[Content] Black Belt Story

stories/black-belt-climate-ej.stories.mdx

@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ taxonomy:
  - name: Topics
  values:
  - Environmental Justice
- - Disasters
+ - Heat
+ - Land Use
+ - Natural Disasters
+
 ---
 
 <Block style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
@@ -34,15 +37,15 @@ taxonomy:
  Mission: NASA Earth Action: A thriving world, driven by trusted, actionable Earth science
  </p>
  <p style={{ fontSize: '0.9em', fontStyle: 'italic' }}>
- Disclaimer: This study demonstrates innovative and practical applications of NASA Earth science data to highlight existing environmental inequities. Please note that the results have not undergone peer review.
+ 🚧 This Data Story presents work in progress and not peer-reviewed results! 🚧 
  </p>
  </Prose>
 </Block>
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', flex: 'auto', alignItems: 'center' }}>
  <p>
- The Alabama Black Belt, a region integral to the Southern United States, derives its name from its dark, fertile soil. This rich land, ideal for agriculture, especially cotton, owes its fertility to a unique geological history. Millions of years ago, when the Gulf of Mexico extended further inland, plankton deposits formed soft limestone called Selma Chalk. Over time, this limestone weathered, creating the calcium-rich, chalky subsoil that characterizes the Black Belt, transforming it into an agricultural powerhouse.
+ The Alabama Black Belt, a region integral to the Southern United States, derives its name from its dark, fertile soil. This rich land, ideal for agriculture, especially cotton, owes its fertility to a unique geological history. In the distant past, when the Gulf of Mexico extended further inland, plankton deposits formed soft limestone called Selma Chalk. Over time, this limestone weathered, creating the calcium-rich, chalky subsoil that characterizes the Black Belt, transforming it into an agricultural powerhouse.
  </p>
  </Prose>
 
@@ -61,24 +64,25 @@ taxonomy:
 
 </Block>
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
- <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
- <p>
- The Black Belt's crescent shape is captured in a natural-color image by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. This image is a composition of segments from several images taken between 2015 and 2018, allowing for the removal of clouds and haze. 
- </p>
- </Prose>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Figure style={{ flex: '0 0 auto'}}>
  <Image
  src={new URL('./blackbelt_tmo_2015-2018_lrg.jpg', import.meta.url).href}
  style={{maxWidth: '800px', height: 'auto' }}
  />
  <Caption attrAuthor='Data.gov' attrUrl='https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92321/black-belt-prairie'>
- Black Belt Prairie from MODIS.
+ This composite True Color satellite imagery from MODIS highlights the difference in land use - land cover in the Black Belt Prairie compared to the majority of the Southeastern United States.
  </Caption>
  </Figure>
+ <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
+ <p>
+ The Black Belt's crescent shape is captured in a natural-color image by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. This image is a composition of segments from several images taken between 2015 and 2018, allowing for the removal of clouds and haze. 
+ </p>
+ </Prose>
+
 </Block>
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
  <p>
  The region's rich soil played a pivotal role in shaping the region's history and demographics. This fertile land transformed the area into an agricultural powerhouse, making it a cornerstone of the cotton economy, heavily reliant on enslaved African American labor. After the Civil War, many African Americans remained in the area, working as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. The region became a significant cultural and political area, particularly noted for its role in the civil rights movement. Despite its agricultural legacy, the Black Belt has faced economic and social challenges, including poverty and limited access to education and healthcare, which continue to impact its predominantly African American population.
@@ -92,50 +96,54 @@ taxonomy:
  </Figure> 
 </Block>
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
- <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_OlderPopulation.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- />
- <p style={{ flex: '1' }}>
- Analyzing Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) data from the CDC between 2000 and 2022 shows a concerning demographic shift: the younger generation, including those as young as 17, is increasingly moving out of the region, leaving behind an aging population, particularly those aged 65 and above. A linear trend is observed, with color coding representing the slope of this shift. This trend exacerbates the region's vulnerabilities, as the older population becomes more isolated and dependent. 
- </p>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_Youngerpopulation.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- />
- </Prose>
-</Block>
-
-{/*
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Prose style={{ flex: '1', paddingRight: '1px', textAlign: 'justify' }}>
  <p>
- The region is now facing a significant new challenge: climate change. As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events like heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. This is particularly concerning for areas where many residents, especially older adults, rely on outdoor agricultural work. Data from the MERRA-2 climate extreme indices dataset reveal troubling trends, showing changes in temperature extremes. Indices such as Cool Nights (TN10P) and Warm Nights (TN90P) track the frequency of days with nighttime temperatures falling below the 10th percentile or exceeding the 90th percentile. Similarly, Cool Days (TX10P) and Warm Days (TX90P) monitor daytime temperature extremes. Analyzing these indices from 1980 to 2023 uncovers a clear pattern of rising temperatures, with an increasing number of warm days and nights, highlighting the escalating climate challenges facing the region.
+ The region is now facing a significant new challenge - climate change. As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events like heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. This is particularly concerning for areas where many residents, especially older adults, rely on outdoor agricultural work. Data from the MERRA-2 climate extreme indices dataset reveal troubling trends, showing changes in temperature extremes. Indices such as Cool Nights (TN10P) and Warm Nights (TN90P) track the frequency of days with nighttime temperatures falling below the 10th percentile or exceeding the 90th percentile. Similarly, Cool Days (TX10P) and Warm Days (TX90P) monitor daytime temperature extremes. Analyzing these indices from 1980 to 2023 uncovers a clear pattern of rising temperatures, with an increasing number of warm days and nights, highlighting the escalating climate challenges facing the region.
  </p>
  </Prose>
 </Block>
-*/}
+
+
 
