Somalia Seasonal Monitor: December 24, 2020
Format
FEWS NET publishes a Seasonal Monitor for Somalia every 10 days (dekad) through the end of the current October to December deyr rainy season.
The purpose of this document is to provide updated information on the progress of the deyrseason to facilitate contingency and response planning.
This Somalia Seasonal Monitor is valid through December 31, 2020, and is produced in collaboration with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) Somalia, the Somali Water and Land Information System (SWALIM), a number of other agencies, and several Somali nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Deyr rainfall season ends, with most of Somalia receiving little to no rainfall in mid-December During the December 11-20 period, most of Somalia received little to no rainfall. According to both field information and preliminary Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) imagery, only
50 Years Of Drinking Water Research
By U.S. EPA
A harmful algal bloom
For nearly 50 years, EPA scientists have done research to support drinking water standards and protect America’s drinking water. However, drinking water systems are increasingly facing new challenges, such as emerging contaminants in source waters that can adversely impact health, including algal toxins from harmful algal blooms (HABs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Harmful algal blooms are a major environmental problem in all 50 states. Some, but not all, types of HABs are overgrowths of toxin-producing algae in fresh or marine waters that can adversely affect human and animal health and local economies. Cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) are a type of bacteria that exhibit characteristics of algae and can form these HABs. They often develop due to a combination of factors, such as excess nutrients, water temperature, and light availability.
Wyden, Merkley Keeping Oregon and 2021 in Sight
December 23, 2020
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ron Wyden today announced a wide range of investments that will benefit Oregon and are included in the fiscal year 2021 spending bill that has passed the Senate. The next step is for the president to sign the bill into law.
Taken together, the investments announced by the senators impact virtually all communities in every corner of the state, addressing some of Oregonians’ biggest challenges. The provisions highlighted include only a fraction of those in the omnibus package that benefit Oregon, including health care, education, science and conservation, and more.
2Famine Early Warning Systems Network, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
3Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute (EEFRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Long-term urban land use land cover change (LULCC) dynamics and climate change trends in Southwest Ethiopia s four urban centers were examined for 60 years. Remote sensing, aerial photos, and Landsat, temperature, and rainfall data were analyzed from a climate change perspective over the Jimma, Bedelle, Bonga, and Sokorru urban centers of southwest Ethiopia from 1953 to 2018. Based on geospatial analysis and maximum likelihood supervised image classification techniques to classify LULCC categories, the Mann-Kendall test was applied to perform trend analyses on temperature and rainfall. The LULCC analysis revealed that built-up areas over the urban centers had shown an increasing trend, with the highest increment by 2,360 hectares over Jimma, while vegetation, wetland, and cropland declined due to conversion of plain lands to built-up areas
two billion gallons of lava, which could cover a space of
33 acres
(13 hectares).
Lava flows out of two vents, forming a lava lake on Kīlauea s summit crater. Source: M. Patrick/USGS
Luckily for those living on the island, the eruption and lava flow aren t threatening any residential spots, unlike in 2018 when over 700 homes were destroyed during the last eruption.
Also, the USGS hasn t reported any explosions from the volcano at this stage.
The bright eruption started on Sunday. Source: USGS
Residents have been warned, however, to watch out for potentially high levels of volcanic gas, rockfalls, or future explosions. Moreover, when Kīlauea is in action, she spews large amounts of sulfur dioxide, creating a volcanic s