Typhoon on EARTH Magazine

Kamikaze typhoons spared Japan from Kublai Khan

Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:28:55 -0500

A new study suggests that a Japanese legend — which holds that "divine wind," or kamikaze, defeated Mongol invaders in the 13th century, as depicted in this 1847 painting by Kikuchi Yōsai — may have some merit. Credit: Public domain.

Like any good conqueror, Kublai Khan just wanted to expand his empire. So in the late 13th century, the grandson of Genghis Khan launched a mythic fleet to seize control of Japan. According to Japanese legend, however, the Mongol ships met with typhoons of equally mythic proportions, which quashed their repeated invasions — twice.

Benchmarks: November 8, 2013: Super-typhoon Haiyan tests Philippines warning protocols

Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:34:30 -0400

Should we rethink our warning terminology?

On the morning of Nov. 8, 2013, Super-Typhoon Haiyan struck the east-central Philippines with sustained wind speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour. In a mere eight hours, the storm cut a path of total devastation over an area of 300 square kilometers, an area roughly the size of Seattle. More than 7,800 people were confirmed dead or missing and 27,000 injured; more than 4 million were displaced from their homes. Economic losses to homes, infrastructure and agriculture reached more than $12 billion (U.S.).

Asia's hazardous month

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

A magnitude-7.1 quake (large yellow box) hit Japan on Aug. 9. A magnitude-6.4 quake (orange box) hit on Aug. 10. U.S. Geological Survey

A magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit the Andaman Islands on Aug. 10. U.S. Geological Survey

Satellite image of Typhoon Morakot on Aug. 9. Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

August is shaping up to be a hazardous month for Asia — from the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean to Japan. In just the first half of the month, several earthquakes and two typhoons have struck the region. Here’s an update on these damaging events.