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Iran and UN nuclear watchdog come to an agreement on cooperation
Iran and UN nuclear watchdog IAEA reached an agreement about the resumed cooperation, Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Araqchi stated in a Tuesday statement. He warned that the implementation of UN sanctions against Iran would mean the termination of the "practical measures" detailed in the deal. Since the United States and Israel bombarded Iran's nuclear facilities in June, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been denied access to its key nuclear installations. Iran adopted a law following the attacks that suspended cooperation with IAEA, and said any inspections would have to be approved by the Supreme National Security Council. "I conducted the final round to reach an agreement on how to implement Iran’s safeguards obligations, in light of illegal actions taken against Iran’s nuclear facilities. We were successful in achieving this." In a statement released by the state media, Araqchi stated: In a Tuesday post on X, U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief Rafael Grossi called the agreement "an important step towards the right direction". Grossi wrote in his blog: "In Cairo, we agreed with Iran's foreign minister... on practical modalities for resuming inspection activities in Iran". The Iranian Foreign Minister said that the agreement signed on Tuesday in Cairo fully complies to the law passed by Iran’s parliament following the US and Israeli attack. Araqchi stated that the agreement creates a practical method of cooperation which reflects Iran's "exceptional circumstances in security" as well as the technical requirements of the agency. The talks take place in the context of Europe's three top powers initiating a 30-day process to reimpose sanctions against Iran on August 28. The restrictions were lifted as part of a 2015 deal between Iran, major powers and the United States. However, it unraveled after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from that agreement in 2018. The E3 (France, Britain, and Germany) have stated that they will reimpose sanctions in the "snapback process" unless the IAEA resumes full inspections of Iran and Tehran accounts for the large stock of near weapons-grade uranium, and resumes talks with the United States. "I want to emphasize that if Iran is attacked, and the UN Security Council Resolutions are reinstated, Iran will regard these steps as complete. ", Araqchi said. (Reporting and editing by Elwely Elwelly, Francois Murphy and Chris Reese; Alistair Bell and Chris Reese)
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MAHA Report on US Children's Health Targets Food and Drug Marketing
In its second report, released on Tuesday, the Commission "Make America Health Again" said that it will tackle what is perceived as an epidemic among American children. It has called for changes, such as full-fat dairy in cafeterias, and to limit marketing of drugs and food. The commission was established by Donald Trump via an executive order, and is led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a longtime anti-vaccine activist. It builds on the findings of a commission report from May. This report linked the rising rates of childhood diabetes, obesity, autism and ADHD to processed foods, overprescriptions of medications, and vaccinations. The report also alarms food industry groups by pointing out pesticides such as glyphosate - a key ingredient in weedkillers that has been the subject of thousands lawsuits - as a possible health risk. Sources first received drafts of the latest strategy document in early August. It calls for changes to school meals, including full-fat dairy products, and suggests investigating vaccines and prescription drug safety. The report does not recommend any changes to the U.S. approval or regulatory process for agrochemicals, which is a major demand from some MAHA activists. The report states that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will instead work to increase public confidence in their pesticide review processes and reform their agrochemical approval processes to ensure "timely availability" of these chemicals to farmers. Last month, health advocates and other experts stated that the draft recommendations lack scientific basis and do not address the true causes of poor child health. The report calls on increased federal oversight and enforcement for direct-to consumer prescription drug advertising. It places a particular focus on violations that involve children, social media and telehealth. In order to combat misleading marketing, the report proposes to explore new guidelines that limit direct advertising to children of unhealthy food. The Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture should work together with restaurants to raise awareness and educate children about healthy foods that are age-appropriate. Peter Lurie of the Center for Science in the Public Interest told the media ahead of the publication of the report that "the topics (Kennedy), wishes to focus on are not the main causes of chronic diseases and many are missing (tobacco reduction, alcohol reduction, sodium reduction, sugar reduction)." The contents of the previous report had also been criticized by industry groups. After the release of the MAHA Commission's first report, more than 250 groups representing farmers and ranchers as well as agrochemical firms called for greater participation in the activities of the Commission. In response, the White House held meetings with farm and food groups during the summer. Kennedy stated during a Senate Hearing last week that HHS met with 140 agricultural interests in the last three months. He said, "We consult every stakeholder within the farming community on everything we do." Focus on Nutrition, Not Regulation The report suggests that some meat-processing plants and farms should loosen their water discharge standards and other pollution standards. The report includes a number of policy recommendations, including the creation of a National Institutes of Health Chronic Disease Task Force and a government-defined definition of "ultraprocessed foods." It also proposes restrictions on artificial food dyes that, according to a May report, were potentially associated with autism. However, this was not backed up by any evidence. Kennedy has in the past promoted debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. This area is a controversial one. The report recommended that the EPA work with Agriculture Department in order to promote precision pesticide applications with the goal of reducing the overall use of pesticides. However, it did not recommend any regulatory action. In the report, it was recommended that the EPA, USDA and NIH collaborate to develop a framework for studying cumulative chemical exposures. This includes pesticides. The report recommends using advanced methods that use human-relevant models in research. Pesticides have exposed a growing divide between MAHA activists, and Republican politicians who are closely linked to the agriculture industry. In August, hundreds sent a protest letter to the White House against a proposal by Congress that would shield manufacturers of pesticides and "forever chemicals" from lawsuits. Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington and Leah Douglas, Renee Hickman and Waylon Cunningham from Chicago and New York. Editing by Caroline Humer & Bill Berkrot.
