On March 27 at 8:30 pm (local time), millions of people all over the world will be turning off their lights for one hour, in a stand against climate change. Earth hour started om March 31 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million people turned off their lights at 7:30 for one hour. Since then Earth hour has grown to more than 100 countries around the globe and over 40 million people participating. Major landmarks such as the Pyramids of Gaza in Cairo, Egypt, Big Ben in London, England and Empire State Building in New York, participate in the event as well by turning off their lights. For more information check out http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx?intro=no. Together we can make a difference!
This weather this past weekend was a great start to Spring, but with Spring also comes showers and the thunderstorm last night was the first for the area this season and the temperatures this week will be much cooler than last week. For today we can expect a high near 59 and chance for rain in the afternoon as a low pressure system passes over the region. Wind will be slightly breezy from the southwest at 7 mph. For tonight we can expect a chance of rain before 3 am and low near 40. The wind will increase for tonight as the low pressure system passes through creating a strong pressure gradient. Winds will be from the west at 13 to 20 mph. The pressure gradient remains strong as we can expect breezy conditions for Wednesday with west winds at 17 to 23 mph. We can also expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 60. Wednesday night will be mostly clear with a low around 38 and west wind at 10 to 14 mph. For Thursday we can expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 58. A cold front will be moving into the region for Thursday night as we can expect a chance of rain after midnight and a low around 38. The cold front will pass through the region by Friday as we can expect a chance for showers before noon and a high in the mid 40s. Yup that's right I said 40s. Friday night looks to be clear with a low at 29. High pressure will build in the region for Saturday into Sunday as we can expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 48 for Saturday. Temperatures will rebound for Sunday as we can expect sunny skies and a high of 54.
I should have posted this article sooner, it talks about the 8.8 earthquake in Chile possibly slowing down the earth's rotation and therefore slowing the day by 1.26 milliseconds. Though 1.26 milliseconds may not seem like much, it is significant and amazing that an earthquake can slow down the rotation of the earth and put it off its axis. Here is the article:
-->
SPACE.com Staff
SPACE.com Space.com Staff
space.com – Tue Mar 2, 10:00 am ET
The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.
The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds, according to research scientist Richard Gross at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth's axis," NASA officials said in a Monday update.
The computer model used by Gross and his colleagues to determine the effects of the Chile earthquake effect also found that it should have moved Earth's figure axis by about 3 inches (8 cm or 27 milliarcseconds).
The Earth's figure axis is not the same as its north-south axis, which it spins around once every day at a speed of about 1,000 mph (1,604 kph).
The figure axis is the axis around which the Earth's mass is balanced. It is offset from the Earth's north-south axis by about 33 feet (10 meters).
Strong earthquakes have altered Earth's days and its axis in the past. The 9.1 Sumatran earthquake in 2004, which set off a deadly tsunami, should have shortened Earth's days by 6.8 microseconds and shifted its axis by about 2.76 inches (7 cm, or 2.32 milliarcseconds).
One Earth day is about 24 hours long. Over the course of a year, the length of a day normally changes gradually by one millisecond. It increases in the winter, when the Earth rotates more slowly, and decreases in the summer, Gross has said in the past.
The Chile earthquake was much smaller than the Sumatran temblor, but its effects on the Earth are larger because of its location. Its epicenter was located in the Earth's mid-latitudes rather than near the equator like the Sumatran event.
The fault responsible for the 2010 Chile quake also slices through Earth at a steeper angle than the Sumatran quake's fault, NASA scientists said.
"This makes the Chile fault more effective in moving Earth's mass vertically and hence more effective in shifting Earth's figure axis," NASA officials said.
Gross said his findings are based on early data available on the Chile earthquake. As more information about its characteristics are revealed, his prediction of its effects will likely change.
The Chile earthquake has killed more than 700 people and caused widespread devastation in the South American country.
Several major telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert have escaped damage, according to the European Southern Observatory managing them.
A salt-measuring NASA satellite instrument destined to be installed on an Argentinean satellite was also undamaged in the earthquake, JPL officials said.
The Aquarius instrument was in the city of Bariloche, Argentina, where it is being installed in the Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC-D) satellite. The satellite integration facility is about 365 miles (588 km) from the Chile quake's epicenter.
The Aquarius instrument is designed to provide monthly global maps of the ocean's salt concentration in order to track current circulation and its role in climate change.
We are definitely drying out from the low pressure this past weekend, which brought strong winds and heavy rain to many parts of the area. Atlantic City reported gusts of up to 65 mph on Saturday and almost 6 inches of rain was reported at New Vernon in Morris County. Downed trees, large branches and downed power lines were reported in some areas, as well as flooding and power outages. This week looks to be dry and and a nice transition to Spring as high pressure from our west moves into the region for St. Patrick's Day. We can expect sunny skies and a high near 63. For Thursday we can expect sunny skies and a high near 65. Thursday night a backdoor cold front will be moving into the region as we can expect partly cloudy skies and a high near 42. That cold front will move to the north as a warm front approaches the area on Friday. We can expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 63. High pressure off the coast will move into the region Friday night as we can expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 64 for Saturday (the official start of Spring). Low for Saturday night around 41. For Sunday we can expect partly sunny skies and a high near 60. A cold front approaches slowly from the west as we can expect a slight chance of showers for Sunday night, low around 42.
As I mentioned earlier, flooding was reported in some areas as a result with this past storm. March 15 through the 19th is National Flood Awareness Week. The goal of this week is to educate the public about the dangers of flooding, how they occur, and how to stay safe from this phenomenon. Floods are the number one natural disaster in the United States, and many of flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. It is important to toward around if there is flooded water in front of you, if you are driving or walking. In fact six inches of water is enough to float a car and it can be swept away in 18 to 24 inches of water. More information can be found here. Stay safe!
