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Storm after storm
ALVIN BAEZ/REUTERS
UPFRONT
Dam threatens to breach “STAY away or be swept away.” This grim advice was issued on Monday to the people of Puerto Rico by the US National Weather Service, after a dam swamped by rainfall from Hurricane Maria developed a large fissure. The Guajataca dam lies on the Rio Guajataca in the north-west of the country. The 90-year-old earthen dam holds back almost 40 billion litres of water. But its reservoir is now too full, after Maria dumped 40 centimetres of rain on the area. If the dam fails, it could cause flash floods. Since the crack formed last Friday, local officials have been warning of the danger, with 70,000 people advised to evacuate. “We don’t know how long it’s going to hold,” Governor Ricardo Rosselló said last Sunday. “Photographs of the incident show
there’s structural damage at the base of the dam’s spillway, where overflows appear to be eroding the bottom of the dam,” says Tracey Williamson, chair of the British Dam Society. “There’s a possibility that erosion could progress to the point where the dam could breach.” There are several ways to stop the dam bursting. One is to reduce the reservoir level by draining water through all other available outlets. This would relieve the water pressure on the dam and slow the flow of water over the spillway. Another approach is to deploy high-volume pumps to divert the overflow around the damaged area. Finally, relief workers could jam additional material into the existing crack to prevent further erosion.
UK web abortions
countries where abortion is illegal. It is illegal for women in the UK to take the drugs outside of approved medical services. During the study, women were told about services at their nearest health clinic, and asked why they had approached Women on Web. Of the 180 women who responded, about half said they had difficulty accessing National Health Service abortion services (Contraception, doi.org/cdjs). Reasons given included distance and waiting times, as well as being unable to get childcare or time off work.
–Less than perfectly stable–
Storm after storm
this season, with two months to go. As New Scientist went to press, Hurricane Lee had formed in the Atlantic and was moving west. It is even possible that storms will occur later on than usual. “Hurricanes have happened outside the window of the season,” said the NOAA spokesperson. Hurricane researchers have previously warned that the number of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes will rise. Climate change is creating conditions that help them form and intensify, such as warmer sea surface temperatures.
HURRICANE Maria is the latest in a succession of severe tropical storms to have pummelled the Caribbean and southern US. It follows Hurricane Harvey, which caused vast flooding in
Texas, and Hurricane Irma, which left a trail of devastation in the Caribbean before striking Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the flurry of storms has borne out its warning that 2017 would be the most active hurricane season since 2010. “This is the peak of the season running to 30 November, and our forecast in August is valid and verified,” a spokesperson told New Scientist. NOAA had warned that from June to November there would be 14 to 19 named storms, including two to five major hurricanes. Maria was the 13th named storm 6 | NewScientist | 30 September 2017
HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS
“Maria was the 13th named storm of the 2017 hurricane season, with two months still to go”
HUNDREDS of UK women are seeking illegal abortions online, even though abortion is legal in the UK. Between November 2016 and March this year, more than 500 women approached a charity called Women on Web for mail-order abortion pills, the organisation revealed in a study published last week. Based in the Netherlands, Women on Web provides the same medications as used in UK clinics for legal abortions, but only sends them to women living in
Goodbye Uber? RIDE-SHARING firm Uber last week had its licence to operate in London revoked, with regulator Transport for London (TfL) saying it was “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”. TfL cited the company’s lax approach to criminal and medical checks for drivers. The company had been criticised for its slow response to allegations of assault by drivers. “If this decision stands, it will –You’ll need to hail a black cab– put more than 40,000 licensed
UPFRONT
Dam threatens to breach “STAY away or be swept away.” This grim advice was issued on Monday to the people of Puerto Rico by the US National Weather Service, after a dam swamped by rainfall from Hurricane Maria developed a large fissure. The Guajataca dam lies on the Rio Guajataca in the north-west of the country. The 90-year-old earthen dam holds back almost 40 billion litres of water. But its reservoir is now too full, after Maria dumped 40 centimetres of rain on the area. If the dam fails, it could cause flash floods. Since the crack formed last Friday, local officials have been warning of the danger, with 70,000 people advised to evacuate. “We don’t know how long it’s going to hold,” Governor Ricardo Rosselló said last Sunday. “Photographs of the incident show
there’s structural damage at the base of the dam’s spillway, where overflows appear to be eroding the bottom of the dam,” says Tracey Williamson, chair of the British Dam Society. “There’s a possibility that erosion could progress to the point where the dam could breach.” There are several ways to stop the dam bursting. One is to reduce the reservoir level by draining water through all other available outlets. This would relieve the water pressure on the dam and slow the flow of water over the spillway. Another approach is to deploy high-volume pumps to divert the overflow around the damaged area. Finally, relief workers could jam additional material into the existing crack to prevent further erosion.
UK web abortions
countries where abortion is illegal. It is illegal for women in the UK to take the drugs outside of approved medical services. During the study, women were told about services at their nearest health clinic, and asked why they had approached Women on Web. Of the 180 women who responded, about half said they had difficulty accessing National Health Service abortion services (Contraception, doi.org/cdjs). Reasons given included distance and waiting times, as well as being unable to get childcare or time off work.
–Less than perfectly stable–
Storm after storm
this season, with two months to go. As New Scientist went to press, Hurricane Lee had formed in the Atlantic and was moving west. It is even possible that storms will occur later on than usual. “Hurricanes have happened outside the window of the season,” said the NOAA spokesperson. Hurricane researchers have previously warned that the number of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes will rise. Climate change is creating conditions that help them form and intensify, such as warmer sea surface temperatures.
HURRICANE Maria is the latest in a succession of severe tropical storms to have pummelled the Caribbean and southern US. It follows Hurricane Harvey, which caused vast flooding in
Texas, and Hurricane Irma, which left a trail of devastation in the Caribbean before striking Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the flurry of storms has borne out its warning that 2017 would be the most active hurricane season since 2010. “This is the peak of the season running to 30 November, and our forecast in August is valid and verified,” a spokesperson told New Scientist. NOAA had warned that from June to November there would be 14 to 19 named storms, including two to five major hurricanes. Maria was the 13th named storm 6 | NewScientist | 30 September 2017
HANNAH MCKAY/REUTERS
“Maria was the 13th named storm of the 2017 hurricane season, with two months still to go”
HUNDREDS of UK women are seeking illegal abortions online, even though abortion is legal in the UK. Between November 2016 and March this year, more than 500 women approached a charity called Women on Web for mail-order abortion pills, the organisation revealed in a study published last week. Based in the Netherlands, Women on Web provides the same medications as used in UK clinics for legal abortions, but only sends them to women living in
Goodbye Uber? RIDE-SHARING firm Uber last week had its licence to operate in London revoked, with regulator Transport for London (TfL) saying it was “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”. TfL cited the company’s lax approach to criminal and medical checks for drivers. The company had been criticised for its slow response to allegations of assault by drivers. “If this decision stands, it will –You’ll need to hail a black cab– put more than 40,000 licensed