scholarly journals Temperature and relative humidity trends in the northernmost region of South Africa, 1950–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Njongenhle M.B. Nyoni ◽  
Stefan Grab ◽  
Emma Archer ◽  
Johan Malherbe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Positive Temperature ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
Probability Densities ◽  
The Impact

The northernmost Limpopo Province is located in one of the warmest regions of South Africa, where the agricultural sector is prone to heat stress. The aim of this study was to explore air temperature and relative humidity trends for the region, which have implications for agricultural adaptation and management (amongst other sectors). In particular, we investigated seasonal, annual and decadal scale air temperature and relative humidity changes for the period 1950–2016. Positive temperature trends were recorded for this period, averaging +0.02 °C/year, with the strongest changes observed in mean maximum summer temperatures (+0.03 °C/year). Interannual temperature variability also increased over time, especially for the period 2010–2016, which presents probability densities of <50% for minimum temperatures. Positive relative humidity trends (+0.06%/year) were also recorded for the period 1980– 2016, but proved to be the least predictable weather parameter, with probability densities of <0.5% across seasons for the study period. Considering the substantial interannual variability in temperature and relative humidity, there is clear increased risk for the agricultural sector, particularly for small-scale farmers who generally have limited capacity to adapt. Climate science focusing on the southern African region should continue to establish the impact of climate change and variability on specific small-scale farming systems and enterprises, with recommendations for strategic adaptation based on up-to-date evidence.

scholarly journals Impacts of literacy rate and human development indices on agricultural production in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 531-536
Author(s):  
S. Leshoro ◽  
T.L.A. Leshoro
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Literacy Rate ◽  
Distributed Lag ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

Agriculture is an important sector in South Africa, and the impact that education and human development would have made in this sector via non-white small scale farming was limited through biased policies of the apartheid era. Due to apartheid laws, South Africa found itself with high levels of unskilled labour force. This study seeks to find the impacts of literacy rate and human development indices on agricultural production using Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test approach to co-integration. A long run relationship among the variables, agricultural production (agriculture GDP), literacy rate and human development indices were found. Literacy rate has a positively significant effect on agricultural production in the long run while Human Development Index has a positive and significant impact in the short run. This indicates that the apartheid regime fell short in recognizing the positive effect of education in the agricultural sector by denying a descent education to the majority of non-whites which were farm labourers or small scale farmers. This study provides some policy recommendations. &nbsp;

scholarly journals Development of a design and implementation process for the integration of hydrokinetic devices into existing infrastructure in South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (3 July) ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Niebuhr ◽  
M Van Dijk ◽  
JN Bhagwan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Irrigation Canal ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Modular Units

In South Africa there is currently no notable use of modern small-scale hydrokinetic (HK) energy systems, mainly due to formerly low-cost coal-powered electricity. This renewable energy option makes use of the kinetic energy from flowing water, rather than potential energy, which is more often used in conventional hydropower. Updated refined versions of this technology are now being investigated and manufactured due to the global drive towards reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency. These modular units allow for installation of HK turbines into existing water infrastructure with very little civil works. The study’s objective was to develop a simplified design and implementation process for HK devices within the South African legislative and regulatory environment. Approximately 66% of South Africa’s water supply is used by the agricultural sector with more than 6 500 km of canal systems running through many areas which could benefit from alternative energy sources. The recent electricity crisis in the country allowed for problem resolution through funding opportunities and thereby an introduction of an innovative and sustainable technology to provide renewable electricity where otherwise not feasible. A pilot HK project was implemented in an applicable section on the Boegoeberg irrigation canal in the Northern Cape Province and tested for optimum functionality and correct application. This process allowed evolution of a development process for the implementation of HK devices in existing water infrastructure.

