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Chaos erupts over last-minute cruise itinerary change

<p>Passengers onboard a Carnival Cruise have demanded refunds after their travel itinerary changed once they had already boarded the ship. </p> <p>Guests aboard Carnival’s Vista had booked the eight-night Southern Caribbean cruise out of Port Florida on August 10th intending to stop in Aruba, Curacao and Turks and Cacaos, with the eight-day cruise averaging $11,700 per person.</p> <p>However, as boarding was taking place, the cruise line sent passengers a notification saying their had been a change of plans due to an engine problem.</p> <p>Carnival crew members had discovered a “technical issue affecting the ship’s cruising speed” which forced the cruise line to alter the itinerary, the cruise line told the New York Post, with Vista instead traveling to the Bahamas, making stops at Nassau, Princess Cays, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay. </p> <p>While a cruise worker was trying to explain the situation to passengers, some started chanting "Give us our money!" while staff tried to diffuse the situation.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_OYKHVvIIh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_OYKHVvIIh/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Only in Florida (@onlyinfloridaa)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Ladies and gentlemen, the way you’re going about this with the noise and chaos isn’t going to solve any issues,” one cruise employee explained to the passengers, according to video obtained by Inside Edition.</p> <p>The passengers were given several choices once the cruise line determined the need for an itinerary change, as the cruise line said in a statement. </p> <p>“We communicated directly with guests on board regarding their options for the sailing,” Carnival said.</p> <p>“Those that sailed were given an on-board credit as well as a future cruise credit toward another cruise to make up for the unexpected change, and those who preferred not to sail were offered a 100 per cent refund.” </p> <p>Even with the choice of not cruising to the Bahamas, passengers were still frustrated with Carnival for the last-minute announcement.</p> <p>“They knew about the problem prior to us getting onto the ship,” Ashley Ball told the outlet. “They just didn’t say that until we were already on the ship, and, you know, went through customs and the lines and securities and all that, and then decided to display that information.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Ridiculous": Debate erupts over whether grandparents should be paid to babysit

<p>Any parent knows how difficult it is to get your child into daycare or preschool. With limited spaces across the country and rising costs, many are turning to their families for help.</p> <p>Many rely on grandma and grandpa to help out with the kids, and while some say they'd happily do it for free, others think it's time to put a price on it.</p> <p>According to a<em> Nine.com.au</em> poll 42 per cent of Aussies believe that grandparents should be paid for babysitting, while 58 per cent of them believe there's no need to pay grandparents for their services. </p> <p>However, the question is more complicated than a simple yes or no, with many explaining that it depends on the circumstance. </p> <p>"If grandparents are babysitting for special occasions or at their request then I don't think they should be paid. Most would do it for love and time with grandkids. If grandparents are providing child minding then that's different. If it's a regular occurrence then yes they should be paid,"  explained one person.</p> <p>"Grandparents should be paid to babysit if they are required for more than two full days a week," echoed another. </p> <p>"Grandparents should be paid, it is cheaper than creche and the kids won't be as sick mixing with a batch of others," a third wrote. </p> <p>For many there's a big difference between babysitting on a weekend or a one-off day versus during the week. </p> <p>"Being paid as a grandparent to babysit in my opinion is ridiculous, however if a grandparent is enlisted to provide child care more than two days a week so that parents can work, I think a payment in some form isn't unreasonable, even if it's a surprise gift intermittently," one wrote. </p> <p>"I babysit my grandchildren while my daughter works she pays me $20 for petrol, but if they want to go out and I babysit then she doesn't pay me which I'm OK with," added another person. </p> <p>The parents and grandparents' financial position was also a big factor. </p> <p>"I think the grandparent babysitting for payment is a personal thing. Some parents can really afford it, some are struggling and the grandparents do it to help out," one explained. </p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Retirement Income

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Debate erupts over groom's unconventional footwear choice

<p>In what seems to be a picture perfect wedding, eagle-eyed social media users spotted one odd detail. </p> <p>The couple were snapped standing at the altar, and while everything else about their outfit seemed flawless, one Reddit user called the groom out for wearing black Crocs and black socks to his wedding. </p> <p>“Imagine you get ready for three hours and your groom shows up in Crocs,” the user said. </p> <p>“Crocs would be a legit reason to say no at the altar,” another wrote, before adding: <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">“Crocs are a valid reason to not date someone. They are horrible.”</span></p> <p>“He’s wearing a suit, maybe he has a problem with his feet that he can’t wear proper footwear,” a third commented</p> <p>“Surely no one, no matter how casual in style, voluntarily leaves the house in Crocs?”</p> <p>However many other social media users were quick to defend the wedding faux pas, with some saying that they wish they had done the same thing at their own weeding. </p> <p>“He probably has an injured foot or broken toe. He’s perfectly groomed (a pun) otherwise and obviously tried to camouflage his socks and crocs with his attire," one sympathised. </p> <p>“Ya I have really severe diabetic neuropathy in my feet, especially my toes. Doctor actually suggested Crocs as they have extra space and don’t restrict movement," another added.</p> <p>“I wore flip flops under my dress. I hate heels with a passion,” a third wrote. </p> <p>"He's wearing a nice suit, matching dark socks so I'm not seeing an issue here as he probably has some kind of foot or back injury or pain. If I were marrying him this wouldn't bother me," added a fourth. </p> <p>“Let the man get married in something comfortable. My wife could have shown up in a potato sack barefoot for all I cared, she is there to marry me, not for a fashion show," a fifth defended. </p> <p><em>Image: Reddit</em></p> <p> </p>

Relationships

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Deadly Colombian volcano could be about to erupt, warn scientists

<div class="copy"> <p>On March 30, Colombia’s Geological Service raised its alert level on the volcano from yellow to orange. They warn that the volcano could erupt with a strength unseen in the last 10 years within “weeks or days”.</p> <p>President of Colombia Gustavo Petro on April 5 ordered the voluntary evacuation of about 2,500 families living near the volcano. Many locals have been unwilling to leave their belongings and livelihoods behind.</p> <p>Geologists monitoring the volcano have recorded thousands of tremors every day – an unprecedented number.</p> <p>Nevado del Ruiz, one of Colombia’s tallest peaks at 5,321 metres high, is located in a populated farming region. It is only 129 km west of the country’s capital city Bogotá.</p> <p>In 1985, the volcano erupted with tragic consequences. It triggered mudslides that nearly completely buried the town of Armero. More than 23,000 of the town’s 30,000 residents were killed.</p> <p>Despite humanity’s long history of living under the shadow of volcanoes and trying to understand them, geologists, seismologists and vulcanologists remain largely baffled by the lava-spewing behemoths.</p> <p>The last time the threat level of Nevado del Ruiz was raised, for example, was in 2012. For over a month in April of that year, residents were under orange alert. This was increased to red alert for two days in June. But no major eruption occurred.</p> <p>Recently, new methods for assessing the risk of volcanic eruption have been trialled from studying the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/volcano-breath-test-predict-eruptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chemical composition of the atmosphere</a> above active volcanoes to <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/ai-volcano-eruptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">utilising artificial intelligence</a> to try and make sense of the pattern of eruptions.</p> <p>University of Miami professor in marine geosciences Falk Amelung believes the threat should not be taken lightly.</p> <p>“This is a high-risk and well-monitored volcano, and right now, all the ingredients for a new eruption are there,” Amelung says in a university <a href="https://www.newswise.com/articles/is-colombia-s-deadly-nevado-del-ruiz-on-the-verge-of-a-major-eruption#!" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press release</a> on <em>Newswise</em>. “A significant seismic swarm occurred on March 30, and this [low-magnitude] earthquake sequence strongly suggests that magma is on the move.”</p> <p>Like Mount St Helens in Washington state, US which famously erupted in 1980, killing 57 people, Nevado del Ruiz is a glacier-covered volcano. Amelung says that this places local residents under extra peril.</p> <p>“Even a relatively small eruption would melt the glacier,” Amelung explains. “Volcanic ash combined with the meltwater would form mudflows, known as lahars, that can travel fast and for several miles.”</p> <div class="in-content-area content-third content-right"><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/massive-tongan-eruption-claimed-few-lives-due-to-quirk/"> </a></div> <p>Amelung admits it is impossible to say with certainty what will happen.</p> <p>“This increased period of activity could well die down and nothing happens,” he says.</p> <p>Ironically, global warming over the last 38 years since the eruption which saw the inundation of Armero, means the glaciers that cover the volcano’s summit are smaller, lessening lahar hazards.</p> <p>“But it is also bad news in terms of eruption hazards because there is less pressure from the overburden to keep the magma at depth,” Amelung adds.</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=246260&amp;title=Deadly+Colombian+volcano+could+be+about+to+erupt%2C+warn+scientists" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/colombian-volcano-erupt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Evrim Yazgin.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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“The guy's a flop”: Kyle’s feud with David Campbell erupts

