required to be fitted with specialized automatic braking systems that would allow trains to brake faster potentially reducing the extent of damage a derailment can cause. Companies are always looking for ways to add more cars to their trains, inadvertently increasing the risk of derailment.

Progress Continues on Africa’s “Great Green Wall”

Climate change has already been observed to have resulting impacts in many regions of the world, including rising sea levels, droughts, famine, increased natural disaster frequency, and expansion of Sahara desert-like conditions across Africa’s plains. 

The Sahara has been gradually contributing to the degradation of surrounding landscapes as global temperatures, and storms force its expansion into the Sahel region along the desert’s southern border. The Sahel region is home to more than 500 million people at a direct risk of diminishing habitable landscapes. Rising atmospheric temperatures, wind storms, and urban expansion are all to blame for the encroaching sands.

Unfortunately, as the Sahara expands southward, it is also consuming limited habitable lands, resources, and agricultural regions and subjugating its populations to increased hardships. Expert climatologists, environmentalists, and botanists gathered to develop and implement a plan to reverse the Sahara expansion and reclaim the land’s vital resources.  

The Great Green Wall Objectives

The Great Green Wall plan was originally launched in 2007 by the African Union. This enormous task involves the cooperation of 22 countries spanning more than 8,000 kilometers across the African continent. The project has been marketed as a living symbol of hope, striving to become the largest living structure on the planet by 2030. 

Foreign investments have also been involved in large aspects of the project relying on key partnerships between the African Union Commission, the Pan African Agency, and various international contributions. 

The project's overarching goals include restoring more than 100 million hectares of degraded land along the desert’s southern border. By restoring that region, the project will sequester approximately 250 million tons of carbon and create over 10 million green jobs in the Sahel region of impacted countries. 

Restore and acquire fertile land, one of Earth’s most valuable resources. 

• Generate economic opportunities for younger generations and support those already established in the urbanizing countries. 

• Provide food security for millions of people who are already facing struggles associated with food shortages, drought, and famine. 

• Establish climate resilience in the key Sahara/Sahel region, where climate change has already forced temperatures to rise faster than anywhere else on Earth 

• Create a new, natural world wonder that spans across the 8 000 kilometer region. 

With the finite plans in place and progress already well underway, many additional public campaigns have also aided fundraising efforts and overall contributions. The urgent initiative aims for a complete timeline of 2030 by instilling a global wide movement centering the Great Green Wall as a symbol of hope for impacted communities. 

The wall's completion by 2030 will have significant welfare impacts on global climate change, food security, and resource migration conflicts. Scientists hope the wall will become a lasting partnership of man and nature working together to provide resources and habitation for many generations. 

Planning The Great Green Wall

Installation for the Great Green Wall was originally planned to span from the Djibouti region in the east to Senegal in the west. The restoration area belt was expected to be approximately 15 kilometers wide, spanning the massive 8,000 kilometers across the Sahara’s southern border. 

Each of the involved countries has specific objectives attached to its section as it relates to their regional necessities. Using an integrated landscape approach has allowed local context to be applied to the wall’s development, addressing land degradation, climate change mitigations, biodiversity, and forestry efforts. Other goals slated by impacted counties include reducing erosion, creating green jobs, increasing crop yields, and improving the number of arable areas for agricultural development. 

New Molnupiravir Covid Antiviral Treatment

Molnupiravir is a new antiviral treatment currently in Phase III of its clinical trials in the United Kingdom.

It was developed by the private company Mavenir Therapeutics and is ideal for people infected with HCV who have already completed therapy with an appropriate antiviral agent.

Molnupiravir Covid Treatment Advances In The Fight Against The Pandemic

Molnupiravir covid treatment is an antiviral drug that is effective in its treatment during the pandemic.

Early drug trials have shown a rapid onset action against the virus, and patients tolerate it well.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved its use for treating influenza A H1N1 virus infection in adults aged 18 years or older, including pregnant women.

Molnupiravir may also be used to treat other strains of pandemic flu viruses, including seasonal flu; however, there is currently no data from clinical trials that support this use.

Side effects from this treatment are typically mild and include headache, body aches, sore throat, cough, and fever which usually resolve within seven days after beginning treatment. The effects will become more evident as its use becomes more prevalent. However, rare cases have been reported where patients develop a severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia or death.

