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Germany
Druzhba Pumping Kazakh Oil
The Russian oil pipeline giant, Transneft, stated it has started pumping oil from Kazakhstan to Germany via Poland through the Druzhba pipeline, but has halted supplying oil to Poland. Transneft reported that Poland had not completed its paperwork for oil supply in the second half of February, so Polish customers were cut off. While the EU imposed a ban on seaborne oil imports from Russia back in December, the bloc is still receiving piped volumes of oil to supply landlocked countries. The Kazakh oil pipeline operator, KazTransOil, reportedly shipped 20,000 tonnes of crude oil directly to Germany. Kazakhstan relies on neighboring Russia for exporting its energy and is not subject to Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022.
This map depicts the Druzhba oil pipeline network in Europe and the different refineries the pipeline reaches. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Deutsche Welle
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United States
Record Storms Hit California
The series of winter storms that have engulfed California in heavy rain and snow are continuing into early March. The storms have dumped more than 9 feet (2.7 m) of snow on areas in the Sierra Nevada such as Lake Tahoe, almost twice the average accumulation the city normally receives by this point of the year. Snowfall at Yosemite National Park totaled 15 feet (4.5 m), breaking a 54-year-old state daily snowfall record in the process. The snowfall has also led to the closure of Yosemite and Joshua Tree National Parks, as well as major interstates, leading governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in 13 affected counties. As of Wednesday morning, thousands of Sierra Nevada residents still remained without power in their homes. Heavy rainfall is also expected to continue throughout Southern California into this weekend, and residents are warned to stay home and avoid the roads.
This map depicts total snowfall across California as reported on February 28. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Cherry Blossoms Early Bloom
Thousands of iconic cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C. are expected to reach their peak bloom between March 25th and 29th — the earliest since 2020. This is credited to overall unusually warm winter, including a week in February when snow briefly fell only two days after the thermometer hit 81°F (27°C). Fluctuating weather, going from excessive heat to frost, and a deteriorating sea wall may damage the blossoms. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the National Park Service announced that the 3,700 cherry blossom trees in the city would reach peak bloom this year several days earlier than observers and experts had expected. The bloom typically signals the unofficial start of D.C.’s tourist season. The Cherry Blossom Festival noted that this year’s bloom dates aren’t unprecedented, however they’re the second earliest witnessed by the organization in 23 years, pushing the company to schedule multiple events at the Tidal Basin earlier by a week.
This interactive map depicts the locations of various species of flowering trees planted by Casey Trees or the DDOT Urban Forestry Division in Washington D.C. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: At 136 square miles (352 km sq), and despite continuous and significant loss of land area to erosion, what is still considered the world’s largest river island?
A: Majuli, Assam state, India
While the exact terms of the title are disputed, the largest river island between two banks is Majuli, in northeast India’s Assam state. Majuli sits in the mighty Brahmaputra River, which originates at Mt. Kailash in Tibet and runs nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) before emptying in the the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra’s rushing waters have, over the last 100 years, reduced the size of Majuli through gradual erosion by roughly 60 percent, and some people believe the entire island may disappear in the next 15 – 20 years. Access to Majuli is challenging, as it can only be reached by daytime ferries, and infrastructure is uneven, but the intrepid travelers who make the journey will be rewarded with the ecological diversity of Majuli’s wetlands and the cultural diversity of multiple ethnic and religious groups who call Majuli home.
Source
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Q: What New Zealand waterfall was named after the aerial photographer who discovered the falls and the lake that feeds them on one of his flights in 1940?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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