<p>Kyle Sandilands’ feud with <em>Today Extra</em>’s David Campbell has been well documented over the years, though it’s doubtful that many had ‘a blow up over a fake marriage scandal’ on their 2023 bingo list. </p> <p>David Campbell has recently come under fire for comments he made during an interview with<em> Married at First Sight</em>’s Jesse Bumford. David probed Jesse about his role in the cheating scandal between his ‘wife’ and another of the show’s grooms, and went so far as to suggest Jesse was partially responsible for the infidelity.</p> <p>Kyle, like many viewers across Australia, believed David’s take left a lot to be desired. But Kyle, who has not been shy about his feelings for David in the past, wasn’t content to leave it at that.</p> <p>While chatting to <em>KIIS FM</em> co-host Jackie O on their show, Kyle declared David to be a “flop” who “never has anyone’s back”. He confessed to his surprise at David’s approach to the interview, having decided that <em>MAFS</em> groom Jesse seemed like a “nice bloke” with the public behind him. Kyle then suggested that David had immediately sided with Jesse’s ‘wife’, Claire, to appeal to the “woke” crowd. </p> <p>Jackie O seemed to share Kyle’s sentiments, agreeing that David had behaved like a “smug d**”. </p> <p>“That's what David Campbell is like,” Kyle vented. “David Campbell reads a headline somewhere, believes it to be 100 per cent true, does no research, and forms a very stupid and immature opinion because that's what that type of person does.</p> <p>“Then [he] runs around trying to protect everyone with no real details. The guy's a flop. I've never liked him.”</p> <p>He then admitted that while he likes David’s <em>Today Extra</em> co-host Sylvia Jeffreys, he can’t stomach watching the show because David makes him “physically sick to look at.” </p> <p>“This is his way of pumping himself up so he's a woke hero,” he surmised, “and no one likes that.”</p> <p>Brookyln Ross, newsreader for <em>KIIS FM</em>, suggested that David - who should be aware of <em>MAFS'</em> heavy editing and early filming dates - had no excuse for his actions. Jackie O followed up on the thought, wondering if David had even bothered watching past the first few episodes of the show. </p> <p>“I feel like he has seen the first episodes but has not watched the recent ones,” she mused. “He thought he was doing what the public wanted by attacking Jesse, and not realising, ‘dude, this isn't the way to go’.” </p> <p>“He's out of date,” Kyle stated. “This is what David Campbell does. This guy doesn't actually have his own opinion. He always does what he thinks people would like, but he really has zero personality.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

TV

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New flag furore erupts as Djokovic crushes Aus Open final

<p>Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open in convincing fashion to equal Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam record, a year after he was deported over his COVID vaccination status.</p> <p>The Serbian star defeated Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday, making it Djokovic's 10th Australian Open title – equal to Nadal's Grand Slam record of 22 men's singles titles.</p> <p>However, during the broadcast an eagle-eyed viewer couldn’t help but single out the disturbing appearance of a flag bearing a controversial far-right symbol, waved by a Djokovic supporter.</p> <p>“Why am I seeing a Chetnik flag amongst the Serbian crowd at the Tsitsipas vs Djokovic match?” wrote Twitter user Sophie Mak. “Are ultra fascist symbols allowed in the Australian Open now?”</p> <p>The Chetniks were paramilitary ultranationalists who committed war crimes during WWII. Respected tennis journo Ben Rothenberg then responded by calling for future Australian Opens to be completely flag free if security cannot control such incidents.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I really think they need to make the 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> a flag-free zone if their security repeatedly can't figure this stuff out. </p> <p>Tournament security has been pretty abysmal (though we haven't had the ~annual court invader during the men's final yet). <a href="https://t.co/Mztq6NstPg">https://t.co/Mztq6NstPg</a></p> <p>— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1619649716932988929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“Tournament security has been pretty abysmal (though we haven’t had the ~annual court invader during the men’s final yet),” added Rothenberg.</p> <p>Tennis Australia were moved to introduce a complete ban on Russian and Belarusian flags earlier in the Australian Open after a Belarusian flag was spotted being waved during a Ukrainian’s match. </p> <p>Djokovic’s father Srbjan was then caught up in a controversy when he inadvertently posed alongside pro-Vladimir Putin protesters outside the stadium who were holding up a flag with the Russian leader’s face on it. Srbjan then elected not to attend the semi-final nor the final of the tournament in which his son was victorious for a record tenth time.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

News

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"Better late than never": Dolly Parton fans erupt over announcement

<p>The Queen of country music, Dolly Parton has finally made her debut on TikTok.</p> <p>Sharing the news even more widely to Twitter, Parton wrote “Better late than never”, along with a wink and a link to her new account.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Better late than never 😉<a href="https://t.co/ZYsuTMuyod">https://t.co/ZYsuTMuyod</a> <a href="https://t.co/6MGl4bR1JX">pic.twitter.com/6MGl4bR1JX</a></p> <p>— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) <a href="https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1599535444965748739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>In her first TikTok, the country music star then wrote: "I have arrived." The video was accompanied by a series of clips spanning her decades-long career while 9 to 5 plays in the background.</p> <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 720px; min-width: 288px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@dollyparton" data-unique-id="dollyparton" data-embed-type="creator"> <section><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dollyparton?refer=creator_embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@dollyparton</a></section> </blockquote> <p>Talk about a warm welcome! Fans have been holding down the fort in anticipation of her arrival and despite only just joining the app, Dolly has wasted no time and has already clocked up an impressive half a million followers.</p> <p>To date, videos with the hashtags #DollyParton and #DollyTok have over 6.4 billion views. Furthermore, #DollyTok is a sub-community where TikTok users come together to celebrate her music, movies and iconic persona.</p> <p>9 to 5 isn't the only Parton song to enjoy a revival thanks to TikTok; Jolene and Islands in the Stream have also enjoyed a re-birth.</p> <p>However, Parton's TikToks have revealed the singer's secret passion - which is cooking. The beloved country music star has already posted five cooking-related clips to celebrate her new Christmas song Berry Pie.</p> <p><em>Image: TikTok</em></p>

Music

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World’s largest active volcano erupts

