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Syria
Violent Border Clash
Turkish and Syrian forces traded attacks at their shared border yesterday leaving at least 21 dead. The violence began on Monday when eight Turks, including five soldiers, were killed by Syrian government forces near the town of Saraqib, in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib. Turkish forces launched a retaliatory artillery attack on 40 Syrian regime positions in the region, killing a reported 13 Syrian soldiers. Idlib is considered the last rebel stronghold in Syria and this latest violence comes amid a Syrian government offensive that has been advancing since December. Turkish forces are deployed in the region to monitor a cease-fire agreement between Syrian rebels and the government forces that has recently collapsed.
This map depicts the geopolitical landscape in northern Syria. The site of the clash occurred in the Idlib region, a rebel controlled area. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Times
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United States
Water Contamination Grows
Tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group found exposure in U.S. water supplies to toxic flourinated compounds, known as PFAS, is much higher than previously thought. PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are a class of about 5,000 compounds that don’t naturally break down and there is no known way to destroy them. These compounds are found in, or are byproducts of, common products such as Teflon, Scotchgard, waterproof rain gear, dental floss, eyeliner, food packaging, carpeting, firefighting foam and a wide range of textiles. Many of the chemicals have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems. The highest rates of PFAS are recorded in large cities such as Philadelphia, Miami, and Washington D.C.
This interactive map depicts where PFAS have been found in high levels in water supplies. Click on the map to learn more.
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Greenland
New Glacial Melt Cause Identified
Researchers discovered warm ocean currents are accelerating ice melt below Greenland’s vast glaciers, according to a report published yesterday in Nature Geoscience. Warmer air temperatures have been known to cause surface melting on Greenland’s ice sheet, but the effects of warm ocean water had yet to be understood as the cause of intensified melting on glaciers’ undersides. Greenland’s glaciers are melting seven times faster than they were in the 1990’s and researchers believe the phenomenon of melt caused by warming ocean temperatures will be replicated in other glacial regions.
This map depicts ice sheet mass loss in Greenland since September 2018. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the only landlocked country in southeast Asia?
A: Laos
Laos is the only landlocked country in southeast Asia. It sits on the Indochina peninsula and is bordered by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Despite being landlocked, Laos has access to the Mekong River and is home to a river archipelago of 4,000 islands called Si Phan Don.
Source
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Q: Zebra mussels, an invasive species that cause over $1 billion in damages in the United States annually, are native to what sea(s)?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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