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Brazil
COVID and Dengue Cross-Reactivity
A study led by Prof. Miguel Nicolelis from Duke University in North Carolina has suggested that exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness, dengue, may provide some level of immunity from COVID-19. The report, still in preprint, found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever. These maps by the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) show the comparison between the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases and dengue fever cases, summarizing all data from 2019 until May 2020. The findings suggest a possible immunological cross-reactivity between the two illnesses as areas with lower COVID-19 infection rates and slower case growth were places that had suffered recent intense dengue outbreaks.
These maps compare the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases with the spread of dengue fever in Brazil in 2019 and 2020. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Mapping the Debates
Electionarium is tracking the 2020 presidential debates, providing a schedule of each, the location, and the moderators. The first debate kicked off yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio. All three presidential debates will take place east of the Mississippi, with the exception of the vice presidential debate being held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Due to the ongoing pandemic and social distancing guidelines, the live debates have a limited audience. The first debate was structured to allow 15 minutes per segment (six total), where the moderator asked each candidate questions on major issues in America. Critics around the world were quick to confront the ways in which President Trump and Vice President Biden behaved at the first debate, noting the constant interruptions between the two, with the moderator unable to control the situation.
This map depicts the locations of each debate. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Electionarium
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Antarctica
Melt Could Be Irreversible
A new study published in Nature revealed Antarctica is at risk of an irreversible thaw if action is not taken within the next century. Scientists say that the continent’s lost ice is incapable of reforming unless temperatures were to go back to “pre-industry” levels; considered to be an impossibility. The study uses computer simulations to model how the ice could respond to potential rises in temperature and greenhouse gas emissions. The models show a temperature rise of 7.2 degrees F above pre-industry levels would cause an influx of enough sea-level rise to devastate cities such as New York City, London, and Tokyo. The Paris Climate Accord aims to limit temperature rise to a maximum of 2.7 F over preindustrial rates; a number the study says we’re on track to hit by 2024.
This map depicts a computer simulation of Greenland ice melt. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which area holds the title of being the dustiest place on Earth?
A: Bodélé depression
Located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north-central Africa, the Bodélé depression was once part of Lake Megachad during the Holocene and Late Pleistocene Epochs. The sandy depression and former lake bed is considered to be the world’s most prolific sources of atmospheric diatomite dust. Mountain ranges to the northeast of the depression create a natural wind tunnel that focuses and strengthens winds which create massive dust storms. Scientists estimate that half of the 40 million tons of mineral dust that are swept across the Atlantic from the Sahara to the Amazon each year come from the Bodele Depression.
Source
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Q: Which archipelago is geographically part of Africa but politically part of Yemen and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 for its distinct plant and animal life?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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