<p dir="ltr">The world’s largest active volcano has begun to erupt for the first time in 38 years, with officials warning locals to prepare in the event of a worst-case scenario.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, began to erupt on Sunday night local time at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano’s summit caldera (a hollow that forms beneath the summit after an eruption).</p> <p dir="ltr">While the lava has been mostly contained within the summit, US officials said the situation could change rapidly and have urged Big Island’s 200,000 residents to prepare to evacuate if lava begins to flow towards populated areas.</p> <p dir="ltr">A warning about ashfall was previously issued to residents, given that falling ash can contaminate water supplies, kill vegetation and irritate the lungs, but the advisory has since been lifted.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly," the US Geological Service (USGS) said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The public has also been urged to stay away from Mauna Loa, given the threat caused by lava that has been shooting 30 to 60 metres into the air, as well as the emission of harmful volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-10618cf4-7fff-1daf-e239-fd7dacd6e75c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The eruption - Moana Loa’s 33rd since 1843 - comes after a series of recent earthquakes hit the region, with more than a dozen reported on Sunday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/mauna-lua1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /><em>Aerial photos show the first time Mauna Loa has erupted in the past 38 years. Image: USGS</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Bobby Camara, a lifelong resident who lives in Big Island’s Volcano Village, told <em>The Guardian</em> that he had seen the volcano erupt three times in his life and warned that everyone on the island should be vigilant.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think everybody should be a little bit concerned,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t know where the flow is going, we don’t know how long it’s going to last.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Gunner Mench, an art gallery owner in Kamuela, told the outlet that he saw the eruption alert on his phone shortly after midnight on Sunday before venturing out to film the red glow over the island and lava spilling down the side of the volcano.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You could see it spurting up into the air, over the edge of this depression,” Mench said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Right now it’s just entertainment, but the concern is (it could reach populated areas).”</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Jessica Johnson, a volcano geophysicist who has worked at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told the <em>BBC </em>that although the lava poses “little risk” to people, it could be a threat for infrastructure.</p> <p dir="ltr">She warned that lava flows could pose a threat to Hilo and Kona, two nearby population centres, and that the volcanic gases could cause breathing problems.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the USGS has noted there is no indication the lava will spill out of the summit, the agency has opened evacuation shelters due to reports of locals self-evacuating along the South Kona coast.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano and one of five that make up Hawaii’s Big Island, the southernmost island in the archipelago.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aee70986-7fff-e08d-8de9-4df53dcb9f38"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: H24 NET (Twitter)</em></p>

International Travel

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Volcano breath test helps scientists predict deadly eruptions

<p>Humanity has a long history of living in the shadows of active volcanoes.</p> <p>Prized for their rich, fertile soils – ideal for cultivating crops – and their local topography, it isn’t hard to see why living in active volcanic regions remains a worthwhile gamble.</p> <p>Volcanic eruptions, however, are notoriously difficult to predict but improving our diagnostic abilities is crucial for developing early warning procedures and evading disaster.</p> <p>External indicators such as earthquakes and deformation of the Earth’s crust are traditional methods of identifying an imminent eruption, however, not all eruptions give these early warning signs.</p> <p>But now a research team from the University of Tokyo has gained better insight into the relationship between changes in the magma composition and eruption, by studying the ratio of specific chemical isotopes in gas and steam emitted from fumaroles — holes and cracks in the earth’s surface.</p> <p>“When you compare a volcano with a human body, the conventional geophysical methods represented by observations of earthquakes and crustal deformation are similar to listening to the chest and taking body size measurements”, said Professor Hirochika Sumino from the Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology, who led the study.</p> <p>“In these cases, it is difficult to know what health problem causes some noise in your chest or a sudden increase in your weight, without a detailed medical check. On the other hand, analysing the chemical and isotope composition of elements in fumarolic gases is like a breath or blood test. This means we are looking at actual material directly derived from magma to know precisely what is going on with the magma.”</p> <p>Previous research on gas associated with an eruption from a volcano in the Canary Islands in 2011 showed an increase in the ratio of heavier helium isotopes which are typical of mantle material.</p> <p>“We knew that the helium isotope ratio occasionally changes from a low value, similar to the helium found in the Earth’s crust, to a high value, like that in the Earth’s mantle, when the activity of magma increases,” said Sumino. “But we didn’t know why we had more mantle-derived helium during magmatic unrest.”</p> <p>Sumino and team sought the answers in fumerole gas around Kusatsu-Shirane, an active volcano 150 km northwest of Tokyo. Taking samples of the gas back to the lab every few months between 2014 and 2021, the researchers were able to ascertain precise measurements of the isotopic components, discovering a relationship between the ratio of argon-40 to helium-3 ( a ‘high value’ isotope of helium) and magmatic unrest.</p> <p>“Using computer models, we revealed that the ratio reflects how much the magma underground is foaming, making bubbles of volcanic gases which separate from the liquid magma,” explained Sumino.</p> <p>The extent to which the magma is foaming “controls how much magmatic gas is provided to the hydrothermal system beneath a volcano and how buoyant the magma is. The former is related to a risk of phreatic eruption, in which an increase in water pressure in the hydrothermal system causes the eruption. The latter would increase the rate of magma ascent, resulting in a magmatic eruption.”</p> <p>The research collaboration is now developing a portable type of mass spectrometer which could be used in the field for real time analysis, reducing the need to constantly collect and transport samples back to the lab – a challenging a time-consuming process.</p> <p>“Our next step is to establish a noble gas analysis protocol with this new instrument, to make it a reality that all active volcanoes — at least those which have the potential to cause disaster to local residents — are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Sumino.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on cosmosmagazine.com and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/volcano-breath-test-predict-eruptions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Kenyon</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Cheering erupts as “unruly” passenger escorted off plane

<p dir="ltr">A woman who kicked up a storm over not having a window seat on a plane was kicked off the flight to the sound of cheering passengers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Aussie woman was travelling from Phuket in southern Thailand to Sydney on Jetstar flight JQ28. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is alleged that she began to abuse other travellers and staff members after being given the aisle seat and not one next to the window. </p> <p dir="ltr">Incredible footage shows two passengers gesturing to the woman to move along before a staff member arrives.</p> <p dir="ltr">The video then cuts to her being escorted off the plane to the sound of cheering passengers. </p> <p dir="ltr">Jetstar confirmed that an “unruly” passenger was removed from their flight for being disruptive and abusive. </p> <p dir="ltr">"An unruly passenger was escorted off our flight prior to take off in Phuket after becoming disruptive and using abusive and inappropriate language towards other customers and our team members," the spokesperson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Airport security in Phuket was called and the passenger was escorted off the flight.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We take safety and security very seriously and this type of behaviour will not be tolerated on our aircraft.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Watch the footage <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/jetstar-passenger-kicked-off-flight-phuket-thailand-to-sydney/4fb9135f-d33f-444b-b343-efc52ea59ee2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

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Is climate change causing more volcanic eruptions?

