Absence of sea ice in Svalbard, Norway

Saudel is a Category 4 typhoon currently tracking across the northwestern Pacific Ocean. On 24 August 2026, it moved across the Philippine Sea, passing southwest of Iwo To, a remote Japanese island, and moving towards Okinawa. Reports indicated maximum sustained winds of around 200 km/h.

The Waal, in eastern Netherlands, is the largest Dutch branch of the Rhine and an important inland shipping route. Prolonged dry conditions across the Rhine basin have reduced flows to exceptionally low levels, with the Netherlands in a water shortage situation since 16 July 2026.

The Murzuq and Ubari Sand Seas are major dune fields in the Sahara Desert in south-western Libya. Their extensive dune systems surround rocky plateaus and escarpments, creating a marked contrast between sand, exposed bedrock, and sparse vegetation. 

Wexford Harbour, a natural harbour in County Wexford on the south-east coast of Ireland, lies at the mouth of the River Slaney, where the river flows into the Irish Sea. The area includes extensive tidal flats, sandbanks, coastal wetlands, agricultural land, and the town of Wexford. 

On 6 August 2026 a major wildfire broke out near Niebla, in the province of Huelva, southern Spain. After more than a week of firefighting operations, authorities declared the blaze stabilised on 16 August. The affected area exceeds 33,000 hectares, making it the second-largest wildfire recorded in Andalusia.