Earthwek: A Diary of the Planets (May 10, 2013)

Greenhouse Milestone
The amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is on the verge of exceeding 400 parts per million (ppm) this month, a concentration of the climate-warming gas not seen on the planet in 3 million years.  That projection is based on observations made at Mauna Loa Observatory, the volcano-top Hawaiian lab where measurements of atmospheric CO2 have been collected since 1958.  Since then, the seasonally fluctuating levels have risen from 316 ppm at an escalating rate.  According to Ralph Keeling, a geochemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the surpassing of the 400-ppm mark should serve as a warming that despite increased public awareness of the danger posed by global warming, worldwide carbon dioxide emissions show no sign of reversing.
MERS Virus Spreads
A new SARS-like virus that has killed 18 of the 30 people infected since it first emerged last September claimed five more victims in late April and early May.  Two of the latest patients were being treated in a Saudi intensive care unit, according to the country's health officials.  The viral strain causes what is now being called MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.  Infections causes acute pneumonia and kidney failure.  Most of the virus's victims have been in or from around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but authorities say they are unable to determine why.  The World Health Organization says it is unknown exactly how the disease is transmitted or how far around the globe it has spread.  The U.N. agency says there is no need to impose travel restrictions in Saudi Arabia at this time, but it urged the world health community to stay vigilant to contain any future outbreaks.
Arctic Acid
Global greenhouse gas emissions have caused the level of acidity in the Arctic Ocean to rise 30 percent since the dawn of the Industrial Age, threatening to bring dire consequences to the region's fragile ecosystem, scientists warn.  The pollution has caused pH to reach its lowest level in the Arctic for at least the last 55 million years.  The Arctic is most vulnerable to acidification because its cold waters can absorb more carbon dioxide.  Its strong freshwater inflow also makes it less able to chemically neutralize the acidification effects of the greenhouse gas.  The current acid levels threaten some species with a direct risk of extinction, and fish stocks may also be affected, scientists say.
Volcanoes
Four German tourists and their local guide were killed when one of the Philippines most active volcanoes exploded, sending boulders "as large as cars" raining down on the climbers.  The blast at Mayon was caused by rainwater coming in contact with super-heated volcanic material.
*  Three explosions from Alaska's Cleveland volcano sent a continuous plume of ash, steam and vapor soaring into key air traffic routes between the U.S. and Asia.  Some flights were forced to steer clear of the ash plume.
Earthquakes
A sharp quake struck near Iran's main nuclear reactor, in the southwestern city of Bushehr.  While there were no reports of damage or injuries, a stronger quake in the same area last month killed 37 people and virtually leveled two villages.
*  Earth movements were also felt in central New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis and in southeastern Idaho.
Asteroid Defense
Measures to protect Earth from a catastrophic impact by an asteroid or other near-Earth objects (NEO) are being developed in a four-year plan by the European Space Agency.  The plan comes less than three months after a meteor exploded over Russia's Ural region, injuring hundreds.  There are currently 10,000 NEO's that have orbits bringing them relatively close to Earth.  Detlef Koschny, head of the agency's NEO study office, says more coordinated scans of the sky each night are necessatry to find currently undiscovered NEOs.  Studies to determine if it would be more effective to deflect threatening asteroids with an explosion or an impact by a large object are also being planned.  The proposals were discussed at an international conference near Madrid.
Monkey Math
Baboons may be as skilled as a human child at distinguishing between different amounts, a new study has shown.  In a series of trials conducted by pssychologists at the University of Rochester, a small troop of olive baboons was shown to be generally successful at choosing which of two plastic cups contained more peanuts.  According to the study, the baboons were not counting the legumes one-by-one, a skill that only humans are known to have for quantities greater than three or four.  Instead, the researchers believe that the primates used a rough "eyeballing" technique.  This is similar to the way that human toddlers, who have not yet learned to properly count, size up differences in quantity.