<p>The Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland began <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-04/iceland-volcano-fagradalsfjall-erupts/101302732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erupting again</a> on Wednesday after eight months of slumber – so far without any adverse impacts on people or air traffic.</p> <p>The eruption was expected. It’s in a seismically active (uninhabited) area, and came after several days of earthquake activity close to Earth’s surface. It’s hard to say how long it will continue, although an eruption in the same area last year lasted about six months.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climate change</a> is causing the widespread warming of our land, oceans and atmosphere. Apart from this, it also has the potential to increase volcanic activity, affect the size of eruptions, and alter the “<a href="https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/climate-cooling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooling effect</a>” that follows volcanic eruptions.</p> <p>Any of these scenarios could have far-reaching consequences. Yet we don’t fully understand the impact a warming climate could have on volcanic activity.</p> <h2>Cold volcanic regions</h2> <p>First, let’s take a look at volcanic regions covered in ice. There’s a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/96JB01308" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long-established link</a> between the large-scale melting of ice in active volcanic regions and increased eruptions.</p> <p>Research on Iceland’s volcanic systems has identified a heightened period of activity related to the large-scale ice melt at the end of the last ice age. The average eruption rates were found to be up to <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2001GC000282" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 times</a> higher after the end of the last glacial period, compared to the earlier colder glacial period. Eruptions were also smaller when ice cover was thicker.</p> <p>But why is this the case? Well, as glaciers and ice sheets melt, pressure is taken off Earth’s surface and there are changes in the forces (stress) acting on rocks within the crust and upper mantle. This can lead to more molten rock, or “magma”, being produced in the mantle – which can feed more eruptions.</p> <p>The changes can also affect where and how magma is stored in the crust, and can make it easier for magma to reach the surface.</p> <p>Magma generation beneath Iceland is already <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jgrb.50273" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increasing</a> due to a warming climate and melting glaciers.</p> <p>The intense ash-producing eruption of Iceland’s <a href="https://ncas.ac.uk/eyjafjallajokull-2010-how-an-icelandic-volcano-eruption-closed-european-skies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eyjafjallajökull</a> volcano in 2010 was the result of an explosive interaction between hot magma and cold glacial melt water. Based on what we know from the past, an increase in Iceland’s melting ice could lead to larger and more frequent volcanic eruptions.</p> <h2>Weather-triggered eruptions</h2> <p>But what about volcanic regions that aren’t covered in ice – could these also be affected by global warming?</p> <p>Possibly. We know climate change is increasing the severity of storms and other weather events in many parts of the world. These weather events may trigger more volcanic eruptions.</p> <p>On December 6 2021, an eruption at one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, Mount Semeru, caused ashfall, <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/pyroclastic-flows-move-fast-and-destroy-everything-their-path" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pyroclastic flows</a> and volcanic mudflows (called “lahars”) that claimed the lives of at least 50 people.</p> <p>Local authorities hadn’t expected the scale of the eruption. As for the cause, they said several days of heavy rain had destabilised the dome of lava in the volcano’s summit crater. This led to the dome collapsing, which reduced pressure on the magma below and triggered an eruption.</p> <p>Signals of volcanic unrest are usually obtained from changes in volcanic systems (such as earthquake activity), changes in gas emissions from the volcano, or small changes in the shape of the volcano (which can be detected by ground-based or satellite monitoring).</p> <p>Predicting eruptions is already an incredibly complex task. It will become even more difficult as we begin to factor in risk posed by severe weather which could destabilise parts of a volcano.</p> <p>Some scientists <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2172-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspect</a> increased rainfall led to the damaging 2018 Kīlauea eruption in Hawaii. This was preceded by months of heavy rainfall, which infiltrated the earth and increased underground water pressure within the <a href="https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/projects/victorian-gas-program/onshore-conventional-gas/porosity-permeability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">porous</a> rock. They believe this could have weakened and fractured the rock, facilitating the movement of magma and triggering the eruption.</p> <p>But other <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/publications/rainfall-unlikely-trigger-kilaueas-2018-rift-eruption" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experts</a> disagree, and say there’s no substantial link between rainfall events and eruptions at Kīlauea volcano.</p> <p>Rain-influenced volcanism has also been proposed at other volcanoes around the world, such as the Soufrière Hills <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027309002261" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volcano</a> in the Caribbean, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1046/j.1365-3121.2001.00297.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piton de la Fournaise</a> on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.</p> <h2>Changes to the ‘cooling effect’</h2> <p>There’s another layer we can’t ignore when it comes to assessing the potential link between climate change and volcanic activity. That is: volcanoes themselves can influence the climate.</p> <p>An eruption can lead to <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanoes-can-affect-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooling or warming</a>, depending on the volcano’s geographical location, the amount and composition of ash and gas erupted, and how high the plume reaches into the atmosphere.</p> <p>Volcanic injections that were rich in sulphur dioxide gas have had the strongest climatic impact recorded in historic times. Sulphur dioxide eventually condenses to form sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere – and these aerosols reduce how much heat reaches Earth’s surface, causing cooling.</p> <p>As the climate warms, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24943-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> shows this will change how volcanic gases interact with the atmosphere. Importantly, the outcome won’t be the same for all eruptions. Some scenarios show that, in a warmer atmosphere, small to medium-sized eruptions could reduce the cooling effect of volcanic plumes by up to 75%.</p> <p>These scenarios assume the “tropopause” (the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere) will increase in height as the atmosphere warms. But since the volcano’s eruption column will stay the same, the plume carrying sulphur dioxide will be less likely to reach the upper atmosphere – where it would have the largest impact on the climate.</p> <p>On the other hand, more powerful but less frequent volcanic eruptions could lead to a greater cooling effect. That’s because as the atmosphere gets warmer, plumes of ash and gas emitted from powerful eruptions are predicted to rise higher into the atmosphere, and spread <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2013RG000448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rapidly</a> from the tropics to higher latitudes.</p> <p>One <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022GL099381" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent study</a> has suggested the major Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in January may contribute to global warming, by pumping massive amounts of water vapour (a greenhouse gas) into the stratosphere.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-volcano-is-erupting-again-in-iceland-is-climate-change-causing-more-eruptions-187858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Flag debate erupts as Carrie Bickmore returns

<p dir="ltr">Carrie Bickmore’s return to <em>The Project</em> has come amid heated debate over the flying of the Aboriginal flag over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with co-host Steve Price declaring “there’s only one Australian flag”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Sunday that the plan to install a third flagpole - with a controversial $25 million price tag - would be scrapped, with the Aboriginal flag permanently replacing the state flag and the funds going towards “closing the gap” initiatives instead.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our Indigenous history should be celebrated and acknowledged so young Australians understand the rich and enduring culture that we have here with our past,” Mr Perrottet said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Installing the Aboriginal flag permanently on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will do just that and is a continuation of the healing process as part of the broader move towards reconciliation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Activist Cheree Toka, who has been campaigning for the Indigenous flag to be flown permanently since 2017, said the state flag was “null and void these days”.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c907db0a-7fff-b990-6c33-6437c21d2cb6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Having the Aboriginal flag fly permanently next to the Australian flag is the statement that we need to set as a nation moving forward to unite,” she told reporters.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced the Aboriginal flag will permanently fly on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and has scrapped plans to spend $25 million on a new flagpole.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheProjectTV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheProjectTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/I5b35mGVp2">pic.twitter.com/I5b35mGVp2</a></p> <p>— The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1546415687836499969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">But when the news came up for discussion on Monday’s episode of <em>The Project</em>, the intense debate seemed to even overshadow Bickmore’s return from <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-truth-behind-carrie-bickmore-s-shock-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her UK family trip</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Co-host Hamish MacDonald asked the panel, “If that’s the argument about state flags, do you think we might be moving to a point where the nation as a whole embraces the Indigenous flag as the national flag?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Price responded in the negative, and when asked for his reasoning, said: “I just think Australians support the flag they’ve got.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t need to change the flag. Who wants to change the flag?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Panellist Peter Helliar began, “I think over time –”</p> <p dir="ltr">Price quickly interrupted, saying, “We only have one flag – that’s the Australian flag. If you want to have a referendum on the flag, good luck buddy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think as generations go on that will change,” Bickmore said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No it won’t,” Price said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Helliar then joked that Price might be dead by the time it came up for discussion.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It may not be an issue for you, Pricey,” he said. “I mean who knows when it could happen? It could happen (in) 10 years, 20 years, 30 years.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Annoyed, Price shot back, “You’d like to get rid of the Australian flag, would you?”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m happy to have a conversation about it, absolutely,” Helliar replied.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Well it would need a referendum, and it won’t get up,” Price said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Does it need … that?” MacDonald asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yes. Of course it does!” Price responded. “You don’t just chuck the flag out because a few people want it to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The news that flying the Indigenous flag would come with such a hefty price tag sparked controversy last month, with even Mr Perrottet saying he “didn’t know” why it cost so much but that it was a “small price to pay”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e9fb3be3-7fff-ffad-8f3a-1a7b7d11344d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The installation of the six-storey flagpole, and the relocation of other equipment, was also expected to take two years to complete.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Harbour Bridge WILL be home to the Aboriginal Flag in 2022 <a href="https://t.co/0MiVwlqEIk">https://t.co/0MiVwlqEIk</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/ChangeAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChangeAus</a> </p> <p>Also, check out the number views. If only all who viewed signed too! <a href="https://t.co/qSbtHBttbR">pic.twitter.com/qSbtHBttbR</a></p> <p>— Cheree Toka (@Chereetoka) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chereetoka/status/1544500115213516800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Under the new plan, the NSW flag will be included in the redevelopment of Macquarie Street in Sydney’s CBD, where several key state government buildings are located.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What we’ve learnt is a lot of people across the state don’t appreciate the NSW flag or the state’s history and that is because they see themselves as Australians first and not as their state,” Mr Perrottet said on Sunday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a great opportunity to put the flag in the historic precinct as an important part of modern Australia. The parliament is there, the Mint is there, the Barracks are there.“</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Toka said she was “ecstatic and over the moon” at the announcement and already has her next goal: ensuring that Indigenous languages are taught in NSW schools.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I haven’t done enough research yet but I’d love to pursue it,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think it’s really important to teach native tongues in the school curriculum, to keep this continuous culture living. At the minimum, we should be able to introduce ourselves, say hello, it doesn’t have to be anything fluent, but we should look at New Zealand and how it operates right now with a strong acceptance and recognition of the language of their people.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d07500f1-7fff-2362-d622-ce8c709c9b55"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

