scholarly journals A short history of climate change

2020 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 00002
Author(s):  
Dirk Notz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Short History ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Natural Climate ◽  
First Time

The flux of energy through the climate system determines the living conditions of our planet. In this contribution, I outline the main processes regulating this flux of energy, how these processes have changed throughout Earth history, and how today they are changing by human activities, in particular by activities related to energy production. The changes in the climate state of our planet, which have been ongoing ever since the formation of the Earth some 5 billion years ago, have shaped the world we live in today. Yet, today’s climate change is special in two overarching ways. First, it is the first time that a major climate change is globally affecting a civilisation that is perfectly adapted to thousands of years of stable climate conditions. Second, today’s climate change is occurring at a rate much faster than preceding natural climate changes. In combination, these two factors make today’s climate change a unique challenge to humankind, with direct consequences of future energy production as outlined in the other contributions to this volume.

The Strait of Magellan—a Gateway to New Worlds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Onetto Pavez
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Modern World ◽  
American Continent ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Strait Of Magellan ◽  
The World ◽  
The Strait Of Magellan ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

The year 2020 marks the five hundredth anniversary of the “discovery” of the Strait of Magellan. The unveiling of this passage between 1519 and 1522 allowed the planet to be circumnavigated for the first time in the history of humanity. All maritime routes could now be connected, and the idea of the Earth, in its geographical, cosmographic, and philosophical dimensions, gained its definitive meaning. This discovery can be considered one of the founding events of the modern world and of the process of globalization that still continues today. This new connectivity awoke an immediate interest in Europe that led to the emergence of a political consciousness of possession, domination, and territorial occupation generalized on a global scale, and the American continent was the starting point for this. This consciousness also inspired a desire for knowledge about this new form of inhabiting the world. Various fields of knowledge were redefined thanks to the new spaces and measurements produced by the discovery of the southern part of the Americas, which was recorded in books on cosmography, natural history, cartography, and manuscripts, circulating mainly between the Americas and Europe. All these processes transformed the Strait of Magellan into a geopolitical space coveted by Europeans during the 16th century. As an interoceanic connector, it was used to imagine commercial routes to the Orient and political projects that could sustain these dynamics. It was also conceived as a space to speculate on the potential wealth in the extreme south of the continent. In addition, on the Spanish side, some agents of the Crown considered it a strategic place for imperial projections and the defense of the Americas.

scholarly journals Investigation of climate change and history of lead deposition using soil archives

2008 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Pampura ◽  
V. Demkin ◽  
A. Probst
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Isotopic Ratios ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Anthropogenic Lead ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Profile Distribution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Burial Mounds

AbstractOur study focused on the investigation of climate change and the fate of lead in soils from the Low Volga region of Russia over 3500 years. We used a comparative analysis of the modern soils and palaeosols preserved under burial mounds, which date back to the Middle Ages and the Early Iron and Bronze Ages. A climate reconstruction showed periodic changes, with the most humid climate conditions occurring during Golden Horde period. However, we could not find any consistent changes in Pb concentration and profile distribution following the climate change. We observed a clear difference in Pb isotopic ratios between the lower and upper horizons both for the modern and buried profiles, reflecting the influence of atmospheric lead depositions. However, there is no statistically significant difference in Pb isotopic ratios between the upper horizons of buried and modern soils (except modern soils collected in the vicinity of a motorway). This means that either anthropogenic input due to long range air transport was insignificant, or that airborne anthropogenic lead and natural airborne lead have similar isotopic composition.