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Bolsonaro is called the leader of a coup attempt by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice
Brazilian As he cast his first vote in the last phase of Jair Bolsonaro's trial, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes labelled the former president as the leader of a group of criminals that attempted to overturn 2022 elections. Bolsonaro will be sentenced within a few days for orchestrating a coup attempt to stay in power following his defeat by Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, formerly the leftist president, after he lost the 2022 presidential election. The charges are the result of a massive investigation which has revealed alleged plots. These include plans to assassinate Moraes who presided over the 2022 elections, and is now in charge of the coup trials. Bolsonaro is accused of being a member of an armed criminal group, trying to violently eliminate democracy, organizing a military coup, damaging government property, and protecting cultural assets. His lawyers maintain his innocence in all cases. Bolsonaro is accused of inciting riots when he allegedly incited thousands of his supporters to storm and destroy the Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court of Brasilia in the capital of the country in January 2023. Moraes, the first of five members in a panel of justices to start public deliberations Monday, was the member who began it. He said that the crimes alleged had been acknowledged by the high courts in previous rulings, and the task now is to find the perpetrators. Moraes stated that "there is no doubt" that an attempt was made to eliminate the democratic rule-of-law, that a coup was attempted, and there was a criminal group that damaged public property. Moraes' role in the case made him a targeted by Bolsonaro allies. This included U.S. president Donald Trump and his government, who imposed sanctions against the judge and imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports into the U.S. After Moraes is expected to vote Justice Flavio Dino. He was Lula's former Justice Minister. Luiz Fux will follow him, followed by Carmen Lucia and Cristiano Zánin, an ex-attorney for Lula, who preside over the panel. The panel does not include two Supreme Court Justices who were appointed by Bolsonaro. The verdict is expected to be announced by the end this week. Bolsonaro could face a sentence of over 40 years if convicted. However, the maximum prison term in Brazil is 40 years. Bolsonaro may be able to avoid the full sentence even if convicted. His supporters, who are already barred from him running for office before 2030, hope that a future president will grant a pardon. Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas The former Bolsonaro cabinet member, who pushed Congress to grant amnesty to the ex-president last week, was seen by many as positioning the Governor as the heir apparent to Bolsonaro’s coalition for next year’s elections. (Reporting and writing by Ricardo Brito, Brendan O'Boyle and Isabel Teles; editing by Sharon Singleton Brad Haynes and Paul Simao).
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EIA: US natgas production and demand will reach record highs by 2025, before declining in 2026
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its Short-Term Energy Outlook Tuesday, predicting that the U.S. Natural Gas Production and Demand will both reach record highs by 2025 before declining in 2026. EIA predicted that dry gas production would rise from 103.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2024 to a record 106.6 bcfd by 2025, before slipping to 106.0 bcfd by 2026. This compares to a record of 103.6 bcfd for 2023. The agency also predicted that domestic gas consumption will rise from 90.5 bcfd, a record in 2024, to 91.5bcfd by 2025. It then eases to 91.4bcfd by 2026. The EIA forecasts for August 2025 for production and demand were lower than the September projections. EIA expects falling oil prices and rising gas prices in 2026. This should result in crude oil's lowest premium over gas since 2005. The agency expects that drilling activities in the U.S. will be centered more in regions with high gas production in 2026. The agency predicted that average U.S. LNG exports will rise to 16.3 bcfd by 2026, from 11.9 bcfd at the record level in 2024. The EIA predicted that U.S. coal output would increase from 512.1 million short tonnes in 2024 (the lowest since 1964) to 521.9 millions tons in 2020, before dropping to 492.5 millions tons in 2030, the lowest level since 1963. EIA predicted that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from fossil fuels will rise from a low of 4,777 billion metric tonnes in 2024, to 4.849 in 2025, as oil, gas and coal use increase, before decreasing to 4.826 in 2026, as oil and coal usage decline. (Reporting and editing by Mark Porter, David Gregorio and Scott DiSavino)
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EU split over climate target, deal next week in doubt, draft shows
