|
United Kingdom
Preventing Future Hotspots
On Tuesday evening, in an address to the nation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened COVID-19 restrictions in a bid to avert grim worst-case scenarios as the winter season approaches. A ‘second wave’ of virus infections has seen the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 almost quadruple in the space of a month, and hospitalizations and deaths have been increasing each day in recent weeks. A new interactive mapping dashboard from the Imperial College London shows the probability a local authority in the United Kingdom will become a hotspot over the next ten days. Researchers are expecting hotspots in the suburbs of Manchester and Birmingham, as well as in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
This interactive map depicts potential future COVID-19 hotspots in the United Kingdom based on the current trajectory. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
__________________________________________
|
|
China and India
Border Disputes
China and India have agreed to stop sending more troops to the their highly disputed border in the Himalayas. Military commanders from both nations met to discuss deescalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the demarcated border that separates the two countries, established in 1962. Both sides have agreed to prioritize communication tactics in an effort to avoid further misunderstandings. The two countries share a 2,100 mile-long border in the Himalayas, however they do not agree on the exact location. Tensions have been rising along the border since the violent clash between Chinese and Indian troops in June. The incident resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers (the amount of casualties China suffered is unknown), making it the deadliest border conflict in the area in the last 40 years.
This map depicts the disputed China-India border. Click on the map to expand.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: BBC
__________________________________________
|
|
The Arctic
Sea Ice at Near Record Low
Researchers from the United States’ National Snow and Ice Data Center have reported that 2020’s sea ice minimum is the second lowest on record, beat only by 2012. Annual sea ice coverage is compared using the ice minimum, the smallest amount of ice visible before what was melting begins to refreeze. This year the ice minimum was on September 15th, with only 1.44 million square miles (3.74 million square kilometers) of ocean covered in sea ice. Satellites have been measuring sea ice coverage for four decades, revealing the fourteen lowest ice years have occurred over the last fourteen years. The current ice levels are almost one million square miles lower than they were in the 1980s when records started being kept. Experts say this is most likely a result of rising temperatures, especially Siberia’s heat wave earlier this year.
This map depicts the amount of sea ice currently present in the Arctic. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Which maelstrom hold the title of being the worlds strongest?
A: Maelstrom of Saltstraumen
The strongest tidal current in the world also produces the strongest maelstrom. At the tiny strait of Saltstraumen situated in the municipality of Bodo in Nordland County, Norway, the tide runs at 25 mph (40 kph) and more than 105,668 gallons (480,376 litres) of water pass through the narrow strait over a period of six hours. Every six hours, the tide reverses and rushes either in or out of the straits and at its peak flow, the tidal race produces a whirlpool typically 10 m (33 ft) wide and 5 m (16 ft) deep.
Click here to learn more about our upcoming Fall Symposium Geography 2050: The Future of the World Ocean.
|
|
|
|
|
Q: The only international quadripoint, a single point where four national boundaries meet, connects which four countries?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by AGS for the geography community. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2020 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
