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Europe
Border Crossings during COVID
In recent weeks, amidst the ongoing global pandemic, the countries of the European Union have shut their borders and re-introduced custom and travel checks on all people entering individual nations. European visibility services provider, Sixfold, has created a live map using MapBox and OpenStreetMap, which shows the border crossing points that have remained partially open to allow thousands of trucks and emergency workers to continue to cross from one country to another. Sixfold integrates transport management systems, truck telematics, mapping data, and predictive analytics to give updates on estimated delays observed at major European border-crossings in order to keep vital supply chains moving within the region.
This map depicts major crossing points between countries on the European continent with live delays as custom and travel checks remain in place. All COVID-19 updates will be displayed in a red box.
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India
Gas Leak Hospitalizes Hundreds
Early this morning, a styrene gas leak hospitalized hundreds at the South Korean-owned LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, India. The gas spread in an almost two mile radius around the plant, which had recently reopened after closing due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Maintenance reported the leak at around 3:00 am local time, and soon after, neighboring residents began to flee the area on foot, some collapsing on the street. Over one thousand people were affected, hundreds hospitalized, and at least 13 have died in relation to the leak. Hospitals, already under a great deal of strain, are doing what they can to effectively treat as many as possible. Today, human rights activists are in Visakhapatnam demanding action from LG Polymers.
This map depicts the location of the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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The Arctic
North Magnetic Pole Wandering
New research from European scientists reveals the cause driving the movement of the North Magnetic Pole. In recent years, the pole has moved further away from Canada towards Siberia. A team led by Leeds University reported that this phenomenon can be explained by the competition of two magnetic “blobs” on the edge of the earth’s outer core. Changes in the flow of molten lava in the planet’s interior have altered the flux of negative magnetic flux in the Arctic which have weakened the patch under Canada and slightly increased the strength of the patch under Siberia. “Pole wandering” spurred a recent update to the World Magnetic model by the Geophysical Data Center and the British Geological Survey.
This map depicts the wandering of the North Magnetic Pole. Click on the map to expand.
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Q: Studied by scientists trying to figure out what life might look like on Mars, the Dallol volcanic landscape with its brightly colored hydrothermal systems are situated in which African depression?
A: Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
Located within the Danakil Depression in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia, the Dallol volcanic area is known as being one of the hottest places on Earth with an average daily maximum temperature of about 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The Danakil depression is also one of the world’s lowest points with the deepest part of the depression being about 410 feet below sea level.
Source
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Q: At about 123 kilometers (76 miles) long and 22 kilometers (14 miles) wide, which island holds the title of the world’s largest sand island?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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