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“It’s emotional and scary”: White Island eruption survivor removes her face mask

<p dir="ltr">A survivor of the 2019 White Island volcano eruption who suffered burns to 70 percent of her body has finally been able to remove her face mask.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stephanie Browitt was visiting New Zealand’s northeastern Bay of Plenty region with her sister and father, who were both among the 22 people who died in the eruption.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her road to recovery has been a long and difficult one, which she has shared on social media with more than 1.6 million followers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Appearing on Nine’s <em>60 Minutes</em>, Stephanie removed her compression mask for the first time, telling host Sarah Abo that it was a “big deal” and that it felt like “this day would never come”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s emotional and scary. It is actually quite daunting as much as it is exciting,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-544c330b-7fff-ab83-7c65-728b0ded1b94"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Looking in the mirror, Stephanie said she saw a woman who was tougher than she ever thought she could be.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/steph8.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="721" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 60 Minutes</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“I see a person who has gone through so much more than I ever expected to go through in life. I see a very tormented person,” she continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">As much as this is exciting, it has been a long, hard journey to get here. I am tougher than I ever thought I would be.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-009138d2-7fff-ca5c-152c-bf17a9b2f5ae"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I have learnt that the fight for survival is a real thing. I was literally fighting every day to survive, to just get back to being myself. I never knew that I had this in me.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CedLNM1vrna/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CedLNM1vrna/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Stephanie Coral Browitt (@stephaniecoral96)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Sunday’s episode also showed never-before-seen photos of Stephanie’s injuries, revealing the extent of the severe burns that covered almost her whole body.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stephanie told the program that she remembers waking up for the first time since the incident, after she was in a coma for two weeks, in bits and pieces.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was full of tubes and surrounded by medical equipment and in a very small room with lots of noises. Those things will always stay with me, I don’t think they will ever leave. It’s just things you don’t forget,” the 26-year-old said.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said her recovery had been extremely difficult, especially in the early stages.</p> <p dir="ltr">I had to start from scratch like a baby. Sitting upright, getting out of bed, taking my first few steps, even feeding myself – I had to relearn all of those skills from scratch and they didn’t come easy at all,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was incredibly difficult.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There have been plenty of moments where I have wanted to give up, or I have just been in tears not wanting to do anything. But I do feel I have come a long way from day one.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Stephanie is now in the process of suing Royal Caribbean, the company that ran the excursion to the island on the day of the eruption, over the physical and psychological injuries she has suffered.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her lawyer, Peter Gordan, claimed that data from the weeks prior showed that the island was a “ticking time bomb”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It makes me furious. They let down so many people … So many people died needlessly,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think Steph’s injuries are the worst I have ever seen. I don’t think I have ever met quite an exceptional person in the way she has battled on.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the hardship she has - and continues - to overcome, Stephanie is looking to the future, telling <em>60 Minutes</em> she hopes to “go back to as normal a life as possible” and plans to return to working full-time, travelling and her social life.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know I have got the support of so many people, and that helps me realise that this isn’t as scary as I feel it is,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-128a9a3c-7fff-1315-2a8e-5a18eb83ed58"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @stephaniecoral96 (Instagram)</em></p>

Caring

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Furore erupts after RSL member refuses to allow Indigenous flag at ANZAC service

<p dir="ltr">A NSW woman had the police called on her after she attempted to drape an Indigenous flag honouring First Nations diggers at her local war memorial service in Lismore.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cindy Roberts tried to display her flag beneath the Australian flag before the service began, but a local RSL member allegedly stopped her twice and called the police, according to the <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10753649/Anzac-Day-2022-fury-memorial-service-hit-row-Indigenous-flag.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The incident has sparked outrage among those in attendance and online, with former Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell describing it as a “huge overreaction”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It wasn’t a huge protest in any way and was absolutely done respectfully,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was embarrassing and awkward and it should have just been allowed to pass without the fuss from the RSL member.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Roberts, whose daughter, grandparents and uncles have served in Australia’s armed forces, had taken part in the dawn service and the march to Lismore Memorial Baths for the ceremony.</p> <p dir="ltr">When she arrived, the only flag flying was the Australian flag, despite other venues displaying the Aboriginal, Australian, and Torres Strait Islander flags side by side.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just wanted to remember my ancestors that had fought in every single war, including the frontier war,” she told <em>Daily Mail Australia</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So I stood and I felt a spirit in my heart tell me to just lay the flag out. I didn’t put it on the flagpole, I just placed it on the ground underneath the Australian flag.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Then I was approached by a member from the RSL and asked to remove the flag.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said, ‘But my grandfathers and my uncles and my ancestors fought in the wars of this country’. He said, ‘This is not the time or the place’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought, ‘Well, when is the time to bring unity?’”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Roberts said she then picked the flag up and went to the spot where the wreaths were laid, where she was confronted again.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Then (the RSL member) approached me again and told me to remove the flag again and with the police this time,” she continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When this happened, I cried. I broke down and everyone saw me but I still stood there in the crowd behind the children with the Aboriginal flag.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Robert’s daughter Skye, who served as a ship technician in the Australian Navy for five years, was with her mother when the incident occurred.</p> <p dir="ltr">Celebrated Indigenous soldier Clarrie Combo, who fought for Australia in Egypt, Libya, Crete, Syria, Greece, Sri Lanka and New Guinea during WWII, was one of Ms Roberts’ great uncles.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our people have been through so much and I’m tired of them not being acknowledged,” Ms Roberts said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“First Nations people who fought in these wars deserve more respect because they put their lives on the line.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Dowell said she tried to reason with the RSL member and that she couldn’t understand why they were treating Ms Roberts.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I saw the reaction from a member of the RSL who was saying repeatedly, it’s not appropriate, it’s not appropriate,” she told the publication.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I didn’t quite know what was not appropriate. I thought it was very disappointing - and not one speaker in the whole ceremony even acknowledged country.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought that was poor. The situation could have easily have escalated if Cindy had chosen to do so but she didn’t and many there may not have even noticed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought she was very respectful and hopefully we can all learn from this incident - and that it doesn’t happen again.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The incident caused intense debate in the town’s Facebook group, with many supporting Ms Roberts.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To the beautiful Indigenous woman advocating to raise the Indigenous flag today at the service following the march, I am beyond apologetic for the utter disrespect you were shown,” one local wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Others insisted that the Australian flag should cover everyone since soldiers all fought under it in wartime.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They fought under the Australian flag. We are all Australians,” one person said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-596180ea-7fff-cebf-ca7d-1e543ffdf614"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Daily Mail</em></p>

