Saturday, June 21, 2025

Google's AI Hurricane Predictor

Google has launched a new interactive map, Weather Lab: Cyclones, which shows AI-generated tropical cyclone forecasts and allows you to compare how different AI forecast models perform in comparison to  traditional physics-based models.

If you’ve ever wondered how different forecasting models "see" a storm before it hits, or how accurate those predictions really are, Weather Lab: Cyclones provides a powerful new way to explore just that. 

The centerpiece of Weather Lab: Cyclones is an interactive map that visualizes tropical cyclone tracks from both AI models and traditional physics-based models. It lets users explore the evolution of storms across time and across different predictive models.

Using the map you can select to view the historical tracks of hurricanes and toggle between different models to see how each predicted the path of a tropical cyclone. These comparisons allow you to evaluate how closely the AI models align with actual storm behavior and with more established forecasting systems.

Google is keen to point out that Weather Lab: Cyclones is experimental and it is not intended for public weather alerts or emergency planning. For official forecasts, you should always refer to national meteorological agencies.

Via: Webcurios

Friday, June 20, 2025

Paving Paradise for the Ultra Rich

Say Goodbye to Your Outdoor Life

The Wilderness Society has identified over 250 million acres of public land that Republicans are preparing to sell under new legislation. If the SENR Bill passes, then you can expect to spend a lot more time indoors.

Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act has already been dubbed a “Reverse Robin Hood Bill.” The legislation contains a range of measures explicitly designed to transfer wealth from everyday Americans to the ultra-rich. It would add trillions to the national debt while stripping 10–14 million Americans of health coverage - all to fund massive tax cuts for the wealthiest few.

In addition to its economic and healthcare impacts, the Senate Republicans have introduced their own version of the bill which will pave the way for the largest sale of public lands in U.S. history. Now millions of Americans stand to lose access to hiking, climbing, camping, hunting, and other outdoor recreational activities.

To see which local recreation areas, wilderness regions, and inventoried roadless areas are at risk, explore the Wilderness Society’s new interactive map showing the 250+ million acres of public lands eligible for sale under the SENR bill.

The map shows tracts controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service - all with which could be up for potential sale. Alarmingly, even national monument lands and areas with traditional or sacred significance to Tribal Nations could be sold off to the highest bidder, with little to no public input.

To see what’s at stake in your area, explore the map. You can then contact your representatives about the bill's proposals using the Wilderness Society's handy online form.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Insurers Retreating From Climate-Risk Zones

For many Americans, one of the consequences of climate change is higher insurance premiums. In Homeowners Insurance in an Era of Climate Change, the Brookings Institution maps U.S. Treasury Federal Insurance Office data to show where home insurance is becoming more costly and harder to obtain for millions of Americans.

One way this is happening is through non-renewals of homeowners insurance. A non-renewal occurs when an insurance company decides not to continue a policy once it expires - usually because the property is deemed too risky to insure. This leaves homeowners scrambling to find new coverage, often at much higher prices or through limited options like state-run insurers.

The image above shows, on the left, Fire Hazard Severity Zones in California, side-by-side with home insurance non-renewal rates in the state. The dark blue areas on the Brookings Institution map (on the right) indicate higher rates of home insurance non-renewals. These areas appear to follow the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The Sierra Nevada is heavily forested and therefore highly prone to wildfires, especially during California’s dry summer and fall seasons. This is clearly reflected in the fire hazard severity zones shown on the left. These maps suggest that insurance companies are significantly less likely to renew policies in high-risk wildfire areas due to the increasing frequency and cost of wildfire-related claims.

The Brookings Institution map also highlights a high rate of home insurance non-renewals along the Atlantic coast. This is likely driven by increased risks from hurricanes and rising sea levels. Interestingly, Florida does not show a particularly high rate of non-renewals on this map. This is largely because many private home insurance policies in the state have already been non-renewed in recent years or shifted to state-run insurers, such as the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

The Reforestation Interactive Map

The Nature Conservancy has released a new interactive map identifying 195 million hectares around the world where forest cover could be restored.

"Reforesting these areas could capture 2.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year, equivalent to removing 481 million passenger vehicles driven for one year."

Click on a country on the Reforestation Hub map to see how much land could be reforested, how many tonnes of CO₂ this would capture annually, and how that compares to the annual emissions from passenger vehicles.

