|
|
|
Madagascar-Malawi-Mozambique
Storm Freddy Strikes Again
Tropical Storm Freddy has struck the continent of Africa for the second time. Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi were directly hit by the storm making landfall, with at least 44 people killed. Freddy has potentially become the longest-lasting tropical storm on record, surviving 34 days. According to the World Meteorological Organization, it is also one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Mozambique has seen more than a year’s worth of rainfall in the past four weeks, prompting concern of river bursts and wide-scale flooding. Concurrently, Malawi has been battling its deadliest cholera outbreak in history, causing UN agencies to warn of worsening situations due to the heavy rains. The full extent of damage and loss of life in Mozambique is still being confirmed, as power supplies and phone signals have been cut off in some affected areas hit by Freddy.
This map depicts the path of Storm Freddy, potentially the longest-lasting tropical storm on record and one of the strongest ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: ReliefWeb
__________________________________________
|
|
France
New Nuclear Plants
French lawmakers are writing a bill to accelerate the construction of new nuclear reactors. French President, Emmanuel Macron, reversed the government’s goal to reduce nuclear power’s place in French energy supply to 50 percent just a year ago, and is now proposing the construction of six new reactors. Support for nuclear energy dropped across Europe following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, however, French opinion polls show increasing support for nuclear development as an alternative to Russian fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions. The new bill will reduce the administrative barriers for approving and building new plants. The reactors are proposed to come online by 2035, with another eight proposed for after.
This map depicts the locations of six new nuclear reactors to be brought online by 2035 under proposals by the French government. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Barron’s
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Space
Asteroid Threat for 2046
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed data on a new asteroid recently discovered that has a slight chance of striking the Earth. Asteroid 2023 DW was discovered a few weeks ago, meriting extra attention as its current orbital path could put it on a course to collide with the Earth around Valentine’s Day in 2046. Astronomers currently believe 2023 DW will pass no closer than 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km), but haven’t finished calculating all the variables that may affect its path. 2023 DW is around 165 feet (50 m) long, which isn’t large enough for a strike that could cause broad destruction, however it could destroy the land area of an entire city. That would be roughly comparable to the strike that caused the Tunguska Event, when an asteroid exploded in the atmosphere above a remote location in the Russian taiga in 1908, flattening 80 million trees.
This map depicts a view of the Earth and the five closest asteroids in NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What East African desert is known for its funky white chalk rock formations rising from what used to be a seabed millions of years ago?
A: Sahara El Beyda, Egypt
The Sahara El Beyda, or White Desert, is located in northern Egypt, as part of the Farafra depression in the Sahara Desert. The remote desert, which has become a national park, stretches across the Farafra Oasis between the Nile Delta and the Libyan border. The white sands are piled as rock spires in some areas, which are comprised of white calcium, quartz crystal, and limestone, and stand around 10 – 15 ft (3 – 4.5 m) tall. Millions of years ago, the desert was a seabed until the ocean retreated and the underwater plateau broke down, exposing layers of sedimentary rock. Thousands of years of wind have eroded the rock to form what are now the limestone figures that dot the chalky white landscape of the Sahara El Beyda.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: A mining fire burning for over 50 years turned what town in Pennsylvania into a ghost town?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’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 © 2023 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.
|
|
|
|
|
