Warm conditions in the Atlantic and cooler conditions than normal in the Pacific Ocean also have forced the jet stream farther north and created a corridor for newly born hurricanes to move unimpeded from the ocean waters up the Atlantic coast, Liu said.

CNN: graphic

Russia always had first mover advantage in the Southern Corridor purely by virtue of being able to redirect initial supplies from Ukraine towards South Stream markets.

FORBES: Gazprom Tightens Control Over European Supply

Down by the rushing stream, banks of wild yellow irises shimmered in the twilight, and up in the vaulted corridor that the tracks cut through the trees, the mild June air was filled with twinkling green fireflies.

NPR: Excerpt: 'World Made By Hand'