Investigation Of The Impact Of Networking Among Tenants In The Seda Limpopo Jewellery Incubator In South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26
Author(s):  
Forbes Chiromo ◽  
Goodwell Muyengwa ◽  
Joseph Makuvaza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Metal Fabrication ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

AbstractThis study investigates the extent to which tenants in a jewellery incubator in the Limpopo Province of South Africa network. Since 1994 SEDA has set up more than 31 incubation centres in furniture making, construction, chemicals, jewellery, ICT, metal fabrication, agriculture and small scale mining. This study was done through a survey conducted on tenants in the SEDA Limpopo Jewellery Incubator (SLJI). Information was obtained through a structured questionnaire. The study revealed how tenants benefit from networking around exhibitions and collective purchasing of raw material. Through the Incubator institutional mechanisms, the study explains how tenants share expertise, experiences, technology and resources. Unfortunately the tenants do not initiate the own networking programmes. They lose out on benefits associated with collective effort in other areas such as advertisements, lobbying the government for industrial stands, organising an newsletter, hiring of consultants, and organising joint training programmes. Lastly the study identified opportunities that the tenants could collectively exploit in order strengthen and sustain their businesses.

scholarly journals Odour Emissions of Municipal Waste Biogas Plants—Impact of Technological Factors, Air Temperature and Humidity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Wiśniewska ◽  
Andrzej Kulig ◽  
Krystyna Lelicińska-Serafin
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Municipal Waste ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Organic Fertiliser ◽  
Individual Measurement ◽  
Technological Factors ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Odour Emissions ◽  
The Impact

Biogas plants processing municipal waste are an important part of a circular economy (energy generation from biogas and organic fertiliser production for the treatment of selectively collected biowaste). However, the technological processes taking place may be associated with odour nuisance. The paper presents the results of pilot research conducted at six municipal waste biogas plants in Poland. It shows the relations between odour intensity and concentration and the occurring meteorological and ambient conditions (air temperature and relative humidity) and technological factors at biogas plants processing municipal waste. The impact of meteorological and ambient conditions was identified by measuring air temperature and relative humidity and observing their changes. The impact of technological factors was identified by measuring odorant concentration (volatile organic compounds and ammonia) and observing their changes between individual measurement series. At most analysed biogas plants, the influence of technological factors on odour emissions took place and was clearly noted. The elements of biogas installations characterised by the highest concentration of these odorants were indicated. Special attention should be paid to the choice of technological solutions and technical and organisational measures to reduce the impact of unfavourable atmospheric conditions on odour emissions.

scholarly journals Assessing the clogging and permeability of degrading packed bed reactors

Water SA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1 January) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthin Botes ◽  
Chris James ◽  
Craig M Sheridan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Packed Bed ◽  
Packed Bed Reactor ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
Wood Shavings ◽  
Chicken Litter ◽  
The Impact

In South Africa, the need for water treatment is increasing, especially in the mining sector. As active water treatment technologies are expensive, the mining sector has an increasing need for passive water treatment technology, with low maintenance and operating costs, yet efficient water treatment ability. Literature on passive water treatment suggests that these systems only offer a narrow range of treatment capabilities. Therefore, hybrid water treatment systems could be a solution to low-cost water treatment in South Africa. The degrading packed bed reactor (DPBR) is one of the units comprising the hybrid treatment group. The DPBR’s main action is to convert sulfates into sulfides and alkalinity, since this reduces the impact on the environment by increasing the pH and reducing the salinity. In this study, 6 small-scale DPBRs were constructed. Each was classified according to its unique organic source (manure, straw, vegetable food processing waste, wood shavings, chicken litter and a combined sample with layers of all the carbon sources). Synthetic acid mine drainage (AMD) was fed through the 6 bioreactors for a period of 3 months. Permeabilities, leachate samples and effective void volumes were measured from the DPBRs. From the experiments conducted, it was found that the manure and combination bioreactors (with equal layers of manure, straw, compost, wood shavings and chicken litter) had the lowest overall permeabilities, with straw and compost having the highest permeabilities. Linked to this, the experiments showed that the manure and combination bioreactors had the largest decreases in effective porosity with straw and compost having the least. Hydraulically, the combination bioreactor performed the best by incorporating the best attributes from each carbon source. Wood shavings preformed almost as well. Chicken litter clogged within 18 days after the initiation of the experiment and thus was the least effective substrate.

