|
Brazil
Worst Amazon Fires Since 2010
Brazilian authorities are reporting August 2022 as the worst August for rainforest fires in the last 12 years. August and September are typically the worst months for fire alerts in the Amazon rainforest. This year, Brazil’s National Space Institute already spotted 33,000 fires in the beginning of the burning season. Experts are urging Brazil’s authorities to take stronger measures against illegal deforestation activities driving much of the fires. Due to the smoke clouds created, the fires are negatively impacting communities in the Amazon region. Unregulated deforestation has caused the Amazon rainforest to become a net emitter of carbon into the atmosphere instead of a net sequestration of carbon as it had been for years.
This map depicts forest fires in the Amazon and their correlation with deforested areas. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
Afghanistan
Mosque Blast Kills 18 Civilians
An explosion at Guzargah Mosque in the western Afghanistan city of Herat has killed at least 18 civilians. The bomb went off during noon prayers, when mosques are typically filled with people. Among the dead was Mujib-ul Rahman Ansari, a pro-Taliban cleric who was known across Afghanistan for his criticisms of the country’s Western-backed governments over the past two decades. Ansari is the second pro-Taliban cleric to be killed in a blast in less than a month, after Rahimullah Haqqani died in a suicide attack at his school in Kabul. Haqqani was known for his angry speeches against the Islamic State group (IS), who later claimed responsibility for his death. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for today’s blast.
This map depicts the location of the city of Herat, in western Afghanistan, where a bomb blast at a mosque during Friday prayers killed 18 people. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: DailyMail UK
__________________________________________
|
|
United Kingdom
Largest Wind Farm Operational
The Hornsea 2 wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire, England is now fully functional. Marketed as the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the facility is set to help power 1.4 million U.K. homes. Hornsea 2, operated by the Danish energy firm Orsted, has the capacity to generate more that 1.3 gigawatts covering 462 square miles (1197 km sq). The U.K. is looking to further expand its wind energy capabilities, aiming for a 50 GW capacity by 2030. The Hornsea 2 project first became operational in December 2021 at a limited capacity. The expansion of the facility’s operations is the result of European nations’ continued desire to remove themselves from Russian energy dependency following last winter’s invasion of Ukraine.
This map depicts the location of operational and future offshore wind farms across northern Europe. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Which country is home to continental Africa’s only known population of cave-dwelling crocodiles?
A: Gabon
Gabon is a biodiversity hotspot, with tropical forests covering 85% of the country. In 2009, an international team of scientists and explorers, partly funded by National Geographic, set out to map out and study the archaeology, biology, and geology of Gabon’s hidden caves. Located beneath Gabon’s thick and impenetrable rainforests, and concentrated in the south and southeast, researchers found the country’s remote cave systems to be some of the oldest on the planet, carved from ancient carbonate rock some 50 million years ago. Many of these caves are home to an abundance of wildlife, such as bats, amphibians, and some fish species, however dark conditions have affected the pigmentation of many of these animals. In one of the caves, Abanda, researchers found never-before-observed orange-skinned cave-dwelling crocodiles. Crocodiles living in caves are very rare and have only been found in a few places around the world. While related to surface-dwelling African dwarf crocodiles, scientists believe their orange skin suggests they are in the process of evolving into a completely new crocodile species adapted to life in the dark.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What European country has over 1,000 islands off its coast and is home to a rare meteorite crater field?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by AGS for the geography community. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2022 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
