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France-United Kingdom
Early Heatwave Grips Europe
Both France and the United Kingdom have reported a handful of deaths related to an early heatwave gripping many parts of Europe. France has reported seven deaths, five of which were drownings by people attempting to cool off in rivers, lakes, or the ocean, and two were athletes dying of overheating during competitions. The United Kingdom reported four drownings. France’s weather service, Météo-France, reports that a heat dome – a body of hot air held in place by a high-pressure front – is holding above the western part of the country, bringing temperatures as high as 17.8ºF (10ºC) above normal. Both France and the United Kingdom recorded their hottest May days on record yesterday, hitting 97ºF (36ºC) and 94.6º F (34.8ºC), respectively, with similar temperatures expected to hold throughout the week. Climate researchers characterize the current heatwave as a “one-in-1,000” year event, highlighting the dangerous effects of global warming.
This map depicts the extent of the heatwave in Europe, with temperatures on the western seaboard of France expected to hit upwards of 98.6ºF (36ºC). Click on the map to learn more.
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Belgium
Train Collides with School Bus
Four people, including two children, were killed when a train hit a school minibus at a railroad crossing near the town of Buggenhout in northern Belgium on Tuesday. A police spokesperson told the media that seven children, a supervisor, and a driver were aboard the minibus. The other five children on board were sent to hospital in critical condition but are now all said to be stable. Also killed were a 27-year-old teacher and the bus’ 49-year-old driver. Police said the barrier at the railroad crossing was down and light was red when the collision happened. An investigation into how the crash happened is ongoing.
This map shows where a train collided with a school bus in Buggenhout, Belgium. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Anadolu Agency
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World
Warmer Weather Shifting Snakes
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns dangerous human-snake interactions could increase across the world as snakes migrate due to climate change. Ranges of highly venomous snake species such as cottonmouth moccasins in North America, kraits in Asia, and the black mamba in Africa could shift due to rising temperatures and human encroachment, bringing snakes closer to densely populated areas and places where venomous reptile species never lived before. Increased proximity could be deadliest in poorer, rural areas, where farmers often work the fields without shoes and healthcare is far away and not easily accessible. Risks are also high for the snakes themselves, with some species facing possible extinction. Coral snakes in the Amazon, puff adders in Africa, and copperheads in Papua New Guinea are threatened by both hotter weather and rising conversions of wetland, grasslands, and forests into monocultures, ranches, and towns.
This map shows the predicted range shifts for each individual venomous snake species (small black arrows) as well as median (large red arrows) of all species’ predicted range shifts for 2050 (A) and 2090 (B). Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country’s coast is home to the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A: Georgia
Known as a ‘slice of the Amazon in Eurasia’, the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion located along the southern shore of the Black Sea. Colchic rainforests are found around the south-eastern shores of the Black Sea in Georgia and Turkey with similar rainforests extending further west as far as Bulgaria. Many areas of the Colchic rainforests and wetlands have been lost to other land uses or seriously degraded in recent years. The UNESCO world heritage site in Georgia covers most of the remaining wetlands as well as the best preserved and most representative rainforests. The ecoregion sheltered heat-loving plants during the previous glacial period and is abundant in relict (a population that was more widespread or diverse in the past) and endemic species.
Source
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Q: What country is home to the world’s largest collection of enormous petroglyphs – ancient line art that can only be truly seen from hundreds of feet above the earth?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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