The map is based on new research conducted by the Future Ecosystems for Africa program at the University of the Witwatersrand. The study identified areas where tree restoration could deliver maximum climate benefits without harming communities or ecosystems. All land selected for reforestation had to meet three key criteria:

  • High Tree Cover Potential - Only areas capable of supporting 60% or more tree cover were considered.
  • Current Land Use - Areas already forested or permanently covered by water (as of 2020) were excluded.
  • Precautionary Safeguards - Agricultural land was excluded to avoid impacts on food security.

By selecting the View US Site button, you can explore the reforestation potential in each U.S. county. This version of the map is based on studies conducted by The Nature Conservancy. More information on the methodology used for the U.S. map can be found on its About page.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

When Ocean Currents Collapse

AMOC Collapse Visualization

A new study suggests that global warming could paradoxically plunge Europe into dramatic cooling, leading to severe winter cold spells, more intense storms, and reduced rainfall. Average winter temperatures could plunge, sea ice could spread as far south as the British Isles, and nearly half the year could see temperatures below freezing.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is one of the most important systems regulating Earth’s climate. Acting like a massive conveyor belt, AMOC moves warm water from the tropics northward and returns colder, denser water back south. This cycle drives weather patterns, moderates temperatures in Europe and North America, and helps maintain ecological and societal stability across much of the planet.

But that stability is under threat.

Due to rising global temperatures and the melting of polar ice, there’s growing scientific concern that the AMOC could weaken significantly - or even collapse entirely. If that happens, the resulting climate chaos could be both severe and long-lasting.

The Consequences of Collapse

To better understand and communicate what could happen if the AMOC collapses a new interactive map has been developed to visualize different scenarios. Built on state-of-the-art climate modeling from the 2025 study European Temperature Extremes under Different AMOC Scenarios in the Community Earth System Model by RenĂ© van Westen and W. Baatsen, the tool allows users to explore projected regional impacts under different levels of AMOC weakening.

The AMOC Collapse Visualization map is based on a new study European Temperature Extremes under Different AMOC Scenarios in the Community Earth System Model by van Westen & Baatsen (2025). The study uses complex climate simulations to examine a scenario in which AMOC weakens by 80% in a world that is already 2°C warmer than pre-industrial levels.

In Europe, the cooling effect from a collapsed AMOC could override the general warming trend - creating a landscape of colder winters, more snow and ice, and frequent cold extremes. For example, London could face winter extremes as low as -19°C (-2.2°F), while Oslo might endure temperatures as low as -48°C (-55°F).

In the United States temperatures would generally continue to rise, the eastern seaboard would see the dual threat of sea level rise and stronger winter storms. Elsewhere in the world, the disintegration of oceanic balance could alter tropical monsoons and reduce the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon - a dangerous feedback loop that could accelerate global climate change.

Monday, June 16, 2025

When is the sun directly overhead?

The longest day of the year occurs this coming Saturday. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is on June 21st. This is the day when the subsolar point - the location on Earth where the Sun is directly overhead at solar noon - reaches its northernmost position, directly above the Tropic of Cancer.

The subsolar point moves north and south throughout the year as the Earth orbits the Sun. At the summer solstice, it's at its highest point in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the beginning of summer and the day with the most daylight. Conversely, during the winter solstice around December 21st, the subsolar point is at its southernmost position, directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, resulting in the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The animated map above shows the subsolar point moving between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn from June 16th (today) through the winter solstice. You can explore this for yourself on Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn - an interactive map that displays both tropics and the subsolar point for any day of the year. Use the day slider in the map sidebar to select a date. The line indicates where on Earth the Sun is directly overhead at noon for the selected day.

By coincidence, the road on which I live is perfectly aligned with the rising sun on the morning of the summer solstice. I discovered this fascinating detail on Solstice Streets, an interactive map that highlights roads in cities around the world which align with the sunrise on either the summer or winter solstice. The site blends astronomy with urban design, revealing how some modern streets unintentionally - or perhaps in some cases intentionally - mirror ancient alignments that celebrate solar events. 

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity

The Universal Jurisdiction Interactive Map (UJIM), developed by TRIAL International, is a comprehensive and accessible digital tool designed to track and display criminal cases related to serious international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, enforced disappearances, and the crime of aggression.

