atlas-lens

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Imagery from Landsat 8 shows how oil fires south of Mosul have evolved over 7 months. Though largely absent from recent media, these fires continue to threaten the lives of people living in Mosul and the town of al-Qayyarah.

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National Parks were conceived as a way to protect natural beauty from the onslaught of economic exploitation. Today, their purpose holds even more vital.

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The three major crops are all a kind of plant known as “annuals”. This means they complete their life cycle from germination to harvest within the span of one year. In terms of drought, these types of plants often do not fare well. However, wheat, maize, and soy may have a chance of being spared declination in locations that produce higher levels of CO2. If CO2 levels do not reach the necessary threshold, the outcome is detrimental...Read full article.

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Infographic shows minimum roof size required to collect enough rainwater to sustain the needs of one person in various cities around the world.

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No matter the efficiency of home water systems, they will still require at least some amount of water input. This is where rainwater harvesting becomes so essential. One of the simplest rainwater harvesting systems is to collect runoff from the roof by directing the gutters to a rain barrel or other large capacity vessel. A spigot on the rain barrel can then be attached to a hose and the rainwater can be used for irrigation in the yard or garden. This requires almost no technical knowledge to set up and there are no pumps, filters, or other mechanical systems...Read full article.

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The Modern Streetcar Named “Development”

In Kansas City, a 2.2-mile starter streetcar line continues the progress already seen in the city’s downtown. The last two years alone has seen over $2 billion in development or planned projects throughout the downtown area.

Much of the growth has been attributed specifically to the streetcar by developers. Most commonly, they cite the streetcar’s ability to attract young renters to new apartments and tourists for hotel development.

Full Article Here

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The proliferation of ASL in less economically developed regions of the world can be largely attributed to the recent introduction of sign languages. Many nations did not include an official sign language even into the late 20thcentury. Countries that hadn’t yet fully developed a sign language system were highly influenced by ASL. However, it is not unlikely that these countries may, in turn, evolve ASL to better fit their cultural needs, eventually resulting in new unique sign languages or dialects.

Full article here

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Dixie Alley: The Not-So-New Hotbed for Tornadic Destruction

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It’s no coincidence that local and state governments are beginning to invest more heavily in youth bike education. With countless studies showing the environmental and economic benefits of cycling vs traditional forms of transportation such as automobiles, public financial support should come as no surprise.

Not only do bikes represent a 100% clean energy form of transit, they require just an estimated one-sixth the infrastructure cost to transport and park them. A community with a more active bike-transit presence is also often associated with higher quality of life for residents.

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Youth Bike Education: A National “Movement” Movement

Youth bike education programs across the country are addressing serious social issues from urban poverty to childhood obesity. In Kansas City, bike education is paving the way for a new generation of engaged, urban activists and community leaders.

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One Year After Nepal Earthquake and the Continuing Economic Disaster

Due to the Nepal earthquake of 2015, the country is estimated to have lost close to 7 billion USD or one-third of the country’s GDP.

This took the form of:

750,000 houses

7,000 schools

2.3%-3.5% poverty increase

One of the hardest hit sectors though, was tourism. Most notable was the immediate closure of climbing activities due to avalanches throughout the mountain region.