Disaster Girl's - The Disaster Caster

December 1, 2013

2013 - The Year Without a 'Cane

Le Sigh, Hurricane Season is Over

The Last Four Atlantic Hurricane Seasons

Well that was a bit of a disappointment to say the least. The Atlantic 2013 hurricane season began this year with its first storm Tropical Storm Andrea a mere five days after its start. What was forecasted to be a busy season in the TSR review (Tropical Storm Risk Review) was actually well below average but the Atlantic basin was not alone. Even the last below average season the Atlantic saw in 2009 had a whole lot more action than the 2013 season did - 2009 Summary.

This season produced barely a hurricane, with only two forming that either didn't hit US land (Hurricane Ingrid - Mexico), or barely sustained hurricane status for long (Hurricanes Ingrid & Humberto). The tropical storm total rang low this year as well with a total of 13 tropical storms compared to last years 20 tropical storms and 10 hurricanes. Below is a closer look at the ACE data, or the Accumulated Cyclone Energy which uses wind measurements to both measure a storm and an entire season.

2013 World Hurricane Season At A Glance

Atlantic Hurricane Season - ACE - Below Normal - 28% of Average

Pacific Hurricane Season - MEAN ACE - Below Normal - EST 77% of Average

Global Hurricane Season - ACE - 74% of Average

With no El Nino surface temperatures it has been difficult for forecasters and meteorologists to pin down exactly why this season has slowed down. This years slump also has meteorologists questioning whether or not climate change matters should be factored in at all, with many adding that this level of inactivity has never been seen with ocean conditions as they were this year. In June of 2014 we will usher in the next hurricane season, I have my fingers crossed that it's not as unremarkable as this season was & hope that I can bring the Video/Live Coverage back with some cool stuff.

Until Next Year!

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season

ACE GUIDE

November 24, 2013

Forget the Yellowstone Supervolcano - Meet Tamu Massif, Set to be the Earth's First Megavolcano

Tamu Massif

WILL THIS BE THE WORLD'S FIRST MEGAVOLCANO?

William Sager, a marine geologist working at the University of Houston, has been working on an extinct volcano at the bottom of the ocean for quite a long time now- 20 years to be exact. In 1993, while working at Texas A&M University (TAMU for short), Mr. Sager began studying what he now believes to be the world's first megavolcano. What began as an look into the Shatsky Rise, an oceanic plateau which lies almost a thousand miles east of Japan, later became a search for proof that he had found the universe's second largest megavolcano- only dwarfed by Olympus Mons on Mars.

While most news sources are reporting that this is already the world's largest volcano and it very well may be- it is important to note that this has not been entirely proven to date. In fact, the only two forms of scientific evidence presented basically contradict each other. While sonar says that there are multiple peaks to the volcano- suggesting that it has more than one lava vent, core samples suggest that it is all the same rock, and of the same age. Exploring and understanding Tamu Massif isn't exactly an easy feat though, especially considering the fact that humanity has only explored roughly less than 5% of the Earth's oceans. While concrete answers on this extinct volcano that lies 6,500 feet below the surface are probably a long way off from current times, most of modern day science seems comfortable accepting Tamu Massif as the reigning champ.

TAMU MASSIF - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

NAME: Tamu Massif

LOCATION: 30N 158E - Shatsky Rise, Pacific Ocean

DEPTH: 6,500 FT Below Ocean Surface

HEIGHT: 14,620 FT

BIRTH: 145 Million Years Ago

EXTINCTION: Est. 140 Million Years Ago

TYPE: Submarine Shield Volcano

ACTIVITY: Extinct

I wonder what else is lurking just beneath the surface..

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Underwater Volcano is Earth's Biggest

New Giant Volcano Below Sea is the Largest in the World

Tamu Massif Wiki
Shatsky Rise Wiki
William Sager's TAMU Page

November 17, 2013

I Want to Live on Mars - Up Close & Personal with a Mars One Applicant

Meet Amulya Nidhi Rastogi

A Mars One Applicant

Name: Amulya Nidhi Rastogi

Age: 20 Years Old

Sex: Male

From: India

Language: English

Field of Study: Mechanical Engineering

Highlighted Personal Interests: Singing, Working Out, Writing, Animals, Weather, Food, Exploring, Philosophy, the Outdoors

From Amulya's Application:

Why did you apply for Mars One?
There comes a time in a person’s life when they realize their purpose and do whatever it takes to help better understand it and achieve it. This is my purpose. I’ve always waited and prepared myself for this opportunity.
What scares you most about the mission?
I won’t be afraid of anything if I’m chosen. I’m afraid of spending the rest of my life on Earth.
What will you miss the most on Earth?
I will miss swimming the most.
What do you bring to the table?
The two things that I have and the two things that matter the most for the success of this mission are: mental stability and patience. I also have hope.
If you could bring three things with you to Mars, what would they be?
1) A gold ring my grandmother gave me; 2) a cat, and 3) South Indian food.
Fun fact: I am always trying to become Batman. To me, the seven-year training period of Mars One is similar to the seven- to eight-year training period that Bruce Wayne (Batman) went through.

Via Buzzfeed

Amulya's Video Application

Amulya's Mars One Application

Back Story on the Mars One Mission: In 2012 Bas Lansdorp, a Dutch entrepreneur, announced that his non-profit organization Mars One would be sending 24 people (4 people in each of the 6 separate trips) on a one way trip to the red planet for ten years between 2023 and 2033. Applications were open to the public for a period of just over 4 months, ending August 31st of 2013. Applicants will undergo a training process for quite some time before they are actually chosen for the mission, all applicants will find out whether they've been chosen in July of 2015. The plans for the Mars One mission include building a settlement on the red planet for humans in the future, with completely sustainable systems on site. Chosen applicants are told that they will never return to Earth, so the decision to even apply for this opportunity is a heavy one- even so over 2,500 people applied (including almost 25% Americans). Similar missions to Mars include: Inspiration Mars, which is a project that will take couples on a 501 day fly-by of the red planet.

GOOD LUCK AMULYA!

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

Mars One Wiki

Mars One Official Website

November 5, 2013

5 Places Abandoned by the World - Apocalypse Now Photo Series - Part 1

Apocalypse Now

In abandoned areas all over the world you can get the sights and feeling of the apocalypse without ever really having to live through it yourself. While some of the areas mentioned throughout this photo series are closed, restricted, or have been deemed unsafe for the public- at one time or another someone got in long enough to snap a couple shots.* The adventurer in me says screw the rules, and trek on my fellow salvage ethnographists! The Abandoned Places- Apocalypse Now photo series will continue from now through January 2013! Check back every month for a new post!