scholarly journals Is it good to be bad or bad to be good? Assessing the aggregate impact of abnormal weather on consumer spending

Author(s):  
Anna Pauliina Sandqvist ◽  
Boriss Siliverstovs

AbstractAlthough the influence of exceptional weather on individual behaviour has already been acknowledged in finance, psychology, and marketing, the literature examining weather effects at more aggregate level is still limited. Further, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that weather anomalies affect consumer spending and retail business. The main aim of this analysis is to investigate and quantify the effects of unusual weather in consumer spending at macro-level. Using aggregate retail sales data for Switzerland, our findings reveal that weather deviations from seasonal norms, especially, unusually high or low temperatures in a given month, do cause sizeable intertemporal shifts in consumer spending at country level. Furthermore, the effects of abnormal weather are found to differ across seasons, both with respect to sign and magnitude. In particular, our findings indicate that weather effects manifest mainly through the seasons change channel: weather conditions in line with the coming season boost the purchases early in the season.

2012 ◽  
Vol 610-613 ◽  
pp. 1033-1040
Author(s):  
Wei Dai ◽  
Jia Qi Gao ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Feng Ouyang

Effects of weather conditions including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind and direction on PM2.5 were studied using statistical methods. PM2.5 samples were collected during the summer and the winter in a suburb of Shenzhen. Then, correlations, hypothesis test and statistical distribution of PM2.5 and meteorological data were analyzed with IBM SPSS predictive analytics software. Seasonal and daily variations of PM2.5 have been found and these mainly resulted from the weather effects.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 03
Author(s):  
C. B. Soares ◽  
M. N. E. Reis ◽  
B. Takane ◽  
F. M. Almeida

A container was developed for the transport and conservation of immunological products under low temperatures of between 2 and 8 º C, within a time span of 8 hours. The container is practical, simple and userfriendly, and can be used in places without electric power, and all these advantages are added of low operational costs. The container proposed aims at meeeting the demand of the Programa Nacional de Imunizações (PNI- the National Immunization Program), through Cold Chain, which sets the standards for all the procedures concerning conservation, handling, distribution and transport of the vaccine from the laboratory that produces it to the moment of inoculation.Innitially, the container was specifically developed for Vaccine for Inactive Influenza Virus against flu, which, according to a survey conducted with laboratories, is the most widely consumed, and whose conservation time span is also applicable to other immunobiologicals After the design and construction of the prototype, the container was exhaustively tested under different weather conditions. The results of the experiment are being exposed and discussed in this paper and the prototype lived up to the expectations of the reserachers in terms of the time spans and temperatures foreseen for the conservation of the vaccine selected.


2019 ◽  
pp. 223-228
Author(s):  
Dmitry Dergachev ◽  
Marina Larkina ◽  
Valerii Petrov ◽  
Mikhail Pankin

Исследования интродуцированного японского сорта винограда Кёхо выполнены в нестабильных погодных условиях умеренно континентального климата юга России, в Черноморской зоне виноградарства Краснодарского края в условиях температурного и водного стрессов 2018 года. В период активной вегетации (май - август) сумма активных температур воздуха была на 197 °С больше среднемноголетней нормы, количество атмосферных осадков было меньше нормы в 3,7 раза и составило 47 мм. В аномальных погодных условиях интродуцированный сорт винограда Кёхо показал высокую адаптивность к нестабильным погодным условиям в форме активного роста и прохождения фенологических циклов. При остром дефиците атмосферных осадков и повышенной инсоляции продолжительность вегетации винограда Кёхо от распускания почек до полной физиологической зрелости ягод была равна 119 дней, на 5 дней меньше, чем у контрольного сорта Бригантина и на 3 дня меньше, чем в среднем по большой группе столовых сортов разного эколого-географического происхождения, расположенных рядом на Анапской ампелографической коллекции. Начало фазы распускания почек, роста побегов и соцветий наблюдалось 15 апреля, у контрольного сорта на 4 дня раньше, у сортов ампелографической коллекции на 6 дней позже. Продолжительность этой фазы вегетации у изучаемого сорта составила 54 дня, больше на 11 дней чем у контрольного сорта и на 9 дней чем у столовых сортов ампелоколлекции. Цветение у сорта Кёхо начиналось 7 июня, на 15 дней позже чем у контрольного сорта Бригантина и на 3 дня чем у группы столовых сортов на ампелоколлекции. Продолжительность периода от начала цветения до начала созревания ягод у сорта Кёхо в экологических условиях 2018 года составила 50 дней, что на 4 дня короче, чем у контрольного сорта и на 3 дня короче, чем у сортов на ампелоколлекции. Интенсивность роста ягод была более высокой по сравнению с контролем и группой столовых сортов в ампелоколлекции. Полная физиологическая зрелость ягод у изучаемого сорта наступила 11 августа, практически одновременно с контролем - 12 августа.The study of introduced Japanese grapevine cultivar ‘Kёho’ was carried out in unstable weather conditions of moderately continental climate of the South of Russia, in the Black Sea viticultural zone of the Krasnodar Krai under temperature and water stress of 2018. During the active vegetation season (May - August), the accumulated effective temperatures made 197 ° С above the long-time average annual, the amount of precipitation was 3.7 times less than normal, and amounted to 47 mm. Under the effect of abnormal weather conditions, the introduced grapevine cultivar ‘Kёho’ demonstrated high adaptability to erratic weather conditions during the active growth phase and passage of phenological cycles. Under acute atmospheric precipitation deficit and increased insolation, the duration of ‘Kёho’ grapevine vegetation from bud break to full physiological berry ripeness made 119 days, which is 5 days less as compared to control cultivar ‘Brigantina’ and 3 days less than the average for a large group of table cultivars of various ecological and geographical origin, located in the nearby Anapa ampelographic collection. The start of the bud break, shoot and inflorescence growth phase was observed on April 15; it happened 4 days earlier for the control cultivar, and 6 days later for the cultivars in the ampelographic collection. The duration of this vegetation phase for the studied cultivar was 54 days, which by 11 days exceeded that of the control cultivar and by 9 days that of the table cultivars in the ampelographic collection. The bloom of ‘Kёho’ began on June 7 - 15 days later than that of the control cultivar ‘Brigantina’ and 3 days later as compared to the group of table cultivars in the ampelographic collection. Duration of the early bloom to veraison period of ‘Kёho’ grapes in the ecological conditions of 2018 made 50 days, which was 4 days shorter than that of the control cultivar and 3 days shorter as compared to the cultivars in the ampelographic collection. The berry growth was more intensive as compared to the control and the group of table cultivars in the ampelographic collection. Berries of the studied cultivar reached full physiological ripeness on August 11, almost simultaneously with the control - on August 12.