 <ScrollytellingBlock>
  <Chapter
- center={[-86.71,33.10]}
- zoom={6}
+ center={[-88.71, 32.60]}
+ zoom={6.5}
  datasetId='svi-overall'
  layerId='social-vulnerability-index-overall'
- datetime='2016-01-01' 
+ datetime='2018-01-01' 
+ >
+ ## Socioeconomic Stressors
+ Analyzing Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) data from the CDC between 2000 and 2022 shows a concerning demographic shift: the younger generation, including those as young as 17, is increasingly moving out of the region, leaving behind an aging population, particularly those aged 65 and above. A linear trend is observed, with color coding representing the slope of this shift. This trend exacerbates the region's vulnerabilities, as the older population becomes more isolated and dependent. 
+ <Figure>
+ <Image
+ src={new URL('./black-belt-age-trends.png', import.meta.url).href}
+ style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
+ />
+ <Caption attrAuthor=''>
+ Significant Trends in Elderly and Young Populations (SVI data): Slope Analysis (p < 0.1)
+ </Caption>
+ </Figure>
+ </Chapter>
+
+ <Chapter
+ center={[-88.71, 32.60]}
+ zoom={6.5}
+ datasetId='combined_CMIP6_daily_GISS-E2-1-G_tas_kerchunk_DEMO'
+ layerId='combined_CMIP6_daily_GISS-E2-1-G_tas_kerchunk_DEMO'
+ datetime='2007-08-11'
  >
  ## Climate Extremes in the Black Belt Region
- Alabama's Black Belt counties face escalating climate challenges. MERRA-2 data from 1980 to 2023 reveals significant shifts in temperature extremes. The region is experiencing an increase in warm days and nights (TX90P, TN90P) and a decrease in cool days and nights (TX10P, TN10P). These changes pose particular risks for the area's agricultural workforce and older residents, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on the region. 
+ Alabama's Black Belt counties face escalating climate challenges. MERRA-2 data from 1980 to 2023 reveals significant shifts in temperature extremes. The region is experiencing an increase in warm days and nights (TX90P, TN90P) and a decrease in cool days and nights (TX10P, TN10P). These changes pose particular risks for the area's agricultural workforce and older residents, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on the region. The data displayed on this map shows an example of a heatwave in August of 2007. 
  </Chapter>
 
  <Chapter
- center={[-88.247405, 32.022218]}
- zoom={8}
- datasetId='svi-overall'
- layerId='social-vulnerability-index-overall'
- datetime='2016-01-01' 
+ center={[-88.547405, 32.022218]}
+ zoom={9}
+ datasetId='svi-socioeconomic'
+ layerId='social-vulnerability-index-socioeconomic'
+ datetime='2018-01-01' 
  >
  ## Choctaw County
  <Figure>
@@ -149,11 +157,11 @@ taxonomy:
  </Chapter>
 
  <Chapter
- center={[-86.510817,31.718222]}
- zoom={8}
- datasetId='svi-overall'
- layerId='social-vulnerability-index-overall'
- datetime='2016-01-01' 
+ center={[-86.910817,31.718222]}
+ zoom={9.2}
+ datasetId='svi-socioeconomic'
+ layerId='social-vulnerability-index-socioeconomic'
+ datetime='2018-01-01' 
  >
  ## Butler County
  <Figure>
@@ -167,11 +175,11 @@ taxonomy:
  </Chapter>
 