The latest compromise proposal from the European Union showed that there is a split among member states over how ambitious they want to be with their new climate target. This puts into question plans to reach a deal by next week. EU countries are currently negotiating a legally-binding 2040 climate change goal, which their ministers were planning to approve on a September 18 summit. This move is intended to reaffirm EU commitment to fighting climate change in advance of this year's U.N. global climate negotiations at the COP30. France, Poland, and the Czech Republic, for example, want to postpone the agreement and escalate the discussions to the government leaders. Climate change has caused Europe to become the fastest-warming continental in the world, unleashing deadly fires and heat. But the target has stoked tensions between governments over how much they should invest on global warming while also trying to increase defense spending and support struggling industry. The latest compromise proposal from the member countries shows that governments are divided on how much of the emission target can be achieved by purchasing foreign carbon credits, which would reduce the effort required by European industries. The document, which was dated 9 September and seen by, stated that "the level, timing, and conditions of international carbon credit contributions to the 2040 goal, require political discussions." The ambassadors of EU countries will discuss this on Friday. Overall, the goal would be to reduce net EU greenhouse gas emission by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040. A portion of this could be covered by purchasing foreign carbon credits. In 2036, the Commission proposed that countries purchase credits to cover 3% each of their 2040 emission target. In the compromise proposal these numbers are now surrounded by brackets, which indicates that countries have not agreed on them. Document was written by Denmark which currently holds the rotating EU presidency. A spokesperson for Denmark’s EU presidency stated that it had spoken with each EU member state before writing the compromise. They are still trying to reach an agreement next week. If the EU fails to reach a deal by next week, it could miss the mid-September deadline for submitting new climate plans to U.N. in time for the global COP Climate Summit in November. The draft also showed that other changes to the proposal will give countries more assurances about the EU's future green policies and their impact on industry when they are designed.
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Gold rallies to a new record high on U.S. interest rate cuts and Fed tension
Gold reached a record-high above $3,600 per ounce on February 2, fueled by investors' and central bankers' demand and expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts. Gold spot was trading at around $3,637.39 per troy ounce by 1524 GMT, a rise of over 38% this year. Analysts predict that gold will trade between $3,600 and $3900 in the short to medium term. They also expect it to reach $4,000 in 2019 if geopolitical and economic uncertainties continue. In a survey published in July, analysts predicted that gold prices would average $3,220 an ounce this year, compared to $3,065 per ounce in April and $2,756 per ounce in January. Ricardo Evangelista is a senior analyst at ActivTrades. He said that the dollar's bearish outlook, based on expectations of Fed cutbacks, investors' distancing themselves from U.S. investments, and tariff-related uncertainty, supports gold. Since President Donald Trump returned in January, the dollar has dropped by nearly 11%. The expectation of more rate cuts in the U.S. will further weaken the U.S. dollar, which makes gold denominated in dollars cheaper for holders of foreign currencies. According to CME Group's FedWatch, traders see a 92% probability of a rate cut of 25 basis points in September at the Fed meeting. Trump's criticisms of Powell, and his attempts to remove Lisa Cook as Governor have raised concerns about the Fed's autonomy and led to further gold purchases. Carsten Menke, Julius Baer's analyst, said: "The most bullish factor is...potential interference with the U.S. Federal Reserve as well as concerns over the dollar's position as a safe haven." Security concerns from the Middle East, as well as between Russia and Ukraine, are also factors that have boosted gold's appeal. Gold purchases by central banks, such as China's, have also boosted gold prices. The World Gold Council reports that central banks are planning to increase the gold portion in their reserves, while decreasing dollar reserves, over the next five-year period. Exchange traded gold funds that are backed by physical gold have also seen significant increases in assets. The SPDR Gold Trust is the largest physical gold exchange traded fund in the world. Its holdings rose to 990.56 tonnes on September 2, a 12% rise so far this season and the highest since August 2022.