How Molnupiravir Covid Works To Combat The Virus

Molnupiravir is an antiviral medication given to patients twice a day for five days while infected with the omicron variant of Covid. 

The pill is taken by mouth daily and selected for patients with a higher risk of death or severe hospitalization from Covid, many with underlying ailments associated with age or other health conditions.

While early trials appeared to aid the recovery of treated patients significantly, the data still does not correlate with any significant decreases in covid associated death rates or hospital admissions. 

Side Effects Of Covid Drugs And How To Minimize The

Covid drugs can cause various side effects, some of which have been serious and others with unknown long-term consequences.

Be sure to speak with your doctor or pharmacist about any potential side effects before starting this treatment, as there are many types of recovery aids to help those outside of high-risk categories.

Side effects of the new medication can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain which should all be communicated to your primary physician. 

Some people taking the drug have also experienced changes in their mood or behavior, but any increase in anxiety or depressive symptoms should be addressed immediately by a doctor.

Make sure to notify your doctor if you are using other medications concurrently that could interact with the Covid drug(s) you are prescribed.

Consult a healthcare professional if there is unexplained weight loss or increased appetite when using this coronavirus therapy. The drug has also been shown to react differently with diabetic patients with an increased risk for hypoglycemia and low blood sugar, which may impair the body’s renal function. 

The Current Status Of Covid Treatment And Future Prospects

The current status of this new Covid treatment is highly effective against the virus, with a 95% successful recovery rate in the usual two-week recovery period.

Critics of the therapy suggest many of the unwanted side effects make this treatment undesirable for patients outside high-risk categories. 

There has been significant research in the past few years to find new and better ways to treat Covid, which may improve the success rate even more in the future, and this is just one of those treatments.

Prospects for Covid treatment are very positive as new technologies are being developed all the time.

Patient Outcomes Following Administration Of Covid Therapies

Covid antiviral treatments have resulted in a marked decrease in patients developing illness complications and death.

The use of Covid therapies has also led to a significant reduction in the spread of the virus, meaning that fewer people are affected by it at any time. The resulting decrease in the transmission is due to the shortening of the recovery period and lessening the duration of transmissible symptoms like coughing.

While some risks are still associated with using Covid therapies, these have been significantly reduced over time as researchers continue to develop new ways to prevent severe complications from the pandemic virus.

Patients who receive Covid therapy often experience faster recoveries than those patients who do not receive treatment.

Overall, patient outcomes following the administration of Covid therapies are very positive and demonstrate clear benefits for both infected individuals and society as a whole.

Lessons Learned From Molnupiravir Covid Trials

1. Antiviral treatments are not a cure-all and should always be combined with other therapies to take advantage of their potential best.

2. New, more effective antiviral treatments are being developed continuously, and patients should remain informed about available options.

3. Many different side effects can occur when taking antiviral medications, but most tend to be mild and short-term.

4. Patients need to remain as active as possible while on an antiviral medication to reduce the risk of complications from the virus or the treatment itself (i.e., build-up of drug resistance).

Mauna Loa Volcano Awake Almost 40 Years

Mauna Loa Volcano, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, has been awake for nearly two years, and has finally erupted in late November.

This imposing volcano is one of the most active in the world and its activity reveals fascinating insights into geology and Earth's shifting landscape.

In this article we explore what an 'awake' Mauna Loa means for locals, scientists and hikers alike.

Mauna Loa Volcano: Exploring Its Recent Activity

Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth, located in Hawaii.

It has been active since its formation thousands of years ago and continues to show signs of activity today through periodic eruptions.

Over the past two years, Mauna Loa has awakened again with a series of small earthquakes that have caused concern among scientists and residents alike. Prior to this activity the last eruption was not since 1984. 

From December 2018 to July 2019, there were 619 small magnitude earthquakes detected near Mauna Loa Volcano’s summit region (at depths less than 5 km).

Scientists believe these quakes are related to magma movement within a shallow magma reservoir close beneath the surface—an indication that new eruptions were likely years down the road, and it finally happened.

What makes this event so interesting and noteworthy is not just its size but also its duration; most seismic swarms associated with volcanoes typically last only weeks or days whereas this one has lasted an entire eight-month period.

