Every year, various human activities and natural phenomena cause environmental disasters and substantial economic losses throughout the world. Despite this dark side, there’s something fascinating about the power of nature and its impact.
Don’t expect to find the very popular Aurora Borealis or red tides listed here. The goal of this list is to present some of the most interesting natural phenomena / hazards that occurred in 2011 and 2012, ones that are less known to the general public.
Criteria such as rarity and uniqueness were fundamental in determining the structure of this Top 10 list. Everybody heard about the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, or about the East African drought, so here are other very interesting phenomena (from as many different countries as possible):
10. Steaming Black Sea – Romania
Copyright Dan Cristian Mihailescu; Source: Facebook Profile of Mr. Dan Cristian Mihailescu
Sun-warmed, humid soil can steam, so may a lake, sea or ocean if the air above it is sufficiently cold. “In the latter case, the phenomenon is commonly termed steam fog (if it occurs over fresh water) or sea smoke (if it occurs over saline water)”, according to P. M. Saunders from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
This spectacular picture was taken some months ago in Romania, and captures the incredibly beautiful sea smoke over the Black Sea. How Dan Cristian Mihailescu always happens to be in the right place at the right time with his camera amazes me.