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Trump EPA wants to accelerate AI infrastructure permits
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Tuesday new measures to speed up the construction of infrastructure required for rapid building of data centers in artificial intelligence. This would allow companies to begin building before obtaining an air permit. The proposal comes just six months after the EPA launched an initiative called Powering the Great American Comeback, which emphasized the agency's priority on quickly building power generation in order to meet the soaring demands from data centers. Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator, said: "Clean Air Act permits have been a barrier to innovation and growth for years." "We will continue to fix this broken process." The EPA proposal redefines the pre-construction requirements of power plants, manufacturing and other infrastructure. This will allow companies to begin some construction without regard to air emission before obtaining Clean Air Act permits. The Trump administration is focused on winning the race for rapid development and scaling-up of AI throughout the nation. It has already launched an executive action package aimed at increasing energy supply in order to fuel its expansion. The United States and China, two of the world's most powerful economic rivals, are engaged in a technology arms race for an economic and a military advantage. AI's massive data processing requires an increase in energy supplies, which is straining many utilities and grids. New Source Review Program of the Clean Air Act will not permit construction of major installations before they have obtained air permits. The EPA, under the Trump administration has taken what it describes as the biggest deregulatory action in its decades-long history. This includes a move that would repeal the scientific and law foundations for regulating greenhouse gases, which most scientists and ecologists agree are driving climate change. (Reporting and Editing by Bill Berkrot.)
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Reactions to Israel's attack against Hamas leaders Qatar
Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Qatar, where this Palestinian Islamist group had long been based. Here are some comments from state and national leaders in response. ISRAELI PREMIER MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU "Today's operation against top terrorist leaders of Hamas is a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel is fully responsible for the event, as it was Israel who initiated, conducted and conducted it. "Qatar condemns the cowardly Israeli assault that targeted the residential buildings in Doha, the Qatari capital where several members of Hamas' Political Bureau resided." This criminal attack is a flagrant violation of international law and norms and poses a grave threat to the safety and security of Qataris. Majed al Ansari, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said on X that "While Qatar condemns the attack, it confirms it will not accept this reckless Israeli behavior and the disruption of regional stability, nor any acts that target its security or sovereignty." UNITED NATIONS SECRETAIRE-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES Israel's strikes violate Qatar's sovereignty and territorial integrity in a flagrant manner. Guterres said that all parties should work to achieve a ceasefire permanent, and not destroy it. POPE LEO Israel's recent attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar is a very serious matter. Leo told ANSA that the situation was very serious outside of Castel Gandolfo - the papal summer residence. SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia denounces the Israeli aggression in the strongest possible terms and condemns the flagrant violation to the sovereignty of Qatar, a sisterly state. The Foreign Ministry warned of "the dire consequences that will result from Israel's persistent criminal violations of international law, and its flagrant violation of all international norms and principles." LEBANESE PRESIDENT, JOSEPH AOUUN It is part of a series of Israeli aggressions that demonstrate Israel's determination to attack all efforts to achieve security and stability in the region. IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY Iranian media reported that the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said Israel's attacks on Hamas officials were 'dangerous,' and violated international law. UAE FOREIGN MODERATION The United Arab Emirates condemn the "blatantly cowardly" Israeli attacks on Qatar. This is a dangerous escalation which violates international law as well as the sovereignty of another Gulf state. In a recent statement, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stated that the UAE is fully in solidarity with Qatar. The UAE also supports all efforts to ensure its security. Turkey The Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Israel's targeting of Hamas's negotiating team while ceasefire negotiations continue is a sign that it does not want peace but instead wants to continue the war. This situation is a clear indication that Israel's expansionist policies in the Middle East and its terrorism policy are a part of their state policy.
Unique REPORT-Is climate change lighting a fuse under Iceland's volcanoes?
T oxic sulphurous gas, carrying the telltale reek of rotten eggs, wafted through vents in the high walls of Iceland's Viti crater, while carbon dioxide bubbled to the surface of the milky blue crater lake. Veils of steam wreathed the landscape of loose rock in eerie halflight.
Through this prohibiting surface-- Viti is derived from the Icelandic for hell-- Michelle Parks, a volcanologist with the Icelandic Meteorological Office, selected her method towards the water's edge one day last August. With a screen strapped to her hip to warn her if the gases reached harmful levels, she stooped to submerge a temperature probe in the lake-- 26.4 degrees Celsius (79.5 degrees Fahrenheit), constant with recent readings.
That was assuring, a minimum of for the time being. The crater was formed when Askja, a volcano in Vatnajokull National forest in Iceland's central highlands, uncorked in an explosive eruption in 1875. Askja's last eruption, in 1961, was milder, and for decades after, the volcano was quiet. But in 2021, Parks and other scientists keeping tabs on it were shocked to find that in simply a few months, the volcano had actually quickly expanded, uplifting by 11 centimetres (4.3 inches). This phenomenon, called inflation, takes place when lava or pressurised gases build up under a volcano, pressing the ground upwards and outwards.
In the three years since, Askja's bloat has reached about 80 cm (32 inches). That uplift, scientists approximate, is the outcome of 44 million cubic metres (1.6 billion cubic feet) of magma flowing into the existing reservoir around three km (2 miles). below the surface area.