  <Chapter
- center={[-87.927908, 33.280585]}
- zoom={8}
- datasetId='svi-overall'
- layerId='social-vulnerability-index-overall'
- datetime='2016-01-01' 
+ center={[-88.427908, 33.280585]}
+ zoom={9}
+ datasetId='svi-socioeconomic'
+ layerId='social-vulnerability-index-socioeconomic'
+ datetime='2018-01-01' 
  >
  ## Pickens County
  <Figure>
@@ -185,11 +193,11 @@ taxonomy:
  </Chapter>
 
  <Chapter
- center={[-87.595494,32.205595]}
- zoom={8}
- datasetId='svi-overall'
- layerId='social-vulnerability-index-overall'
- datetime='2016-01-01' 
+ center={[-88.195494,32.25595]}
+ zoom={9}
+ datasetId='svi-socioeconomic'
+ layerId='social-vulnerability-index-socioeconomic'
+ datetime='2018-01-01' 
  >
  ## Marengo County
  <Figure>
@@ -204,47 +212,8 @@ taxonomy:
 </ScrollytellingBlock>
 
 
-{/*
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
- <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_IncreasingWarmNights.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- alt="Increasing Warm Nights"
- />
- <p style={{ flex: '1' }}>
- The increasing occurrences of warm days and warm nights are significantly impacting the counties within Alabama's Black Belt. The colorbar illustrates the slope of the linear trend. 
- </p>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_IncreasingWarmDays.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- alt="Increasing Warm Days"
- />
- </Prose>
-</Block>
-*/}
-
-{/*
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
- <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_DecreasingCoolDays.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- alt="Increasing Warm Nights"
- />
- <p style={{ flex: '1' }}>
- Concurrently, the decreasing occurrences of cool days and cool nights are also affecting the region. 
- </p>
- <Image
- src={new URL('./BB_DecreasingCoolNights.png', import.meta.url).href}
- style={{ width: '30%', height: 'auto' }}
- alt="Increasing Warm Days"
- />
- </Prose>
-</Block>
-*/}
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
  <p>
  Agriculture remains the backbone of the Black Belt's economy, with many older adults working in the fields. This reliance on an aging workforce is concerning, particularly as the physical demands of farming intensify with rising temperatures. In Sumter County, the number of farm operators aged 55 and above is increasing, reflecting a broader national trend where the average age of U.S. farm producers has risen to 58.1 years by 2022.
@@ -259,18 +228,19 @@ taxonomy:
 </Block>
 
 
-<Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
- <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
- <p>
- Additionally, outdoor occupations such as transportation and construction have become crucial sources of income and have shown growth over the past few years. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which examines the number of establishments by employment category in counties like Choctaw and Butler, underscores the economic importance of these sectors.
- </p>
- </Prose>
+<Block style={{justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
  <Figure style={{ flex: '0 0 auto'}}>
  <Image
  src={new URL('./BB_Estab_AL.png', import.meta.url).href}
  style={{ maxWidth: '800px', height: 'auto' }}
  />
  </Figure> 
+ <Prose style={{ textAlign: 'justify', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
+ <p>
+ Additionally, outdoor occupations such as transportation and construction have become crucial sources of income and have shown growth over the past few years. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which examines the number of establishments by employment category in counties like Choctaw and Butler, underscores the economic importance of these sectors.
+ </p>
+ </Prose>
+
 </Block>
 
 <Block style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center', margin: '0 auto', width: '80%' }}>
@@ -296,10 +266,9 @@ taxonomy:
  * [Census Bureau Data | Occupation](https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/industry-occupation.html)]
  </p>
  <p>
- **Editor**: Maheshwari Neelam and Derek Koehl; 
- **Developers**: Andrew Blackford, Trent Cowan, Jerika Christman, Brian Freitag, and Aaron Kaulfus ;
+ **Editors**: Maheshwari Neelam and Derek Koehl; 
+ **Developers**: Andrew Blackford, Trent Cowan, Jerika Christman, Brian Freitag, and Aaron Kaulfus;
  **Science and Content Contributors**: Maheshwari Neelam and Udaysankar Nair;
- **Acknowledgements**: All individuals dedicated to Environmental Justice ;
  **Questions / Feedback (email address)**: [email protected]
  </p>
  <p>