‘The Clouds Roar’

2019 ◽  
pp. 16-61
Author(s):  
Stefan Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Family Background ◽  
Ancient Rome ◽  
Intellectual Biography ◽  
Short History ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Ecclesiastical History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Roman Antiquity ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
First Time

Chapters 1 and 2 provide for the first time since 1899 an up-to-date intellectual biography of Onofrio Panvinio, which shows that he was much more than the antiquarian and historian of ancient Rome whom existing scholarship has generally presumed him to be. The first chapter begins with a discussion of his family background, education, and entry into the Augustinian Order in Verona. Panvinio’s relations with the general of the order, Girolamo Seripando, are then discussed, as are his studies in Naples and Rome. Panvinio found another patron in Cardinal Marcello Cervini (elected pope in 1555), who encouraged him to study ecclesiastical history as well as Roman antiquity. The first fruit of this new approach was his treatise on papal primacy. The chapter then turns to the earliest series of historical accounts Panvinio wrote: the histories of several Roman noble families of his time. Here Panvinio made small but decisive interventions, resorting to forgery to prove his points. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese became Panvinio’s most important patron, giving him access to a significant learned circle. From 1557 to 1559, Panvinio went into exile from Rome with Farnese, spending two years in Parma and Venice. In this period, Panvinio wrote his first short history of the popes and cardinals. This chapter also discusses Panvinio’s works on Roman antiquity, which raise questions regarding epigraphy and forgery.

Future change in renewable energy availability in West Africa: a time of emergence approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Gaetani ◽  
Benjamin Sultan ◽  
Serge Janicot Serge Janicot ◽  
Mathieu Vrac ◽  
Robert Vautard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Projected Change ◽  
Wind Potential

<p>Independence in energy production is a key aspect of development in West African countries, which are facing fast population growth and climate change. Sustainable development is based on the availability of renewable energy sources, which are tightly tied to climate variability and change. In the context of current and projected climate change, development plans need reliable assessment of future availability of renewable resources.</p><p>In this study, the change in the availability of photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy in West Africa in the next decades is assessed. Specifically, the time of emergence (TOE) of climate change in PV and wind potential is estimated in 29 CMIP5 climate projections.</p><p>The ensemble robustly simulates a shift into a warmer climate in West Africa, which already occurred, and projects a decrease in solar radiation at the surface to occur by the 70s. The reduction in solar radiation is associated with a projected increase in the monsoonal precipitation in the 21st century. It results a likely change into climate conditions less favourable for PV energy production by the 40s. On the other hand, the projected change in the monsoonal dynamics will drive the increase in low level winds over the coast, which in turn will result in a robustly simulated shift into climate conditions favourable to wind power production by mid-century. Results show that climate model projections are skilful at providing usable information for adaptation measures to be taken in the energy sector.</p>

scholarly journals Artificial Gravity for People in Space: Evolution of Ideas, Technologies, and Projects

2020 ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Krichevsky
Keyword(s):  
Space Exploration ◽  
History Of Ideas ◽  
Artificial Gravity ◽  
General Definition ◽  
Short History ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution Of Ideas

The problem of creation and application of artificial gravity for people in space is considered as a short history of ideas, technologies, projects of the XIX-XXI centuries in the paradigm of space exploration and life outside the Earth. A general definition, the description of ways to create artificial gravity, its modes are given. A brief analysis of history, periodization, classification are made. Important examples of ideas, technologies, projects are proposed. The realities and prospects are described. The main conclusions and recommendations are formulated.

Protecting Quaternary palaeoenvironmental sites in south-east Arabia: a database approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenta Sayama ◽  
Ash Parton ◽  
Heather Viles
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Imminent Threat ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

