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United States
Senior Care Facilities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s COVID-19 Policy Alliance is one of several institutions using data analysis to locate vulnerable populations in need of extra resources as the coronavirus continues to spread. Analysts have created a map identifying high-risk senior care facilities across the United States by combining the bed availability data and safety records at nursing homes, assisted living, and long-term care facilities. Thirty-nine people have died in the largest nursing home in New Jersey, where the facility has been overwhelmed with COVID cases and surpassed the holding capacity of their morgue. In New York State, the nation’s largest COVID-19 hot-spot, 24% of total fatalities from the disease have occurred in nursing homes and assisted living centers. By identifying high-risk facilities, this project can assist decision-makers anticipate where resources may be needed during the pandemic.
This map depicts high-risk facilities in Massachusetts, home to MIT. Click on the map to learn more about the project. All COVID-19 updates will be displayed in a red box.
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United States
Megadrought
In a study published on Thursday, scientists at Columbia University warn a “megadrought” appears to be emerging in the western states. According to the study, a megadrought refers to a multi-decade drought event that contains periods of very high severity. Analysis based on modern weather observations, along with 1,200 years of tree-ring data and dozens of climate models shows that since 2000, the western United States has experienced one of its driest 20-year periods in history, due to a combination of a dry natural cycle and climate change. The researchers state there is evidence that naturally driven megadroughts have occurred in the region throughout history.
This map depicts the area of extent of the predicted megadrought. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: LA Times
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Greenland
Melting Ice Sheet, Rising Seas
The loss of over 600 billion tons of melted water off the Greenland icesheet caused the global watermark to rise 1.5 millimeters over the last year. This means the Greenland icesheet is behind forty-percent of sea-level rise. Researchers say the majority of the loss is due to climate-change related disruptions to typical weather patterns. 2019 saw Greenland sunnier than ever, and the lack of clouds led to drastic declines in snowfall, over 100 billion tons below the 1980-1999 average. The lack of snow revealed a layer of soot covered ice which absorbs heat instead of reflecting it the way white snow will. Scientists fear these extreme melting events will happen more frequently in the coming years if the world continues to warm. In the Arctic regions alone, average temperatures have risen two degrees Celsius since the mid nineteenth century–twice the world average. The Greenland icesheet holds enough water to raise sea-levels seven meters.
This map depicts what the Greenland icesheet could look like in 2300 if conditions do not improve. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: The world’s largest man-made oyster reef is a part of what country?
A: United States
Located in the Chesapeake Bay (in the state of Maryland) the reef stretches across 330 acres and contains over 1 billion oysters. The number of oysters caught in the bay was around 15 million in the 1800s but has in recent years counted only around 900,000. A single adult oyster can filter and clean up to 50 gallons of water a day.
Source
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Q: Lake Volta the world’s largest artificial reservoir by surface area takes up 3.6% of which country?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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