Caring

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Students stunned as wild fight erupts outside school

<p dir="ltr">A violent altercation between two men erupted outside a school in Melbourne as students were being picked up by their parents.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shocked students from Melton Secondary College in the state’s west, watched on in horror as two motorists began throwing punches at each other in the middle of the road on Tuesday afternoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">Disturbing footage shows a shirtless man grabbing a pole off the floor before allegedly forcing it through the ute window while children were inside.</p> <p dir="ltr">The man allegedly appears to repeatedly force the pole in the window as victims inside could be seen moving their heads to avoid being hit.</p> <p dir="ltr">The driver of the ute attempts to jump out but his door is kicked shut by the attacker, but eventually he makes it out.</p> <p dir="ltr">He charges at the alleged attacker, both of them throwing punches at each other as the altercation spilled in the middle of the street forcing children and their parents to run away.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police arrived and arrested the 21-year-old Melton man and he was subsequently charged.</p> <p dir="ltr">'Police have been told a man stepped out onto Coburns Road near High Street just before 3.30pm,' Victoria Police said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">'It is believed the man smashed the windscreen of a car causing three other cars to collide nose to tail.'</p> <p dir="ltr">'The driver of the damaged car got out of the vehicle and was involved in a physical altercation with the offender.'</p> <p dir="ltr">Warning: Confronting footage <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-charged-over-alleged-melton-road-rage-attack-outside-melbourne-school/1be1cdf6-449d-4fe7-b365-86e3811676ed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

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First death of Tonga tsunami tragedy confirmed

<p>An animal welfare charity founder has been confirmed dead after the devastating impact of the Tonga tsunami tragedy. </p> <p>The body of British woman Angela Glover was found on Monday after she was swept away by huge swells that were caused by a massive underwater volcanic eruption. </p> <p><span>The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano, which erupted on Saturday, is located 65km from where 50-year-old Angela lived with her husband in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa.<br /></span></p> <p><span>Angela moved to the Pacific islands in 2015, after leaving her life in London's advertising industry behind. </span></p> <p><span>Angela's bother Nick, who resides in Sydney, confirmed the news of her death on Monday, saying his sister's body was found "in some bushes" by her husband. </span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“I’ve not even got the words in my vocabulary to describe how we’re feeling at the moment. This is just a terrible shock, that it’s happened to us,” he said.</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“We’re ordinary people - stuff like this doesn’t happen to people like us, then it does."</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">“I understand this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs.”</p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Angela's "deep love" for canines inspired her to create the Tongan Animal Welfare Society to shelter and rehabilitate stray animals, according to her brother. </p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>“The uglier the dog, the more she loved it. She just loved them all, she was totally dedicated to it.”</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>In Angela's final social media post, she shared a picture of the fiery Tongan sunset just hours after the eruption of the volcano, saying "everything's fine".</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYtLkg8PDN4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYtLkg8PDN4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Angela Glover (@ifthegloverfits)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>She captioned the picture, "I’m not kidding you, this is the sunset today after the volcano exploded last night. We’ve been under tsunami warnings today. Everything’s fine... a few swells ....a few eerie silences...a wind or two...then silence...sudden stillness... electric storms.... everything looked like I was watching thru an Instagram filter."</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>Angela is the first known death of the disaster, as the scale of the destruction is still unknown. </span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020">Experts<span> say that the volcano, which last erupted in 2014, had been puffing away for about a month before rising magma, superheated to around 1000 degrees Celsius, met with 20-degree seawater, causing an instantaneous and massive explosion.</span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><span>The impact of the eruption was felt as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Japan. </span></p> <p class="css-1316j2p-StyledParagraph e4e0a020"><em>Image credits: Instagram @ifthegloverfits</em></p>

Caring

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Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

<p>The Kingdom of Tonga doesn’t often attract global attention, but a <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/459572/underwater-volcano-hunga-tonga-hunga-ha-apai-erupts-again">violent eruption of an underwater volcano</a> on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half the world.</p> <p>The volcano is usually not much to look at. It consists of two small uninhabited islands, Hunga-Ha’apai and Hunga-Tonga, poking about 100m above sea level 65km north of Tonga’s capital Nuku‘alofa. But hiding below the waves is a massive volcano, around 1800m high and 20km wide.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440948/original/file-20220115-27-82tzyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A map of the massive underwater volcano next to the Hunga-Ha’apai and Hunga-Tonga islands." /> <span class="caption">A massive underwater volcano lies next to the Hunga-Ha’apai and Hunga-Tonga islands.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano has erupted regularly over the past few decades. During events in 2009 and 2014/15 hot jets of magma and steam exploded through the waves. But these eruptions were small, dwarfed in scale by the January 2022 events.</p> <p>Our <a href="https://eos.org/science-updates/new-volcanic-island-unveils-explosive-past">research</a> into these earlier eruptions suggests this is one of the massive explosions the volcano is capable of producing roughly every thousand years.</p> <p>Why are the volcano’s eruptions so highly explosive, given that sea water should cool the magma down?</p> <p>If magma rises into sea water slowly, even at temperatures of about 1200℃, a thin film of steam forms between the magma and water. This provides a layer of insulation to allow the outer surface of the magma to cool.</p> <p>But this process doesn’t work when magma is blasted out of the ground full of volcanic gas. When magma enters the water rapidly, any steam layers are quickly disrupted, bringing hot magma in direct contact with cold water.</p> <p>Volcano researchers call this “fuel-coolant interaction” and it is akin to weapons-grade chemical explosions. Extremely violent blasts tear the magma apart. A chain reaction begins, with new magma fragments exposing fresh hot interior surfaces to water, and the explosions repeat, ultimately jetting out volcanic particles and causing blasts with supersonic speeds.</p> <h2>Two scales of Hunga eruptions</h2> <p>The 2014/15 eruption created a volcanic cone, joining the two old Hunga islands to create a combined island about 5km long. We visited in 2016, and discovered these historical eruptions were merely <a href="https://eos.org/science-updates/new-volcanic-island-unveils-explosive-past">curtain raisers to the main event</a>.</p> <p>Mapping the sea floor, we discovered a hidden “caldera” 150m below the waves.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440944/original/file-20220115-19-nplel8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A map of the seafloor shows the volcanic cones and caldera." /> <span class="caption">A map of the seafloor shows the volcanic cones and massive caldera.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>The caldera is a crater-like depression around 5km across. Small eruptions (such as in 2009 and 2014/15) occur mainly at the edge of the caldera, but very big ones come from the caldera itself. These big eruptions are so large the top of the erupting magma collapses inward, deepening the caldera.</p> <p>Looking at the chemistry of past eruptions, we now think the small eruptions represent the magma system slowly recharging itself to prepare for a big event.</p> <p>We found evidence of two huge past eruptions from the Hunga caldera in deposits on the old islands. We matched these chemically to volcanic ash deposits on the largest inhabited island of Tongatapu, 65km away, and then used radiocarbon dates to show that big caldera eruptions occur about ever 1000 years, with the last one at AD1100.</p> <p>With this knowledge, the eruption on January 15 seems to be right on schedule for a “big one”.</p> <h2>What we can expect to happen now</h2> <p>We’re still in the middle of this major eruptive sequence and many aspects remain unclear, partly because the island is currently obscured by ash clouds.</p> <p>The two earlier eruptions on December 20 2021 and January 13 2022 were of moderate size. They produced clouds of up to 17km elevation and added new land to the 2014/15 combined island.</p> <p>The latest eruption has stepped up the scale in terms of violence. The ash plume is already about 20km high. Most remarkably, it spread out almost concentrically over a distance of about 130km from the volcano, creating a plume with a 260km diameter, before it was distorted by the wind.</p> <p><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1920/2022-01_volcano_jan_13_ash%281%29.gif?1642274062" alt="" width="100%" /></p> <p>This demonstrates a huge explosive power – one that cannot be explained by magma-water interaction alone. It shows instead that large amounts of fresh, gas-charged magma have erupted from the caldera.</p> <p>The eruption also produced a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/15/tonga-tsunami-warning-as-volcano-erupts-at-sea">tsunami throughout Tonga</a> and neighbouring Fiji and Samoa. Shock waves traversed many thousands of kilometres, were seen from space, and recorded in New Zealand some 2000km away. Soon after the eruption started, the sky was blocked out on Tongatapu, with ash beginning to fall.</p> <p>All these signs suggest the large Hunga caldera has awoken. Tsunami are generated by coupled atmospheric and ocean shock waves during an explosions, but they are also readily caused by submarine landslides and caldera collapses.</p> <p>It remains unclear if this is the climax of the eruption. It represents a major magma pressure release, which may settle the system.</p> <p>A warning, however, lies in geological deposits from the volcano’s previous eruptions. These complex sequences show each of the 1000-year major caldera eruption episodes involved many separate explosion events.</p> <p>Hence we could be in for several weeks or even years of major volcanic unrest from the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano. For the sake of the people of Tonga I hope not.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175035/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shane-cronin-908092">Shane Cronin</a>, Professor of Earth Sciences, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-volcanic-eruption-in-tonga-was-so-violent-and-what-to-expect-next-175035">original article</a>.</p>

