Earth Current -- 2010 in Review

For Staff Only

2010: Year of Disasters

Where natural disasters were concerned, 2010 was a particularly deadly year. According to insurance company Munich RE, a total of 950 natural catastrophes were recorded last year--ranging from storms and floods to Haiti's devastating earthquake--resulting in deaths of 295,000 people and more than $130 billion in damage. The death toll and damage estimates well exceeded average annual losses. These totals do not even take into account the damage from man-made disasters, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, even many natural disasters may also have had a human component. Munich RE asserts that "the high number of weather-related natural catastrophes and record temperatures both globally and in different regions of the world provide further indications of advancing climate change."

See also: Natural Disasters Claimed 295,000 Lives Last Year (Environmental News Service)

Earthquakes

Haiti

A massive earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, killing between 200,000 to 250,000 people--the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years. The total cost of the disaster has been estimated to be between $7.2 billion to $13.2 billion. A year later, the international community is stuggling to provide care to refugees and to prevent the further spread of cholera.

Haiti Earthquake of 2010 - Encyclopedia Britannica article includes overview, maps, videos and images.

Haiti Earthquake - Nice overview and complete coverage from New York Times.

Haiti Earthquake - Complete coverage from BBC.

Haiti Earthquake - Complete Coverage of Haiti Earthquake from CNN.

Earthquake Hazards Program (USGS) - Includes scientific and technical data as well as maps relating to the Haiti quake.

Chile

The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred on February 27, 2010, rating a magnitude of 8.8. The quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks and triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile. The death toll as of May 15, 2010 was 521 victims.

Earthquake in Chile - Coverage from Voice of America News.

Chile Earthquake Altered Earth Axis, Shortened Day - National Geographic News, March 2, 2010.

Chile Quake - BBC coverage.

Earthquake Hazards Program (USGS) - Includes scientific and technical data as well as maps relating to the Chilean quake.

Indonesia

On October 25, a 7.7 magnitude quake in Sumatra resulted in a tsunami with a maximum height of more than seven meters. More than 330 people were killed.

Indonesia death toll reaches 300 with more feared after twin disasters - Guardian coverage includes video, photo essays and first-person accounts.

Natural Disasters in the Pacific - Coverage from Voice of America News.

Earthquake Hazards Program (USGS) - Includes scientific and technical data as well as maps relating to the Sumatra quake.

Hurricanes

Curtain Closes on One of Busiest Hurricane Seasons - Coverage from OurAmazingPlanet.com

The Atlantic had one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record. During the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, 19 storms formed, which tied with 1887 and 1995 for the third-highest on record. Twelve became hurricanes, and five of those became a Category 3 or higher storm. From Aug. 30 to Sept. 18, there were three instances where three tropical cyclones were simultaneously active. At one point, Igor and Julia were both Category 4, which hasn’t happened since 1926.

Floods

Pakistan

In the summer of 2010, unusually intense rains flooded one-fifth of Pakistan and left an estimated 20 million people in need of food, shelter, medical care and clothing. Estimates of the death toll of the floods range from 1,300 to 1,600. The New York Times noted: "The flood has plunged the nation into a humanitarian crisis that is likely to set back its development two generations."

Pakistan Flood - BBC Special Report

Pakistan Floods - Complete coverage from the Guardian.

2010 Pakistan Floods - Coverage from the New York Times.

Heat / Fires

Hottest Year on Record?

Although all the data is not in, 2010 is on track to be the Earth's warmest year on record, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Although NOAA experts say global climate change isn't the only reason 2010 has been so hot -- an El Nino event earlier in the year pushed temperatures up -- they said it's still the most important reason.

2010 on track to be Earth's warmest year on record - USA Today, Dec. 30, 2010.

State of the Climate Global Analysis - NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Nov. 2010.

2010 — Global Temperature and Europe's Frigid Air - NASA.

Russian Heat and Wildfires

Russia experienced the hottest summer in its recorded history, unleashing hundreds of deadly wildfires and leading to the deaths of thousands from heat and air pollution from the fires.

Russian heatwave caused 11,000 deaths in Moscow: official - AFP, Sept. 17, 2010.

Wildfires 2010 - Russian International News Agency coverage.

As Russian Fires Rage, Forest Rangers Fume- Detailed covered from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Russian Fires - BBC News coverage.

Russian Heat Wave of 2010 (NOAA) - Includes maps, graphs and charts, and photographs.

Russian Firestorm: Finding a Fire Cloud from Space (NASA)

Volcanoes

Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland)

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland grounded commercial flights across Europe for a week in April. While about 1,000 Icelanders were evacuated from areas near the volcano, there was no loss of life.

Iceland Volcano Eruption of 2010 - Complete coverage from the New York Times.

Eyjafjallajökull - Coverage from IceNews

Iceland Volcano - Coverage from the Guardian (UK)

Global Volcanism Program (Smithsonian) - Detailed monthly and weekly reports of 2010 eruption, historical data, and maps.

Nordic Volcanological Center (Institute of Earth Sciences, Iceland) - Includes photos, maps, webcams, fact sheets, etc.

Icelandic Met Office - Includes status reports on eruption, photos, and FAQs.

Merapi (Indonesia)

Volcanic eruptions from Indonesia's Mount Merapi in October and November resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people. Nearly 400,000 refugees fled the area.

Merapi - Coverge from Reuters, including video, photos, and web features.

Merapi - Coverage from The Jakarta Post

Emergency Situation Reports - World Health Organization. Includes fact sheets, maps, and casualty figures.

Global Volcanism Program (Smithsonian) - Detailed monthly and weekly reports of 2010 eruptions, historical data, and maps.

Man-made Disasters

Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill

On 20 April, an explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and precipitated one of the worst oil spills in history. By August, the damaged well had dumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, spewing as much as 62,000 barrels a day at its peak. Engineers capped the well on 15 July, although it was not permanently sealed with cement until 19 September.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill - Encyclopedia of Earth.

NOAA Deepwater Horizon Library - Maps, data, news, educational materials, fact sheets, detailed wildlife reports, images, videos and more.

The Science of the Oil Spill - News and articles from Science Magazine.

Restore the Gulf.gov - Deepwater Horizon Joint Response Site.

2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - New Orleans Times Picyune.

The Daily Glob - Combined coverage from the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Hungarian Toxic Sludge Flood

Up to one million cubic meters of toxic sludge flooded from a burst reservoir at an alumina plant in Ajka, Hungary in October, destroying homes and pouring into rivers that feed the Danube. Seven people died in the flood.

Villagers despair in Hungary's red wasteland - BBC, Oct. 12, 2010.

Hungary calms Danube sludge fears as death toll rises - BBC, Oct. 8, 2010.

Danube in danger: toxic timebombs from Soviet years put region at risk - Guardian, Oct. 12, 2010.

Photo credits: U.S. Navy/Joshua Lee Kelsey (Haiti aid worker); U.S. Army/Spc. Richard Daniels Jr. (Pakistan flood); Stefan Kristinsson/National Geographic (Eyjafjallajökull); NOAA (Deepwater Horizon)