The fact that seismic activity continued for such an extended time frame tells us something important: it was likely driven by pressure from large amounts of trapped gas rather than rising molten rock inside a shallower chamber below ground level.

The eruption occurred as pressurized gasses like carbon dioxide rose with the molten rock fast enough to the surface. The expanding gasses and materials lead to big explosions as the energy is rapidly released, sometimes in spouting lava plumes. 

As part of ongoing monitoring efforts, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff took measurements several times during April 2020 showing increases in sulfur dioxide gas emissions at both Kilauea Summit and lower East Rift Zone vents, as well as changes in temperature consistently throughout those locations, indicating flow pathways which connect distant regions across multiple areas spanning tens of kilometers .

This data reveals that pressure is building inside the volcano to critical rates and future eruptions could occur relatively quickly until the molten materials are dispensed.

Understanding how volcanoes behave requires lots of data analysis compiled from various sources, including remote sensing technologies such as satellites equipped with infrared cameras able to detect heat radiating off the landscape for potentially hazardous hot spots. Field observations closely study features occurring in the surroundings using ground-based instrumentation to track and measure subsurface conditions. The data surveys atmosphere pollution particles in order to assess impacts on the environment to manage land usage for safety purposes. Gathering observations allow for risk analyses to proactively protect affected communities from any future disaster scenarios and identify signs of a possible imminent threat posed to nearby populations.

Mauna Loa's recent awakening provides valuable insight into predicting volcanic behavior: • Insight into pressurization levels behind quakes linked to specific movements happening in deeper chambers, providing better identification strategies for gauging levels of risk in the front-end model. Better identification strategies will aid emergency communication, accordingly helping avert disasters if spotted early enough.

Challenges Facing The Monitoring Of A Restless Giant

Scientists have been closely monitoring Mauna Loa for the past two years, as its state of unrest signaled potential eruptive activities. 

The volcano is located on Hawaii’s Big Island and rises 13,680 feet above sea level.

As one of the world’s most active volcanoes, its activity can cause significant disruption to communities living nearby or even downwind from it.

Here are some of the challenges facing scientists and other authorities as they monitor this restless giant:

1) Inadequate Resources – Monitoring such an active volcano requires constant surveillance including ground deformation measurements, seismic monitoring equipment, aerial photographs and real-time satellite imaging to identify possible eruptions before they occur.

Unfortunately, these efforts require substantial financial resources that many cash-strapped governments lack; consequently, dangerous situations may go unnoticed until it is too late for action.

2) Difficult Accessibility – Many parts of Mauna Loa are quite remote and difficult to access quickly by personnel when necessary, such as during earthquakes or volcanic eruptions when reliable data must be collected quickly without endangering anyone involved in the mission.

This limitation not only makes monitoring more challenging but also results in inaccurate information being captured due to longer response times, which ultimately leads to false alarms that could potentially result in unnecessary evacuations and widespread panic among populations near potential hazards caused by geological events still happening deep underground in off-site locations.

3) Hazards To Personnel – While measuring Mauna Loa’s earthquake activities, seismologists often have to come close enough to place their recording instruments around lava fields while running current risk assessments on potential present dangers. The high risk environment not only involves themselves but also residents living within areas perceived at harm because of possibly misplaced predictions during geophysical studies. 

These are the reasons why people get paid large salaries to get up close to the volatile volcano, doing what others wouldn't dare try anyway. Many tourists travel to Hawai’i to see the volcano, getting extremely close to the dangerous lava fields despite countless warnings now visible everywhere. Increased global attention and foot traffic have made this process perhaps even more risky than usual when confronting unpredictable forces beyond human control.

Officials have established barriers and road closures to prevent people from wandering into unstable areas, and geologists are constantly monitoring ongoing activities. Already the eruption has experienced many changes and its lava is slowly expanding down its slopes towards roads and other infrastructure. 

4) Technology Limitations

- A common challenge faced by those tasked with studying any natural phenomenon occurs when inadequate technology fails to get accurate readings from volcanic emissions floating through air as conditions greatly change over short periods.

Volatile changes require advanced tools and techniques to obtain reliable quantifications.

Untrustworthy data might disrupt communications causing mistaken decisions to result in serious delays and unfavorable outcomes despite the official's best efforts.