International Travel

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Experience the spectacular sounds of a Murrumbidgee wetland erupting with life as water returns

<p>In the southwestern corner of New South Wales, along the Murrumbidgee river, frogs are calling in a wetland called Nap Nap. This is <a href="https://www.narinari.org/our-journey">Nari Nari</a> country – nap nap means “very swampy” in traditional language.</p> <p>Nap Nap is one of many inland wetlands across Australia to receive so-called “environmental water”: water allocated and managed to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains.</p> <p><a href="https://flow-mer.org.au/">Long-term monitoring</a> shows how these environmental flows sustain big old trees and cycle nutrients through the ecosystem. They drive breeding for frogs, waterbirds, reptiles and fish, and protect endangered species. This is a good news story for our inland waterways – but it’s mostly told through scientific reports.</p> <p>We wanted to use ecological data to convey not just facts but feelings, and create a vivid digital portrait of life in Nap Nap. So we recently produced <a href="https://flow-mer.org.au/napnap/">The Sound of Water</a>, using audio, images and water data to reveal the patterns and rhythms of the swamp.</p> <p>In part, this is about finding an engaging way to tell an important story. But there’s a bigger agenda here too: how might we use environmental data to amplify humanity’s attachment to the living world?</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439776/original/file-20220107-13-1wm9dil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439776/original/file-20220107-13-1wm9dil.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A view of a forest wetland, with water surrounded by tall gum trees" /></a> <span class="caption">Nap Nap wetland, the name of which means ‘very swampy’ in traditional language.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Gayleen Bourke</span></span></p> <h2>Addressing an imbalance</h2> <p>Healthy wetlands rely on varying river flows. When a river is flooding or at high flow, water is delivered to wetlands, enabling seeds to sprout and animals to move and breed. When the river is at low flow, wetlands enter a natural drying phase.</p> <p>But across Australia, thousands of wetlands have lost their natural connection to rivers. Lower river flows – the result of water regulation and diversions required to meet human needs – means many wetlands no longer experience these natural cycles.</p> <p>Environmental flows seek to address this imbalance. Managed by water authorities, the flows involve strategically delivering water to replenish rivers, wetlands and floodplains.</p> <p>Our project – a design-science collaboration – was funded by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office’s <a href="https://flow-mer.org.au">Flow-MER program</a>, which undertakes long-term monitoring of the ecological impact of environmental water allocations.</p> <h2>The Sound of Water</h2> <p>Across nine days in spring of 2020, an environmental flow of about 16,000 million litres rolled into Nap Nap swamp in the Lowbidgee floodplain after a brief dry spell. The Lowbidgee floodplain is near the confluence of the Kalari (Lachlan) and Murrumbidgee rivers in New South Wales.</p> <p>The frogs began calling as the water returned. But don’t take our word for it - <a href="https://theconversation.com/experience-the-spectacular-sounds-of-a-murrumbidgee-wetland-erupting-with-life-as-water-returns-174423">listen for yourself.</a></p> <p>In this clip, you can hear the squelchy, “cree-cree” call of tiny, hardy Murray Valley froglets. You can also hear inland banjo frogs, whose “dok” call sounds a bit like a plucked string; spotted marsh frogs with a machine-gun like “duk-duk-duk”; and the shrill, rattling call of Peron’s tree frog.</p> <p>This recording comes from an audio logger used in Flow-MER’s environmental monitoring. These automatic devices record for five minutes every hour, day and night – that’s two hours of sound captured every day.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440161/original/file-20220111-17-5maxbu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A small light grey frog on a tree branch calling, with its throat puffed out" /> <span class="caption">The Peron’s tree frog has a shrill, rattling call.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Damian Michael</span></span></p> <h2>Seeing wetland sounds</h2> <p>To reveal the content of all this audio, we used a visual representation of sound known as a spectrogram. We adapted a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2014.05.063">technique</a> developed by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology which enables ecologists to visualise and analyse thousands of hours of recordings.</p> <p>We visualised almost a year’s worth of audio from Nap Nap – more than 700 hours.</p> <p>The below image contains spectrograms of audio from June 2020, which was a dry period in the swamp. The colourful central band corresponds to the noisy daylight hours, when woodland birds dominate.</p> <p>The vivid blue areas are wind and rain noise. The pink and orange are mostly bird calls, and continuous sounds like cricket calls show up as strong horizontal bands (top right).</p> <p>The mostly dark outer bands correspond to the nights, which in dry periods are fairly quiet.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439614/original/file-20220106-19-77zfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439614/original/file-20220106-19-77zfci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Spectrograms of audio showing the patterns and variation of activity across 10 days" /></a> <span class="caption">Spectrograms of Nap Nap audio from June 2020. Each row shows a single day, made up of 24 hourly segments.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Authors provided</span></span></p> <p>But as the environmental water flow reached Nap Nap, the night lit up with frog calls. Our story focuses on this moment. We found a way to link the visuals to the source audio, creating interactive timelines in which we can see, hear and explore the wetland soundscape.</p> <p>The stars of our story are Nap Nap’s frogs, and our most important find was a southern bell frog. Once widespread across southeastern Australia, these frogs are now found in only a few isolated populations.</p> <p>Their distinctive call indicates the ecological health of Nap Nap, and the value of these environmental flows. Here you can listen to its deep, growling call, which appears as a sequence of pink and purple blobs along the bottom of the spectrogram.</p> <p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/663205855" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <span class="caption">Spectrogram of a southern bell frog calling at Nap Nap (3 September 2020, 8pm). Image: Gayleen Bourke.</span></p> <h2>A data portrait of a living place</h2> <p>Our design uses a scroll-based interaction technique sometimes termed “<a href="https://medium.com/nightingale/from-storytelling-to-scrollytelling-a-short-introduction-and-beyond-fbda32066964">scrollytelling</a>”. It works because it’s familiar (everyone can scroll) and translates well to all kinds of devices. It lets us lead the audience step by step into the place, the data and the spectrograms, while still encouraging exploration.</p> <p><a href="https://flow-mer.org.au/napnap/">The Sound of Water</a> builds on established techniques to create something new. It shows how design and science can unite to tell environmental stories in a richer way – with both facts and feelings. This matters because Nap Nap, and thousands of places like it, need people to care about their protection.</p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mitchell-whitelaw-1167325">Mitchell Whitelaw</a>, Professor of Design, School of Art and Design, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/skye-wassens-451800">Skye Wassens</a>, Associate Professor in Ecology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849">Charles Sturt University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/experience-the-spectacular-sounds-of-a-murrumbidgee-wetland-erupting-with-life-as-water-returns-174423">original article</a>.</p>

