Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet (August 16, 2013)

Camel Connection
Scientists believe they may have found an important clue into how the emerging MERS virus has come to infect nearly 100 people, mainly in the Middle East or among those who have traveled there.  A new study into what "reservoir" may be fueling the outbreak found that antibodies for the coronavirus, or one very similar, are widespread among camels on the Arabian Peninsula.  But the World Health Organization cautioned that many infected people caught it from other humans, while most of the other patients had not been around camels.  The link between the virus and camels is of urgent concern because of the upcoming Haji, the annual Muslim pilgrimage that draws millions of the faithful to Mecca, where they must participate in the sacrifice of an animal.  Camels are also important in the Middle East as a source of meat and milk.  It was discovered soon after MERS emerged last year that it was related to a virus found in bats.  Experts then theorized that since humans don't often come in contact with bats, the flying mammals were infecting other animals that later passed the virus on to people.  The disease has killed many of those infected with symptoms that include fever, respiratory difficulties and kidney failure.
Volcano Deaths
A sudden burst of searing volcanic debris killed six people who were sleeping on a beach on the tiny Indonesian island home of Mount Rokatenda volcano.  Many villagers on Palue had refused to leave because of the traditional belief that their presence was needed to keep lava from destroying their villages.  Some of those in evacuations centers on nearby Flores Island were falling ill due to a rain of ash blowing over from the volcano.
Unprecedented Heat
Japan experienced its hotest temperature on record with a reading of 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit in Shimanto, a coastal city on the western island of Shikoku, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.  That broke the previous record of 105.6 degrees set in August 2007.  A week of sweltering conditions sent almost 10,000 people to hospitals by ambulance across Japan, suffering from heat-related problems.  Officials said at least 19 people died of heatstroke.  Air conditioning use strained the country's power grids since Japan shut down its nuclear reactors in the wake of the tsunami-related Fukushima nuclear diseaster two years ago.
*   China has experienced its hottest summer since 1961.  Extreme heat since July 1 has resulted in at least 40 deaths in the south of the country while more than 10 people have died from heatstroke in Shanghai.
Dolphin Deaths
The greatest mass die-off of dolphins along the eastern United States in 25 years has carcasses showing up on beaches from New York to Virginia at a rate that is seven times higher than usual.  Government scientists have declared it an "unusual mortality event."   More than 155 Atlantic bottlenose dolphin carcasses have been found since the deaths began in June.  NOAA Fisheries scientist Maggie Mooney-Seus tells Earthweek that carcasses could begin washing up as far south as Flordia within the next few months as the marine mammals begin to migrate southward.  Tissue samples from three of the dead dolphins found in New Jersey tested positive for morbillivirus.  It's an infectious pathogen similar to sistemper, which attacks the central nervous systems of dogs.
Typhoon
The world's strongest tropical cyclone so far this year left at least seven people dead as it crossed much of the Philippine island of Luzon as a Category-4 storm.  Typhoon Utor later struck China's Guangdong province with sustained winds of 90 mph.
Earthquakes
A sharp 5.7 magnitude temblor in southeastern Tibet's Qamdo prefecture wrecked houses and damaged roads near the epicenter.
*   Earth movements were also felt in the Big Island of Hawaii, western Columbia, the English Channel region and across a wide area from Indonesia's Banda Sea to Darwin, Australia.
'Seasick' Crabs
A Norwegian fisherman, known in the country's Arctic outpost of Kjollefjord as "the crab king" is fighting back after the government banned him from displaying live snow crabs to tourists because officials say the practice can make the crustaceans "seasick".  Kjell Sorbo was ordered to cease the practice because "it is not natural for a crab to be exposed to strong light, heat and noise outside of water," the country's food standards agency declared.  "Crabs have feelings too, and like other animals they have the right to be treated properly," said agency spokesman Robin Martinsen.  But Sorbo isn't buying the claim.  "They have no proof of this.  Those are just guesses," he told the broadcaster NRK.  He and his supporters collected financing for scientific research to determine if the government's claims were founded, but the agency said it already had enough evidence.