On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. On top of that, it will be full. And one astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet.
Richard Nolle, a noted astrologer who runs the website astropro.com, has famously termed the upcoming full moon at lunar perigee (the closest approach during its orbit) an "extreme supermoon."
When the moon goes super-extreme, Nolle says, chaos will ensue: Huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth. (It should be noted that astrology is not a real science, but merely makes connections between astronomical and mystical events.)
But do we really need to start stocking survival shelters in preparation for the supermoon? [Photos: Our Changing Moon]
The question is not actually so crazy. In fact scientists have studied related scenarios for decades. Even under normal conditions, the moon is close enough to Earth to make its weighty presence felt: It causes the ebb and flow of the ocean tides.
The moon's gravity can even cause small but measureable ebbs and flows in the continents, called "land tides" or "solid Earth tides," too. The tides are greatest during full and new moons, when the sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.
According to John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, particularly dramatic land and ocean tides do trigger earthquakes. "Both the moon and sun do stress the Earth a tiny bit, and when we look hard we can see a very small increase in tectonic activity when they're aligned," Vidale told Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com.
At times of full and new moons, "you see a less-than-1-percent increase in earthquake activity, and a slightly higher response in volcanoes."
The effect of tides on seismic activity is greatest in subduction zones such as the Pacific Northwest, where one tectonic plate is sliding under another. William Wilcock, another seismologist at the University of Washington, explained: "When you have a low tide, there's less water, so the pressure on the seafloor is smaller. That pressure is clamping the fault together, so when it's not there, it makes it easier for the fault to slip."
According to Wilcock, earthquake activity in subduction zones at low tides is 10 percent higher than at other times of the day, but he hasn't observed any correlations between earthquake activity and especially low tides at new and full moons. Vidale has observed only a very small correlation.
What about during a lunar perigee? Can we expect more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on March 19, when the full moon will be so close?
The moon's gravitational pull at lunarperigee, the scientists say, is not different enough from its pull at other times to significantly change the height of the tides and thus the likelihood of natural disasters. [Infographic: Phases of the Moon Explained]
"A lot of studies have been done on this kind of thing by USGS scientists and others," John Bellini, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, told Life's Little Mysteries. "They haven't found anything significant at all."
Vidale concurred. "Practically speaking, you'll never see any effect of lunar perigee," he said. "It's somewhere between 'It has no effect' and 'It's so small you don't see any effect.'"
The bottom line is, the upcoming supermoon won't cause a preponderance of earthquakes, although the idea isn't a crazy one.
"Earthquakes don't respond as much to the tides as you'd think they would. There should actually be more of an effect," said Vidale.
Most natural disasters have nothing to do with the moon at all. The Earth has a lot of pent up energy, and it releases it anytime the buildup gets too great. The supermoon probably won't push it past the tipping point, but we'll know for sure, one way or the other, by March 20. •
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North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb
Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:27 PM PST
North Korea appears to be protesting the joint U.S. and South Korean military maneuvers by jamming Global Positioning Devices in the south, which is a nuisance for cell phone and computers users — but may only be a hint of the looming menace for the military. [...] The jamming has raised new questions about whether [...]This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.
North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb
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Why World Food Prices Once Again Hit Record High
And last week, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization confirmed that global food prices reached record highs in February, and continue to rise, with no end in sight. This follows a previous U.N. FAO report in January, when the FAO warned that food prices had been higher in 2010 than in any year since the FAO started keeping track of food costs.
What is causing these persistent price increases across the globe? A number of factors have contributed to food price inflation:
Increased Global Demand for Food
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's World Population Clock, the global population is now approaching 7 billion. As the human population increases, so, of course, does the world's demand for food.
But perhaps more importantly, where food availability and food prices are concerned, economic and technological improvements in developing nations have created a burgeoning new global middle class, with a strong daily appetite for certain foods that were once considered a luxury for most of the world's people.
Demand for meat and dairy products has increased dramatically over the past decade in China, India and other emerging economic leaders in Asia. And when demand for meat and milk goes up, the price of grain rises, because grain that once went to feed people gets diverted to feed farm animals instead.
Climate Change-Fueled Natural Disasters
In 2010, a record heat wave led to rampant wildfires in Russia, destroying so much of the country's wheat crop that the government banned wheat exports in alarm. That same year, unprecedented flooding in Pakistan devastated food production nationwide. Both disasters contributed significantly to higher food prices -- and both were linked by scientists to global climate change.
This year, extensive flooding and typhoon damage in Australia and crop-killing frosts in Mexico already threaten to raise the prices of everything from wheat to tomatoes.
High Oil Prices
Whenever prices for oil rise, food prices tend to rise in tandem or soon after. Part of the price of food that consumers purchase at markets and grocery stores includes the cost of transporting that food from the place it was originally grown, and the price of transportation rises with the price of fuel. Also, industrial farms often use petroleum-based fertilizers on their crops, which become more expensive when oil prices are higher.
As protests and revolution sweep across North Africa and the Middle East, oil prices have skyrocketed on fears that oil-producing countries like Libya and Saudi Arabia might not be able to continue to provide an uninterrupted supply of fossil fuels to the rest of the world. Which brings us to another major factor currently influencing food prices...
Political Turmoil
In nations facing political crisis, food often becomes scarce due to the disruption of public services. Governments are generally responsible for overseeing imports, maintaining highways, preventing theft, etc., and when they are temporarily unable to perform those services efficiently due to conflict or changes in leadership, that can cause local food prices to rise rapidly, which in turn can lead to speculation by commodities investors that has the potential to drive up food prices worldwide.
What Ordinary People Can Do to Help Bring Down Food Prices
The continuing rise in global food prices may seem like a problem beyond the control of ordinary people, but there are some things the average consumer can do to help keep costs down.
Buy Local
Locally-produced food does not have to travel long distances from field to plate, decreasing the amount of fuel used in food transportation. Helping the food system conserve fuel in this way not only lowers the cost of food, but also helps prevent further climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
Buy Fair Trade
When farm workers in other nations earn fair living wages and work under safe conditions, their higher quality of life empowers them to be more involved as educated citizens, promoting democracy and political stability.
Grow Your Own
During World War II, the United States faced potential shortages of food and fuel as international trade was disrupted and the government tried to adequately supply U.S. soldiers overseas.
In response, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged American families to start edible gardens in backyards and unused empty lots. By the end of the war, these Victory Gardens were supplying 40 percent of U.S. produce.
There is no food more local than that grown in your own yard. Home gardening is an easy, healthy, eco-friendly way to lower your own family food budget while also helping to reduce the price of food worldwide. •
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Blessings to you and your family in these uncertain and unnerving times! -Missygirl*