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White Island volcano survivor’s emotional plea during COVID lockdown

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Stephanie Browitt overcame extreme adversity as she lost her father and her sister in the White Island volcano eruption.</p> <p>As she lives in Melbourne, she has also been in lockdown and has shared a message of hope.</p> <p>"As someone who is grieving deeply and has essentially been in lockdown since early December, due to my six months admission in hospital, I truly believe that focusing on what you can’t change is wasted energy that could be used elsewhere," she explained to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/melbourne-strong-white-island-survivors-plea-to-lockeddown-melburnians/news-story/f1753533b79b0936d98763a58bb7ea33" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink"><em>The Herald Sun</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>She explained that her time in hospital was tough, but she kept sane by focusing on having her "normal day to day life back".</p> <p>As she was released when Melbourne is in lockdown due to COVID-19, she unfortunately hasn't had that experience.</p> <p>However, she doesn't let it get her down.</p> <p>"I’ve learnt one of the hardest lessons in life which is that you never know when you’re going to lose someone you love," she shared.</p> <p>"I lost my dad and sister so suddenly and I would do anything and everything to have them in lockdown with mum and I.</p> <p>"I feel as though people don’t realise how precious time is and that you don’t often get the chance to be with family like this," she said.</p> <p>Stephanie also explained that being in lockdown in Melbourne is something that "everyone is going through together".</p> <p>"It isn’t forever and that’s what I choose to focus on.</p> <p>"I choose to take it one day at a time and enjoy my time with mum. I choose to explore what I can do from home and get creative with my time. I choose to stay home and accept this because everybody deserves to feel safe," she said.</p> <p>She also urged people not to be selfish and be "team players".</p> <p>"We need to be team players to overcome this petrifying pandemic.</p> <p>"We just can’t afford to branch off on our own, at the risk of killing another or perhaps our own family members," she said.</p> <p>Her mum Marie said that Stephanie will require more painful and expensive surgeries as she has amputated fingers and burns to most of her body that require a compression suit and full face mask.</p> <p>“She won’t complain,” Marie said.</p> <p>That’s despite the fact “she’s disfigured and her fingers are chopped and she’s burnt all over … she’s just trying to stay alive”.</p> <p>The loss of family members seems to have hit the pair the hardest.</p> <p>“My youngest daughter passed away on the mountain and my husband suffered to death. My other daughter is horrifically injured … I can tell you, there is nothing more important than family … just having your family alive and healthy,” Marie said.</p> <p>“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do — I would live in a gutter and give up anything — to bring my husband and child back.”</p> <p>The loss still impacts them to this day.</p> <p>“We cry daily, which doesn’t have anything to do with isolation, but because of our grief, our great loss, and our empty home which was once full of laughter and food and people,” Marie said.</p> <p>“Every week, I go to the cemetery where my husband and daughter lay, just so I can talk to them. ”</p> <p>Marie has some advice for Melbourne citizens who are struggling, which is to be safe with your loved ones.</p> <p>“There are people out there, ignoring laws designed to protect their own family’s survival. I can’t comprehend it.</p> <p>“If you have your family, and you have your health, you have everything. I just wish people could see that.</p> <p>“But there are people out there putting themselves and their families, and other families, at risk, complaining about being stuck, with their family, at home.</p> <p>“People are complaining about losing their businesses and the economy, and not being able to go shopping or out for a leisurely stroll, but these things don’t matter.</p> <p>“There is no amount of money, no possessions, that I wouldn’t give up to get some of what I had back, just to get a glimpse of my child or hear her voice or laugh again, to smell her smell.”</p> <p>“Material things you can always get back. You cannot get your family back … Death is irreversible.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Backlash erupts over clip of Indigenous teenager arrested in Sydney

<p>The Federal Liberal MP Dave Sharma has said he is “alarmed and sickened” by video footage of a police officer kicking an indigenous teenager multiple times during an arrest in Sydney this week.</p> <p>The 17-year-old boy was arrested on Monday in Surry Hills after footage showed a police officer holding his hands behind his back and kicking his feet out from underneath him, before dumping him to the ground.</p> <p>Footage capturing the moment went viral on social media and now the Professional Standards Command is investigating the incident.</p> <p> “Obviously, I would want the internal police investigation to do its job,” Mr Sharma, who is the neighbouring electorate MP for Wentworth told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-03/outrage-continues-over-indigenous-sydney-teen-arrest/12313416" target="_blank"><em>ABC news.</em></a></p> <p>“I think anyone who saw the footage … can't be but alarmed and sickened by it.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.02836879432624px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836349/teenager-police-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/652a4938a24f4441920c318b1c7fb214" /></p> <p><em>Image: Facebook</em></p> <p>The teenager's sister, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told triple j's <em>Hack</em> the footage upset her deeply.</p> <p>“When he came back home later that night, he was shaken up,” she said.</p> <p>“He was very sore this morning and he was distraught.</p> <p>“Teenagers, they're lippy, but you don't just abuse children because they're lippy.”</p> <p>She went on to say the police were not mindful of the US protests following the death of George Floyd, otherwise, they would not have behaved in that way.</p> <p>“The amount of support and the people that have been raising awareness about it — it's overwhelming.”</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zY3gQnxY2HM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that “we still have a long way to go in our country” when asked about the incident.</p> <p>“What happened in the US is a good wake-up call for all of us, and I think that all of us have our hearts breaking as to what's happening in the United States,” she said.</p> <p>“And we have to ensure that we can do what we can in our own country to protect all of our citizens.”</p> <p>Central Metropolitan Region Commander Mick Willing said it was paramount for the investigation to run its course, but added he was wary of the current environment and global anti-police protests.</p> <p>“Am I concerned about what I've seen in that footage? Absolutely, I am concerned, but I'm equally concerned about others who may use this footage to inflame it and turn it into something that it's not,” he said.</p> <p>The teenager has since been released without any charges.</p> <p>The officer involved was a junior constable who has now been placed on restricted duties while the investigation continues.</p> <p><em>(Facebook: Justice For Buddy, Lewis Kelly Jnr)</em></p>

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