Author(s):  
M. AL-Alawi ◽  
Y. Mohamed ◽  
A. Bouferguene

"Changes in weather conditions impact construction activities. The consideration of effects of changes in weather condition is important to better estimate the performance of construction resources. This paper demonstrates the integration of a weather generator to support modelling earthmoving operation using distribution simulation with high level architectural (HLA) standards. The modelled earthmoving operation is related to the oil sand mining. The weather effects on the breakdown and maintenance events of earthmoving resources (trucks and excavators) were analyzed under different weather testing scenarios and their results were reported accordingly."


1966 ◽  
Vol 98 (11) ◽  
pp. 1145-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pickford

AbstractField and laboratory hatching experiments were conducted from 1960 through 1963 with eggs of Camnula pellucida (Scudder) laid in field cages and collected at fortnightly intervals. Before freeze-up, embryonic development usually reached prediapause level in all eggs laid before the middle of August; these eggs were the first to hatch when incubated in the laboratory or when left in the soil outdoors. Eggs laid later than mid-August showed progressively less embryonic development and consequently hatched later. Viability was highest in eggs laid during the latter half of August; those laid early in the season often suffered from desiccation because of their long exposure to dry soil conditions; those laid towards the end of the season showed declining viability caused, apparently, by low temperatures. The percentage hatch was relatively high in eggs laid before the end of August but declined progressively thereafter; those laid in October rarely hatched. Seasonal hatching patterns were largely dependent upon weather conditions; such patterns were rapidly completed when an extended period of hot, dry weather continued through the hatching period, but often extended intermittently over a month or more when weather was unsettled. The typical diurnal hatching pattern, which also closely followed the temperature regime, commenced in the morning at 0900–1000 hours as soil temperatures exceeded 65°F., rising to a peak about 1100–1200 hours when temperatures reached 85°F., and then generally declined during the afternoon. However, during rapidly changing weather conditions hatching frequently started and stopped as skies cleared and again clouded over. Winter kill occasionally may be an important factor in reducing populations, especially when snow cover is removed by a mid-winter thaw and sub-zero temperatures follow.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Olczak ◽  
Jacek Nowicki ◽  
Czesław Klocek

Abstract Weather conditions (temperature, humidity, solar radiation, air pressure, wind strength, wind direction and precipitation) have a significant impact on the behaviour of farm animals. Pigs have developed a wide range of thermoregulatory behaviours that are particular for this species. With increases in temperature the most characteristic behaviour for pigs is decreased activity and increased wallowing in wet surfaces. In addition to this, rooting and wallowing are highly influenced by temperature and humidity. The lack of possibility to express these behaviours leads to development of stereotypies. Interestingly, low temperatures do not increase the use of shelter if not in combination with wind or precipitation. Furthermore, wild pigs build stronger nests in severe conditions. Also, resting behaviour and reproduction may be disturbed by high temperatures. There is a negative impact of foehn wind on boars’ libido and semen parameters.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian L. Jones ◽  
Anthony J. Gaston ◽  
J. Bruce Falls

We studied factors influencing variation in nightly levels of activity (birds arriving and vocalizing) and numbers of birds staging offshore at a colony of Ancient Murrelets at Reef Island, British Columbia, during 1984, 1985, and 1986. Activity was restricted to the hours of darkness and extremely variable in magnitude from night to night. The rate of entry into burrows tended to decrease, and the amount of vocalization and numbers of birds at the staging area increased during the nesting season. We detected an underlying 4-day cyclical pattern of attendance. Nightly variability of activity at the colony was affected by moonlight and weather conditions. Since activity, particularly vocalization, was reduced on moonlit nights, we suggest that nocturnal colony attendance is a strategy to avoid diurnal predators in this species. The largest numbers of birds were present and vocalizing at the colony on calm moonless nights. Weather conditions explained a substantial proportion of the night to night variability in murrelet activity. Among weather variables, wind speed had the most consistent effect and was particularly important in 1985. Both short-term, i.e., of a particular night, and long-term, i.e., over the previous 3 days, conditions influenced activity. Our observations suggest that direct weather effects at the colony may be more important than weather effects related to foraging conditions. Interyear differences in activity may have resulted from the interaction of weather and general foraging conditions.


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