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United States
Thanksgiving Travel Data
New data released by analytics and marketing company Cuebiq shows that Americans in more than 1,900 counties have increased rates of closeness during the Thanksgiving travel period, compared to the week previous. This interactive map by NBC News uses data from 15 million cellphones and shows the counties across the United States that saw increased rates of closeness, or instances of individuals lingering within fifty feet of someone else for at least five minutes while outside of their homes, during the Thanksgiving holiday. The increase in rate of closeness does not, however, automatically correspond to increased virus transmission. The survey’s fifty feet baseline is also far beyond the six-foot minimum distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This interactive map depicts the counties in the United States which saw increased rates of closeness during Thanksgiving week. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Two Presumed Dead in Landslide
Authorities suspended rescue efforts following a landslide that caused major damage to residential areas in Haines, Alaska. Following heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, dozens of landslides buried at least four homes under approximately nine feet of mud and debris in the southeastern part of the state. The largest reported landslide measured more than 600 feet across in the Beach Road neighborhood. Initially, six people were reported missing, though four were located safely. A 23-year-old kindergarten teacher and 30-year-old entrepreneur remain missing and are presumed dead. Rescue agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Public Safety suspended ongoing rescue missions due to continuing rain and the risk of additional landslides in the area.
This map depicts the town of Haines, Alaska, and the site of the major landslide along Beach Road. Click on the map to learn more.
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The Arctic
Second-Lowest ‘Sea Ice Minimum’
On Tuesday, scientists from NOAA released the annual Arctic Report Card for 2020. In summary, the Arctic is seeing drastic changes as a result of new climate effects, including record warming in the region, and higher rates of sea ice loss and snow cover. Climate specialist and editor of the assessment, Rick Thomas stated, “Nearly everything in the Arctic, from ice and snow to human activity, is changing so quickly that there is no reason to think that in 30 years much of anything will be as it is today.” Global warming is occurring everywhere on Earth, however, the warming rate in the Arctic is more than twice that of the global average. Warming in the Arctic has a huge impact on all other regions, including rising sea levels, changing ocean current patterns, and possibly influencing extreme weather occurrences. One of the most jarring findings from the report details this year’s minimum extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean—sea ice reached the end of the melt season in September 2020 and was the second-lowest minimum in satellite records.
This map depicts the October 2020 sea ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Besides being the smallest in terms of land area, which province is also China’s southernmost?
A: Hainan
Meaning “south of the sea”, Hainan island measures about 160 miles (260 km) from east to west and 130 miles (210 km) and has an estimated area of 13,200 square miles (34,300 square km). The roughly oval-shaped island lies some 200 miles (320 km) east of northern Vietnam, across the Gulf of Tonkin. Up until 1988, the island was listed as part of Guangdong province. Geological evidence suggests the island was connected with the southern Chinese mainland until a rift through the Hainan Strait opened sometime during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (about 23 to 2.6 million years ago).
Source
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Q: Receiving approximately 460 inches (11,684 millimeters) of rain each year, the wettest spot in the United States can be found at the top of which mountain?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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