scholarly journals Quantifying the impact of heat on human physical work capacity; part II: the observed interaction of air velocity with temperature, humidity, sweat rate, and clothing is not captured by most heat stress indices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Foster ◽  
James W. Smallcombe ◽  
Simon Hodder ◽  
Ollie Jay ◽  
Andreas D. Flouris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Physical Work Capacity ◽  
Air Movement ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Increasing air movement can alleviate or exacerbate occupational heat strain, but the impact is not well defined across a wide range of hot environments, with different clothing levels. Therefore, we combined a large empirical study with a physical model of human heat transfer to determine the climates where increased air movement (with electric fans) provides effective body cooling. The model allowed us to generate practical advice using a high-resolution matrix of temperature and humidity. The empirical study involved a total of 300 1-h work trials in a variety of environments (35, 40, 45, and 50 °C, with 20 up to 80% relative humidity) with and without simulated wind (3.5 vs 0.2 m∙s−1), and wearing either minimal clothing or a full body work coverall. Our data provides compelling evidence that the impact of fans is strongly determined by air temperature and humidity. When air temperature is ≥ 35 °C, fans are ineffective and potentially harmful when relative humidity is below 50%. Our simulated data also show the climates where high wind/fans are beneficial or harmful, considering heat acclimation, age, and wind speed. Using unified weather indices, the impact of air movement is well captured by the universal thermal climate index, but not by wet-bulb globe temperature and aspirated wet-bulb temperature. Overall, the data from this study can inform new guidance for major public and occupational health agencies, potentially maintaining health and productivity in a warming climate.

scholarly journals Evaluation of nature-based solutions implementation scenarios, using urban surface modelling

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Panagiotakis ◽  
Dionysia Kolokotsa ◽  
Nektarios Chrysoulakis
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The present paper aims to study the impact of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) on the urban environment. The Surface Urban Energy and Water balance Scheme (SUEWS) is used to quantify the impact of NBS in the city of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, a densely built urban area. Local meteorological data and data from an Eddy Covariance flux tower installed in the city center are used for the model simulation and evaluation. Five different scenarios are tested by replacing the city’s roofs and pavements with green infrastructure, i.e., trees and grass, and water bodies. The NBS impact evaluation is based on the changes of air temperature above 2m from the ground, relative humidity and energy fluxes. A decrease of the air temperature is revealed with the highest reduction (2.3%) occurring when the pavements are replaced with grass for all scenarios. The reduction of the air temperature is followed by a decrease in turbulent sensible heat flux. For almost all cases, an increase of the relative humidity is noticed, accompanied by a considerable increase of the turbulent latent heat flux. Therefore, NBS in cities change the energy balance significantly and modify the urban environment for the citizens' benefit.

scholarly journals Helminths in South Africa: management of cestode and trematode infections in humans

2020 ◽  
pp. 33-38
Author(s):  
RL van Zyl
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The South ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa has to contend with many challenges, including inadequate healthcare systems, lack of optimal sanitation, and clean water and food. All of these contribute to malnutrition and an increased risk of infections, including parasitism by cestodes and trematodes. Schistosomiasis is a category-2 notifiable trematode (fluke) infection, whereas cestode (tapeworm) infections need not be reported to the South African Department of Health. Epidemiological data for helminthiasis in South Africa is scant, with a paucity of publications on the South African scenario. As such, a complete picture of the impact of helminth infections on all age groups in South Africa does not exist. These parasitic diseases not only have an impact on socio economic development of a country, community and families, but also contribute to the chronic and detrimental effects on the health and nutritional status of the host, including the impaired development of children. In order to break the cycle of poverty and disease, a strong education drive is required in schools and communities to provide effective strategies and guidelines on preventative measures that result in avoidance of exposure to infective stages of Schistosoma and Taenia tapeworms. Also, it is imperative that healthcare professionals are able to recognise the signs and symptoms, so that interventions can be promptly initiated. The current anthelmintic treatments available in South Africa are effective against cestodes and trematodes, with no drug resistance having being reported. The need for compliancy when taking anthelmintic drugs must be emphasised.

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