Volcanologists have actually established a correlation between lava. buildup under a volcano and subsequent eruption. But they do not. understand precisely just how much lava is required to assist trip an eruption. That is why Parks and her associates are closely keeping an eye on the. temperature level and acidity of Viti's crater lake. A jump in either,. suggesting that more gases are pressing in from below, would. suggest the volcano is moving closer to an eruption. So far,. those metrics have stayed stable, but the researchers viewing. Askja do not take that for approved.
An eruption could be catastrophic, though smaller sized ones are. a lot more most likely. On the scale volcanologists utilize to determine the. size of explosive eruptions, Askja is capable of one equivalent. to that of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington in. 1980, although its eruptive design would differ. That eruption,. which stimulated the Australia-born Parks' long-lasting enthusiasm for. volcanoes, released a force equivalent to 25,000 Hiroshima-type. atomic bombs.
The goal of the volcano observatory at the Icelandic. Meteorological Office is to keep track of the country's volcanoes for. modifications in activity, like those now observed at Askja, assisting. to protect the country's nearly 400,000 people and the hordes. of foreign tourists who check out every year to take pleasure in Iceland's. world-renowned geothermal attractions.
Nevertheless, the team's work has taken on more comprehensive significance. In 2015, Parks and colleagues with the University of Iceland. gotten government financing for a pioneering research task. throughout 12 organizations to check a theory that could have dire. implications not just for Iceland, but for every person on the. world: Whether the rapid retreat of glaciers as an outcome of. human-caused environment change will set off increased volcanic. activity.
The fundamental process underpinning the concept is simple. The. significant weight of glaciers and ice sheets can tamp down. volcanoes. When the ice retreats, the down pressure on the. planet's thin outer crust and much thicker underlying mantle. eases, permitting the ground to rebound. This change in pressure. spurs dynamic forces below volcanoes to produce more magma and. modify its motion, affecting eruptions.
Iceland is basically one of the very best places worldwide. to study this ... because we have both volcanism and glaciers,. Parks stated. At the end of the day, what we're aiming for with. this task is a much larger image. It's the future of. volcanic eruptions. How large can they be? ... And what remains in shop. for us in the future, not just in Iceland however for the rest of. Europe and possibly farther afield.
UNCORKING CATACLYSM
What researchers already understand of Iceland's eruptive history. supports the theory.
When the thick glaciers and ice caps that had covered the. North Atlantic island during the last significant Glacial epoch receded. between about 15,000 and 10,000 years back, underlying volcanoes. responded with fury. In 2002, scientists determined modifications in. Iceland's volcanic activity with time by evaluating the chemical. structure of lava rock samples. They found that eruption rates. rose an approximated 30 to 50 times during and quickly after the. ice loss compared to the preceding Ice Age and current times.
It was likely a catastrophic situation, with a ludicrous. amount of eruptions, Parks said, as rivers of lava improved the. island and ash rained into surrounding seas. Askja, too,. signed up a significant explosive eruption throughout this time.
When again, researchers state, the elements required to set off. another surge in eruptions are converging. Glaciers now cover. simply 10% of Iceland, however that ice still weighs on over half. the country's 34 active volcanic systems, and it is quickly. melting as international temperature levels climb. In the previous 130 years,. Iceland's glaciers have actually lost about 16% of their volume, with. half of that in just the past 3 years. Researchers anticipate. approximately half of the staying volume will be passed this. century's end.
Already, the magma chambers underneath Iceland might be. responding to the loss of ice, and not just those straight under. glaciers. Askja, which has been free of ice for 10,000 years,. and much of Iceland are rebounding due to the fact that pressure changes from. glacial retreat affects big parts of the Earth's crust and. mantle.
Over the last 3 years, magma has actually been produced below. Iceland at a rate 2 to 3 times what it would have been without. the ice loss, according to preliminary modelling results from. Parks' project shared exclusively with Reuters. More magma is. can be found in below Iceland, and we simply do not require it, Parks. said. We have actually got enough.
Researchers very first theorised in the 1970s that melting ice. may impact volcanic eruptions. However just recently have they. started to comprehend the scale of the potential risk. Four. years ago, volcanologists compiled the initially detailed. global database of volcanoes under ice or within five km (three. miles) of it, releasing their findings in the journal Global. and Planetary Change. They discovered that some 245 active or. potentially active volcanoes around the globe met the criteria,. from the Andes to The United States and Canada's Waterfall Mountains and Alaska,. to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and Antarctica.
