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Posts Tagged ‘Brisbane’

Australia evaluates sea level threats

June 6, 2011 Comments off

thewatchers

Australia’s major cities are all coastal. Confirmed sea level rises, combined with ongoing severe coastal erosion, have been worrying people for the last decade. It’s now looking like the famous Australian beachside lifestyle is riding on the tides. The problem is that Australia has been glued to the coast, with inland development relatively slow. Much of the coast is based on sandstone and big sediment-based cliffs, which are as prone to erosion as California’s notorious...

Australia’s major cities are all coastal. Confirmed sea level rises, combined with ongoing severe coastal erosion, have been worrying people for the last decade. It’s now looking like the famous Australian beachside lifestyle is riding on the tides.
The problem is that Australia has been glued to the coast, with inland development relatively slow. Much of the coast is based on sandstone and big sediment-based cliffs, which are as prone to erosion as California’s notorious hills. They’re basically big sand dunes, with little or no resistance to hits from big tides. Some areas have seen large areas of coastline literally dissolving. Many coastal councils are already introducing restrictions on Read more…
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Tropical Cyclone Yasi Headed Toward Queensland, Australia

January 31, 2011 Comments off

NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of Yasi on Jan. 30 at 23:20 UTC (6:20 p.m. EST/09:20 a.m., Monday, January 31 in Australia/Brisbane local time). Although the image did not reveal a visible eye, the storm appears to be well-formed and also appears to be strengthening. Credit: NASA Goddard / MODIS Rapid Response Team

Tropical Storm Anthony made landfall in Queensland, Australia this past weekend, and now the residents are watching a larger, more powerful cyclone headed their way. NASA’s Terra satellite captured a visible image of the large Tropical Cyclone Yasi late yesterday as it makes its way west through the Coral Sea toward Queensland.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured an image of Cyclone Yasi on Jan. 30 at 23:20 UTC (6:20 p.m. EST/09:20 a.m., Monday, January 31 in Australia/Brisbane local time). Although the image did not reveal a visible eye, the storm appears to be well-formed and also appears to be strengthening.

Warnings and watches are already in effect throughout the Coral Sea. The Solomon Islands currently have a Tropical Cyclone warning for Read more…

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Brisbane on edge ahead of catastrophic flood peak

January 11, 2011 Comments off

Authorities are urging people to stay calm as Brisbane and Ipswich prepare for unprecedented flooding over the next two days.

Heavy rain, releases from the giant Wivenhoe Dam and high tides will combine to cause major flood peaks in both cities in the next couple of days, with river levels rising above the historic 1974 floods.

And a four-year-old boy’s death in Ipswich has taken the Queensland floods death toll to 10.

“We are facing one of our toughest ever tests, we will only pass this test if we are calm,” Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said.

“Now is not a time for panic, it is a time for us to stick together.”

Authorities say about 6,500 properties could be flooded as the Bremer and Brisbane rivers hit hits record levels over the next two days.

As panicked residents strip supermarket shelves bare, Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson says people should stay calm.

“Stay calm but act wisely and if you’re in doubt, evacuate to friends or evacuate, don’t take any unnecessary risks,” he said.

The Brisbane River is predicted to rise to 3 metres tonight, 4.5 metres tomorrow and is likely to peak higher than the 1974 floods that reached 5.45 metres.

Large parts of Brisbane are already affected by flooding. A number of shops Read more…

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