Spring is getting closer and the weather yesterday with sunny skies and high temperatures in the lower 60s, definitely is a nice change to snow we'd been recieving the previous weeks. Today will be a repeat of yesterday with sunny skies and a high near 60. High pressure will remain in the area for Wednesday as we can expect partly sunny skies and a high near 54. Winds will be calm at 5 mph. That high will be moving northeast on Thursday as a low pressure from our west moves into the region as we can expect a slight chance of rain after 9 am and a high near 54. By Thursday night the low is more in our area and as we can expect showers after 7 pm. The low will remain in our region Friday through Sunday as we can expect a period of rain throughout the rest of the week and temperatures in the lower 50s.
It's March! February went out like a lion (Union, NJ got 12 inches from the snowstorm, a.k.a. "snowicane" that occurred February 25 to the 26) and looks like March will be coming in like a lamb, at least for this week. For Tuesday we can expect mostly cloudy skies and slightly warmer temperatures with the high reaching into the mid 40s. A deep low pressure system of the coast of Cape Cod, will be tracking eastward Tuesday night as we can expect a chance of snow and rain. Though the snow is still on the ground at Kean, last year around this time there was snow on the ground from a system that came through on March 2. I shot a video of the storm which can be found here. From that system a year ago, 5.3 inches of snow accumulated, no accumulation is expected for tomorrow night from this low pressure system. Another low pressure system from the Gulf of Mexico will move northward for Wednesday as we can expect a chance of rain and snow throughout the day and a high near 42. No accumulation is expected with this system as well. That low will then move off to the south east as high pressure from the west moves into the region for Thursday into the rest of the week. We can expect mostly cloudy skies for Thursday and a high near 40. For Friday temperatures will be slightly warmer with a high near 45 and mostly sunny skies. Looks to be a nice weekend for Saturday and Sunday as we can expect temperatures in the upper 40s and partly sunny skies for both days. Spring is almost here (March 20th) and don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour, daylight's savings time is March 14th.
On February 27th, an 8.8 magnitude occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile causing much devastation and loss of life to the region. Tsunami warnings where issued for 53 countries in the Pacific Basin and the earthquake, which lasted only three minutes, was said to be 500 times greater than the earthquake that struck Haiti back in January and over 90 aftershocks where felt after the earthquake. Just a day earlier, a 7.0 magnitude occurred off the coast of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. No damage was reported nor was there a threat for a tsunami. With the recent major earthquakes I just wanted to share an article I wrote that was printed in my school's newsletter, The Cougar's Byte, on February 2nd. The article is addressing the possibility of an earthquake such as the one the stuck Haiti, occurring at Kean University, my school which is located in Union, NJ (Northern, NJ). Though the possible of earthquake of that magnitude or a magnitude of the earthquakes that recently occurred is very unlikely, earthquakes occurring near the area are possible. In fact, on February 21st, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake rattled several areas of Somerset County, which is located in Northern, NJ and west of Union County. Though you may not live in an area where earthquakes are likely to occur, it is still good to know the procedures in case you or someone you know is in an earthquake. Knowing can save lives.
Here is the article printed February 2nd:
With the recent earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, some students and faculty members at Kean University may wonder if such an event could ever occur on or around campus. The truth is that although an earthquake of the same magnitude which struck Haiti is not as likely to occur, the event of an earthquake happening near this region is possible. Earthquakes occur every day in different regions of the world. These earthquakes are monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, and although most of the magnitudes of these earthquakes are lower than 3.0 and cause little or no damage to the area, some such as the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti, are very significant and can cause great loss and structural damage.
So what really classifies as an earthquake? When the surface of the Earth rolls, shakes, or a sudden shock is felt, the movement is identified as an earthquake. Though some may include the shaking felt when the train at Union Station moves past on the tracks to be considered as some form of an earthquake, the actual "quake" in earthquake is normally caused by the movement of the tectonic plates or fault lines, shifting or breaking, below the surface of the earth or underground trembling caused by volcanic forces. There are 20 tectonic plates around the world and everyday these plates move slowly past one another. As they move, force is placed on the plates and when this force becomes too great, the crust breaks and the stress is released in a trembling in the form of waves underneath the ground and can be felt for the region where or around where the break occurred. Faults, such as the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden Fault System that caused the earthquake in Haiti, are fractures that can be as small as millimeters or as large as kilometers in length and the fractures are between two types of rock or blocks. When the movement between the faults is quick, the resulting release of stress causes earthquakes to occur. A well known fault system in New Jersey is the Ramapo Fault, which is also seen as a threat to New York.
The Ramapo Fault is located much further north of the Kean University area and there are no fault lines around Kean University. Recently, three cases of seismic activity occurred in Morris County along the Ramapo Fault, in the first three weeks of February last year. These quakes were however, minimal and measured less than 3.0 on the Richter Scale causing little to no damage.
In knowing about the occurrence of earthquakes, safety is important. It is best to have a plan of action as well as an emergency safety kit, in case of an earthquake. If it happens while indoors, go under a sturdy piece of furniture. Do not go outside until shaking stops. If it happens outside, find a spot away from power lines, trees or buildings, drop to the ground, and take cover. If driving, slow down and stop on the side of the road, avoiding bridges, overpasses, and large signs, and remain in the car. After the quake, expect aftershocks, also check for injuries and damage; and if there is no electricity, unplug major appliances to prevent possible damage when the electricity returns. For more information and safety tips about earthquakes, visit the U.S. Geological Survey website at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/.