The exact same research study likewise found that about 160 million people live. within 100 km (62 miles) of at least one of those volcanoes and. that 20,000 individuals are within the immediate area. Numbers. like that underscore the hazard if glacial melt were to press. more volcanoes to pop off, releasing deadly floods and mud. circulations and spewing huge clouds of ash and lethal gases into the. atmosphere.
The impacts would not end there. Eruptions abundant in carbon. dioxide, a greenhouse gas, could exacerbate international warming,. outlasting the sulphur aerosols in the environment that can cause. initial durations of cooling. And the volcanoes now understood to sit. under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet might help speed ice melt. into the ocean, raising sea levels.
Evidence suggests that what occurred in Iceland after the. last Glacial epoch was duplicated to a lower extent all over the world. Eruptions were between 2 and 6 times greater internationally between. 12,000 and 7,000 years ago owing to more regular eruptions in. areas that were losing their ice cover, according to a 2009. research study in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
A VIOLENT HISTORY
Iceland is uniquely primed for frequent volcanic eruptions. because of its location at the juncture of 2 tectonic plates. that are pulling apart over an upwelling of anomalously hot. material in the Earth's mantle. Many smaller sized eruptions have. little effect beyond their immediate vicinity, though they are. still able to put on incredible shows. Others can have deadly. effects far beyond Iceland.
When Laki, southwest of Askja, erupted in 1783-84, the. fluorine it expelled polluted the island's plants and water. sources, killing majority of Iceland's livestock. This. farming collapse resulted in a famine that eliminated around a fifth. of the island's human population, while the resulting haze of. sulphurous fog that later on reached Europe may have added to. the deaths of thousands more people. And as far as Africa. and Asia, the eruption's results compromised monsoons, starting. more scarcities.
Near the southern coast under a little ice cap lies Katla,. considered one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes under. ice. Katla has actually racked up more than 20 eruptions because the Middle. Ages, balancing one every 60 years, and it is overdue for. another, having last erupted in 1918. Throughout that eruption, heat. putting from Katla's caldera rapidly melted the ice atop the. volcano, releasing a torrent of water higher than the integrated. discharges of the Amazon, Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers at its. peak. And, like Laki, Katla has explosive potential.
The time for Katla to emerge is coming close ... It is high. time for European federal governments and airline authorities all over. Europe and the world to begin planning for the ultimate Katla. eruption, then-Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson informed. BBC News in 2010, following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. The ash cloud from that eruption caused EUR1.3 billion (US$ 1.4. billion) in losses from cancelled flights throughout a six-day. European airspace restriction, making it the world's costliest eruption. in the last century.
The Icelandic federal government has emergency plans in place for a. Katla-style eruption and works with regional police districts to. produce near-term threat evaluations for other volcanoes.
However the government has actually also tapped its intense structure to. its benefit, utilizing it to heat homes and companies and draw. big-spending travelers to renewing geothermal baths. After. the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, the Icelandic federal government made. volcanoes a pillar of a now multibillion-dollar tourist. industry. Keepsake stores in the capital, Reykjavik, offer lava. rocks from a recent eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula for. 2,000 Icelandic krona (US$ 14) apiece.
SEEING YOUR PALS VANISH
Like many Icelanders, 29-year-old Iris Ragnarsdottir. Pedersen and her daddy, 62-year-old Ragnar Frank Kristjansson,. have an intimate understanding of the extremes of their land of ice. and fire. Along the south coast in Svinafell, Ragnarsdottir. Pedersen, a mountain guide, lives with her hubby and their. Icelandic sheepdog, Blika. Her father, a retired national forest. manager, has a small turf-roofed summer house next door. Overlooking them is a large cliff, beyond which lies. Vatnajokull ice cap and, under it, the volcano Oraefajokull. After Oraefajokull emerged in 1362, sailors reported seaborne. pumice floating in such masses that ships could hardly make. their way through it.
Father and child both remember signing up with fellow Icelanders. throughout the years to admire the glowing fountains and rivers of. lava produced by eruptions. They also recognize with the. impact of environment modification.
For 25 years, Kristjansson has actually volunteered as a glacier. monitor with the Icelandic Glaciological Society, tracking the. retreat of 2 glaciers that flow out of the Vatnajokull ice. cap, the nation's biggest. Every fall, he treks for hours to. among the glaciers, Skeidararjokull, to take measurements that. he sends to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. It's a lonely. walk toward the glacier-- 15 km in the black sand, he stated.
Kristjansson utilized to be able to stride right approximately the edge. of Skeidararjokull. However as it has rapidly diminished over the past. years, a lake has actually formed at the foot of the glacier, obstructing. his way. He now has to utilize unique binoculars to determine the. range. This year, he said, one point along the glacier's edge. showed a retreat of 300 metres (984 feet), which is the greatest. he has actually taped.