<p>Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archives are essential for our understanding of past climate changes and humanity’s response to them. In the age of anthropogenic climate change, these sites are not only important scientifically, but also educationally to teach people about the impact of climate change, and the role it played in shaping past communities. </p><p>The landscape of the Arabian Peninsula is highly reactive to even subtle changes in climate and recent research has shown that palaeoenvironmental archives in south-east Arabia (i.e., dunes, fluvial/alluvial and palaeolake deposits, etc.) are crucial for our understanding of the role of climate change in the late-Pleistocene dispersal of early human populations out of Africa. The importance of archaeological sites in this region is increasingly recognised, with many sites benefitting from extensive research and conservation. Similarly, the rich geological history of the region has either been catalogued or protected with integration into national tourism strategies. Despite the the budding initiative of geoheritage conservation in Arabia, however, the protection of Quaternary palaeoenvironmental sites has been entirely disregarded.</p><p>With the lack of a protection framework and the continuous economic development of the region, many of these archives are under imminent threat or already destroyed. At present, no assessment has been conducted to examine the possible extent of such loss. Here we propose that a system must be established for scientists to record and highlight the potential threat of destruction of these irreplaceable archives.  Also, to protect these sites effectively, we must develop a conservation strategy with an understanding of the factors that differentiate them from geoheritage sites that already enjoy protection.</p><p>For the first time, this study has compiled a database of Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archives in south-east Arabia. A total of ~300 sites in the entire region have been assessed for their risk status, with ~100 sites in the UAE assessed additionally for their scientific and educational values. Preliminary results indicate that more than 10% of sites, mostly in urban or coastal settings, have been destroyed or are under imminent threat.  Furthermore, the prevailing prioritisation of conventional aesthetic values in geoheritage conservation has been identified as a major obstacle in promoting the conservation of these sites. </p>

Climate Change and Ownership of the Atmosphere

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Risse
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Fair Division ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Collective Ownership ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Ownership Status ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Common Ownership ◽  
Division Scheme

This chapter explores the implications of Common Ownership for duties resulting from climate change. It explains what we can learn from the standpoint of collective ownership of the earth about how to distribute burdens from mitigation and adaptation specifically among states. To this end, the chapter considers the ownership status of the atmosphere and ways of thinking about a fair division of burdens. It shows that, as an obligation of justice, regulating access to the absorptive capacity of the atmosphere is required to make sure the basic climate conditions of the earth are preserved. It argues that access to the absorptive capacity of the earth ought to be regulated by a fair-division scheme. It is an obligation of justice that access to that capacity be regulated, and it is a demand of reasonable conduct that such regulation be done by a fair-division scheme.

Reamker (Rāmakerti), the Cambodian version of the Rāmāyaṇa. a review article

1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Marrison
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Review Article ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
Critical Notes

Mrs. Jacob has provided us with a translation, for the first time in English, of the most important text in classical Cambodian literature, with an introduction and critical notes and lists, which will be of great help to anyone studying the Cambodian text. The Cambodian Rāmāyaṇa was composed anonymously by at least three authors over three centuries, and is divided into two parts. The earliest writer, of the sixteenth century, accounts for about a fifth of the first part, covering the main events of the Bālakāṇḍa and Ayodhyakāṇḍa. It was continued in the seventeenth century with the story up to Rāvaṇa's assembling the remnants of his army for the final battle with Rāma: but Rāvaṇa's death, the rescue of Sītā and her trial by fire, and the triumphant return to Ayodhya, are all missing. The second part of the Cambodian Rāmāyaṇa relates those events from the Uttarakāṇḍa which deal specifically with the later history of Rāma and Sītā: her second rejection and exile, the birth of their two sons, the meeting again, and Sītā's going down into the earth. This part is believed to have been composed in the eighteenth century.

The kaleidoscope ocean

2005 ◽  
Vol 363 (1837) ◽  
pp. 2873-2890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Martin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Short History ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

Oceanic plant life is dominated by the microscopic phytoplankton. Regardless of the scale at which they are observed, they display striking heterogeneity in their distribution. At their most dramatic they paint colourful swathes across whole seas. A short history of observations of phytoplankton ‘patchiness’ is presented, illustrated with some of the many ideas put forward to explain it. Focus is then turned to the mesoscale, covering scales of roughly 1–500 km. It is argued that the spatial variability seen in phytoplankton at these scales gives important information on the biogeochemistry of the ocean. In particular, interplay between the physical circulation and biological processes results in constantly shifting patterns that are strongly related to changes induced in phytoplankton production. It is thought that this physical influence may play a major role in controlling the rate at which new plant material (primary production) is generated in much of the world's oceans. Major questions yet to be addressed are also discussed including the difficulty of quantifying processes on the very limit of what we can model or observe and how these processes may change in response to and exert a feedback on future climate change.

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