Universal Jurisdiction is a legal principle that allows states to prosecute individuals for such crimes, regardless of where the crime occurred or the nationality of the perpetrators or victims. High-profile cases -such as the arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet - have demonstrated both its potential and its controversy, triggering legislative pushbacks in countries like Spain and Belgium. Nevertheless, there has been a steady global rise in trials based on universal jurisdiction, reflecting a growing commitment to international accountability.

The map reveals that European countries have carried out by far the most prosecutions under Universal Jurisdiction, with Germany and France leading the way. According to the map’s About page, “Germany has the highest number of convictions for international crimes,” while “France has opened the most investigations on economic actors.”

The UJIM catalogs cases from 196 countries and is updated annually.

Friday, June 13, 2025

800K Galaxies - 1 Map

The newly unveiled COSMOS-Web is the largest, most detailed map of the universe ever created. The map plots nearly 800,000 galaxies, and almost spans the entire 13.8-billion-year history of the cosmos.

The map is the result of a multinational collaboration led by astrophysicists at UC Santa Barbara and the Rochester Institute of Technology - using data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope’s powerful infrared capabilities allowed researchers to peer deeper into space - and further back in time - than ever before, capturing galaxies from just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. 

The interactive COSMOS-Web viewer offers a groundbreaking way to explore data from the James Webb Space Telescope firsthand. Users can pan and zoom across deep space, tracing the structure of the universe and inspecting individual galaxies. While the map answers some long-standing questions, it also raises profound new ones, challenging current models of cosmic evolution and opening the door to discoveries about dark matter, galaxy formation, and the very origins of light. By making this enormous dataset publicly accessible, the COSMOS team aims to empower astronomers around the world - from seasoned researchers to students - to investigate the early universe in new ways.

You can also explore the universe interactively using:  

  • ESA Star Mapper - an interactive map visualizing 59,921 stars from the Hipparcos Catalogue
  • Hubble Skymap - NASA's interactive Hubble-eye view of observable galaxies, stars, and nebulae

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Discover the Toxin Polluters Near You

ToxOnline is an interactive map that allows you to see which facilities are releasing toxins in your area. Simply enter your address into the map to instantly discover where and how toxic chemicals are being released near your home.

The map displays markers for all facilities reporting toxic releases and includes a heat map showing the average toxic release in the searched area. By clicking on a facility marker, you can view its name, a list of released chemicals, and the average release (in pounds). After selecting a marker, you can click on the Facility menu option to view a graph of the facility’s average yearly releases, details about the primary release method, and a chemical checklist.

ToxOnline draws from a decade’s worth of EPA-reported data (2013–2023) for most views, and the most recent 2023 data for national-level statistics. This data comes from the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a nationwide program that tracks the management and release of certain toxic chemicals by industrial facilities. The TRI includes chemicals known to have serious health or environmental effects, such as causing cancer, respiratory issues, or harming ecosystems.

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

The Real-Time 15 City Map

The concept of the '15 Minute City' aims to make urban living more livable and sustainable by ensuring that all essential individual needs can be met without reliance on a car or public transport. It's a very simple idea: ideally, an individual's essential needs should be accessible within a short travel distance.

Such a simple concept deserves a suitably simple-to-understand map. CThood Athens is precisely that - a map that both brings the 15 Minute City concept to life and visualizes which areas of Athens come closest to meeting its requirements.

At its core, CThood Athens uses open-source data and tools to illustrate how far you can walk from any given point in the city (within 5 or 15 minutes) and what types of essential destinations lie within that reach. As you hover over the map, it automatically and dynamically shows you how far you can walk in 15 minutes (or 5). Clicking on a location reveals how many amenities are accessible in that time. Further, clicking the 'Show Other' button breaks down these amenities into categories (e.g., the number of green spaces, supermarkets, pharmacies, etc.).

The interactivity of CThood is both engaging and informative. Users can toggle layers, filter by place type, and customize accessibility criteria. The inclusion of statistical indicators like the Gini Index and Lorenz Curve adds analytical depth, transforming the map into a dynamic research and planning tool.

CThood is a great example of how open data and thoughtful design can be combined to support more equitable, walkable cities. I assume the intention is to apply the same methodology to other cities and create interactive 15 Minute City maps for additional locations.

You can also find 15 Minute City visualizations for a number of other cities using the Maps Mania 15minutecity tag.

Via: quantum of sollazzo