Ragnarsdottir Pedersen has actually experienced the retreat from year. to year on treks to the glaciers with her dad and by simply. looking out her windows. It's simply devastating to see, she. stated. I have actually in some cases said to people, 'It resembles watching your. buddies vanish.'
As a child, she understood Oraefajokull prowled under the. Vatnajokull ice cap. But it only ended up being a concern when the. volcano started rumbling in 2017, just as she and her hubby. started planning to build their home near it. When she felt the. earthquakes and caught the smell of sulphur from the rivers, she. said, You're like, 'Oh yeah, we actually have this powerful,. rather hazardous volcano right above our home.'
Ultimately, she and her partner weren't worried enough to. cancel the relocation, having faith that researchers would closely. keep track of the volcano for any risk. People have resided in. Svinafell considering that the settlement of Iceland, she said.
A CLINICAL CAPITAL
Oraefajokull is one of 6 active volcanoes covered by the. Vatnajokull ice cap. As Vatnajokull has actually thinned and retreated,. some of the volcanoes below it, as well as close-by Askja, have. become agitated. Oraefajokull has relaxed considering that its 2017. awakening. Grimsvotn and Bardarbunga, 2 volcanoes under the. ice cap that are being assessed in Parks' task, have together. notched 5 eruptions in the previous thirty years, compared to just. one under the ice cap in the preceding 40 years.
Parks and her clinical associates said it's too early to. conclude that the increased activity under Vatnajokull is linked. to rapid loss of ice cover. Other scientists have actually developed. that clusters of eruptions can occur in natural cycles under the. ice cap. But to determine whether climate modification might also be. playing a part, they will have to collect more data on ice. retreat and lava generation and feed it into complicated computer system. designs.
Due to the fact that of its continuing unrest, Askja is the main draw for. scientists, who flock to its huge calderas when Iceland's. brief summer allows for field research study. Like most of Iceland's. volcanoes, Askja does not conform to the stereotypical cone. shape of volcanoes such as Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. Instead,. fissures snake across a vast Mars-like landscape carpeted. with lava rocks and pockmarked with craters from past eruptions.
To reach the centrepiece of the Askja system, an. 11-square-km (four sq miles) caldera lake called Oskjuvatn,. researchers journey hours across the highlands in Super Jeeps and. Land Rovers balanced on 35-inch tires. Oskjuvatn was formed in. an explosive 1875 eruption that shot out big volumes of airy. pumice, much of it still covering the location around Askja, with. fist-sized portions tossed about by strong winds.
Above the lava tank near the western side of the lake. is where Askja has actually been inflating fastest, a lure for. scientists. On a go to in August, Reuters experienced a group of. three scientists from the University of Geneva at the lake's. edge, filling equipment into an inflatable rowboat. Their objective: to. measure carbon dioxide concentrations in the lake and collect. water samples from its inmost points.
The information is challenging to get. The numbingly cold and typically. tempestuous waters are dangerous. Landslides on the caldera's. high scarp can launch tsunamis huge enough to overload neighbouring. Viti crater. In 1907, 2 German researchers set off onto the. lake and were never seen again. The Geneva team's boat would be. the first on the lake in nearly a decade. The University of. Geneva scientists dressed in thick thermal equipment, simply in. case.
One of them, geologist Nicolas Oestreicher, stated the work. was necessary offered both Askja's explosive capabilities and the. increased activity around the lake. If it's a huge explosion,. then it's truly hazardous for the people around here, the. travelers, Oestreicher stated.
His group, which later returned securely from their boat journey,. was among numerous from Iceland and abroad that day racing to. find out what was going on at Askja. University of Iceland. geophysicist Freysteinn Sigmundsson, co-head with Parks of the. government-funded job, existed, too. Today might be the. wealthiest day in all of Askja's history in regards to the variety of. researchers here, he said.
Sigmundsson has actually been pertaining to the volcano almost every year. considering that 1990 and he knows the terrain well. Carrying a. surveying tripod, he clambered with sure-footed expertise across. beds of jagged, crunchy lava, searching for round metal markers. that researchers anchored in the area in the 1960s and 1970s. These would inform him where to set up his equipment to examine how. much Askja had actually grown or moved over the past year.
The measurements Sigmundsson and his coworkers took in. August showed 12 cm (five inches) of uplift at Askja given that the. previous year, confirming that the volcano was still in a state. of discontent and could erupt at any time.
FROM THE ANDES TO ANTARCTICA
Regardless of what they ultimately find, the interplay. between volcanoes and ice will remain a chief concern among. volcanologists. The most fatal eruption in the last 100 years. was that of Nevado del Ruiz in the Colombian Andes in 1985. Some. 23,000 people were eliminated after a superheated amalgam of ash,. lava pieces and gases called a pyroclastic circulation melted snow. and ice near the volcano's top, sending enormous rivers of mud. and debris hurrying down the volcano's flanks.
