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India
Deadly Flooding Hits Uttarakhand
At least four people have died and around 50 remain missing after a cloudburst triggered flash floods and a landslide in the Himalayan north Indian state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday. A sudden surge of muddy water and debris swept through Dharali village, a well-known tourist destination and a key stop for pilgrims heading to Gangotri, destroying dozens of homes and damaging vital infrastructure. Ongoing heavy monsoon rains, along with landslides blocking a major highway, have severely hampered rescue efforts. Communication lines are down, roads are either blocked or have collapsed, and parts of the village are buried under up to 49 feet (15 m) of mud, according to officials. With mobile and power networks destroyed, rescue teams have been provided with satellite phones to coordinate relief operations. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed as rescue teams struggle to reach the worst-hit locations.
This map depicts the location of Dharali village in Uttarakhand, India, where flash floods and a landslide caused widespread destruction. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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Italy
Bridge to Sicily Approved
Today, Italy approved a plan to build a suspension bridge over the Strait of Messina to link the island of Sicily with mainland Italy, at a cost of $15.7 billion (€13.5 billion). After more than 50 years of deliberation, Italian officials are hoping the bridge will bring economic growth and jobs to the poorer southern region and also count towards the 5% of GDP Italy is expected to spend on defense as a member of NATO. Italian officials contend the bridge is a national security investment because Sicily hosts several key military bases, including some used by NATO. Previous discussions about the bridge have been marred by concerns about ballooning costs, environmental risk, mafia interference, and the risks of building in a region marked by high tectonic activity. When completed, the bridge will be the world’s longest suspension bridge, spanning nearly 2.3 miles (3.7 km). Expected to be completed in 2032, the completed project will prove the culmination of an the idea first conceived by Ancient Roman authorities in the first century CE.
This map depicts the location of the newly approved bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy over the Strait of Messina. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Palermo Today
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Canada – United States
Sea Star Disease Identified
A team of researchers from multiple institutions have finally identified the cause of a wave of disease that has devastated sea star populations along North America’s Pacific coast. Sea Star Wasting (SSW) disease was first observed in 2013, and since that time, has killed billions of the animals along the Pacific coasts of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. As detailed in a study in Nature Ecology & Evolution, SSW is caused by a strain of Vibrio pectenicida bacteria, a relative of the bacteria that causes cholera in humans. The disease causes sea stars to become lethargic, develop lesions, and eventually to disintegrate. SSW affects multiple species of sea stars, but has been particularly devastating to sunflower sea stars, which saw a population drop of 90%. The drop in sea star populations had knock-on effects to the environment, with sea urchins, a common prey of sea stars, overrunning and destroying kelp forests.
This interactive map depicts results of observations for Sea Star Wasting (SSW) disease along the Pacific Coast of North America from 2012 until today. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which country in Africa has the greatest proportion of Austronesian ancestry?
A: Madagascar
Malagasy peoples are a group of Austronesian-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the African island of Madagascar. Malagasy peoples have a mix of Austronesian and east African ancestries. Austronesian peoples are a large group of peoples with a connected linguistic heritage extending through Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Micronesia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world located 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of the African continent in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The moisture-bearing southeast trade winds and northwest monsoon winds blow through the central plateau, governing Madagascar’s climate. There are 40 species of lemurs indigenous to Madagascar, in addition to 800 species of butterflies.
Source
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Q: Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the ocean, lies within which trench near the U.S. territory of Guam?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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