Any eruption where there is a possibility of (snow or ice). communicating with the hot stuff contributes to the aspects of threat,. said Ben Edwards, a volcanologist at Dickinson College in. Pennsylvania and lead author of the 2020 study that produced the. database of ice-clad volcanoes.
Edwards and his fellow researchers prepared a list of the. world's most unsafe volcanoes that lie under glaciers, based. on the volume of ice on or near each one, the frequency of past. eruptions, and the population living within 30 km (19 miles). 7 of the top 10, they found, are in the Andes. The most. hazardous is Villarrica in Chile, with more than 35,000 individuals. residing in its shadow. Edwards remains in the middle of a five-year. research study looking for to comprehend how Villarrica reacted to glacial. retreat at the end of the last Ice Age.
The small number of research studies to date of the interaction. in between pulling away ice and volcanoes in other parts of the. world, researchers stated, mean the research underway in Iceland. will help develop a design template for what could occur elsewhere. It's not a best comparison: The underlying plate tectonics in. Iceland differ from those in the Andes. Magma reservoirs also. lie much deeper in the crust in the Andes than in Iceland,. Edwards said.
We don't have an excellent physical understanding of all the. procedures that control melting (of rock into magma) much deeper in. the mantle, said David Pyle, a volcanologist at the University. of Oxford who studies Chilean volcanoes. Whereas in Iceland,. the conceptual model is better established because in a manner. it's geologically simpler.
Antarctica, where both ice and volcanoes are abundant, has. become an area of issue in the last few years. While a handful of. volcanoes were understood to reside under the huge West Antarctic Ice. Sheet, in 2017 scientists reported discovering another 91 possible. volcanoes hidden there.
How many of them are active or have the potential to awaken. is difficult to establish. There are probably two or 3. which are certainly active. However there might be as many as 100 or. 150, said John Smellie, a former senior volcanologist with the. British Antarctic Survey who has actually finished 27 field seasons on. the continent and won 2 Polar Medals from the British royals.
If environment modification begins a new age of eruptions in the. coming years, Smellie said, it would hasten the already fast. loss of the continent's ice cover due to climate modification, adding. to rising water level and overloading the world's big seaside. cities. Antarctica is shedding more than 150 billion metric heaps. of ice a year, according to satellite measurements, and. scientists think that as oceans continue to warm, the West. Antarctic Ice Sheet is quick approaching a tipping point beyond. which the melt can not be stopped.
If an eruption includes even a small amount to global sea. level, it will worsen impacts currently happening due to. environment modification, Smellie said.
Under the worst-case situation, rapid melting of the West. Antarctic Ice Sheet would alleviate the pressure on buried volcanoes,. setting off eruptions. This in turn would speed up ice loss,. awakening much more volcanoes that melt more ice, and so on,. resulting in international catastrophe. Nevertheless, Smellie stated, that is. not likely to take place because thousands of nearly simultaneous. eruptions would be needed to melt even a small percentage of the. ice sheet.
IN THE RISK ZONE
Couple of individuals make their home near Askja. The closest village. lies about 60 km (37 miles) away. But some 13,000 individuals visit. the volcano throughout the summer season, when Askja is more. available, according to data from the national park authority. Frequently, tourists climb down into Viti crater to swim in the. Instagram-worthy lake, despite signs that warn them about acidic. water, which can irritate skin, and falling rock.
After a week of field work at and around Askja last August,. the volcanologists gathered park rangers and local police and. lodging personnel in a close-by ranger hut one night for a security. instruction on the state of the volcano.
Parks hovered over her laptop computer displaying a series of charts. and charts on her latest findings that revealed Askja was. still pumping up. Sigmundsson, standing in the doorway, described. to the rangers and police that forecasting eruptions is an. inaccurate science; they may not always have weeks of. seismic activity as a caution of an imminent eruption. The time. scale can be quite brief, he said. Hours, possibly ... You would. wish to have a plan if something occurs to rapidly evacuate the. caldera.
Among the greatest threats to tourists is a phreatic. explosion-- a blast of hot steam, ash and rocks that includes. little warning. That's what formed Viti crater nearly 150 years. earlier. In 2019, a phreatic explosion at New Zealand's White Island. volcano killed 22 people who were checking out the island at the. time.
At Sigmundsson's words, the room fell quiet. One of the. police officers then piped up with a plan: We just have to hope. that it blows up in the middle of the winter season.
(source: Reuters)