scholarly journals Impact of Climate Change on the Argan Biosphere Reserve (ABR) in Morocco

Author(s):  
Hamza El Ghazali ◽  
Cherif Harrouni ◽  
Salma Daoud ◽  
Noureddine Benoada Tlemçani

This paper explores the effect of climate change on the regression of the Argan tree (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) woodland, focusing on the Argan Biosphere Reserve and especially in the Souss plain (Western Morocco). Rainfall and temperature data of four sites within the Argan Biosphere Reserve were analyzed over the last 60 years to assess any climatic change. Regression curves applied to the dataset showed an important decrease in rainfall (18 to 26 %) in the four locations as well as an increase in temperature (1 to 2 °C). These changes may have a detrimental effect on the Argan woodland although human factors have been reported to be the main factor of its regression. It can therefore be concluded that the reduction in rainfall and the increase in temperature should now be considered as factors of Argan woodland regression.

Author(s):  
Courtney Rogers ◽  
Rupa S. Valdez ◽  
Juan E. Gilbert ◽  
Karen Lange Morales ◽  
Wendy Rogers ◽  
...  

There is an increasing need and interest for Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) professionals to apply our discipline to a larger context. HFE researchers are starting to conduct research outside of traditional settings, focusing their efforts on complex societal challenges; however, this type of work is still in its infancy and there is a need to define how HFE can be used in broader contexts, outside of formal institutions. In this panel, we begin a formalized conversation of how our field can scale its impact. Each panelist will introduce a societal challenge they are addressing and discuss how HFE can be adapted to this context. The topics of this panel will span elections technology, sustainability and climate change, universal access to mental healthcare, social isolation in older adults, and food insecurity. This session will conclude with a moderated discussion between the panelists and audience to brainstorm specific societal challenges that HFE can address as well as how methods can be adapted to this context.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
N.D. Hung ◽  
L.T.H. Thuy ◽  
T.V. Hang ◽  
T.N. Luan

The coral reef ecosystem in Cu Lao Cham, Vietnam is part of the central zone of the Cu Lao Cham -Hoi An, a biosphere reserve and it is strictly protected. However, the impacts of natural disasters - tropical cyclones (TCs) go beyond human protection. The characteristic feature of TCs is strong winds and the consequences of strong winds are high waves. High waves caused by strong TCs (i.e. level 13 or more) cause decline in coral cover in the seas around Cu Lao Cham. Based on the relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and the maximum potential intensity (MPI) of TCs, this research determines the number of strong TCs in Cu Lao Cham in the future. Using results from a regional climate change model, the risk is that the number of strong TCs in the period 2021-2060 under the RCP4.5 scenario, will be 3.7 times greater than in the period 1980-2019 and under the RCP 8.5 scenario it will be 5.2 times greater than in the period 1980-2019. We conclude that increases in SST in the context of climate change risks will increase the number and intensity of TCs and so the risk of their mechanical impact on coral reefs will be higher leading to degradation of this internationally important site.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Müller ◽  
Petra Döll

<p>Due to climate change, the water cycle is changing which requires to adapt water management in many regions. The transdisciplinary project KlimaRhön aims at assessing water-related risks and developing adaptation measures in water management in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön in Central Germany. One of the challenges is to inform local stakeholders about hydrological hazards in in the biosphere reserve, which has an area of only 2433 km² and for which no regional hydrological simulations are available. To overcome the lack of local simulations of the impact of climate change on water resources, existing simulations by a number of global hydrological models (GHMs) were evaluated for the study area. While the coarse model resolution of 0.5°x0.5° (55 km x 55 km at the equator) is certainly problematic for the small study area, the advantage is that both the uncertainty of climate simulations and hydrological models can be taken into account to provide a best estimate of future hazards and their (large) uncertainties. This is different from most local hydrological climate change impact assessments, where only one hydrological model is used, which leads to an underestimation of future uncertainty as different hydrological models translate climatic changes differently into hydrological changes and, for example, mostly do not take into account the effect of changing atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> on evapotranspiration and thus runoff.   </p><p>The global climate change impact simulations were performed in a consistent manner by various international modeling groups following a protocol developed by ISIMIP (ISIMIP 2b, www.isimip.org); the simulation results are freely available for download. We processed, analyzed and visualized the results of the multi-model ensemble, which consists of eight GHMs driven by the bias-adjusted output of four general circulation models. The ensemble of potential changes of total runoff and groundwater recharge were calculated for two 30-year future periods relative to a reference period, analyzing annual and seasonal means as well as interannual variability. Moreover, the two representative concentration pathways RCP 2.6 and 8.5 were chosen to inform stakeholders about two possible courses of anthropogenic emissions.</p><p>To communicate the results to local stakeholders effectively, the way to present modeling results and their uncertainty is crucial. The visualization and textual/oral presentation should not be overwhelming but comprehensive, comprehensible and engaging. It should help the stakeholder to understand the likelihood of particular hazards that can be derived from multi-model ensemble projections. In this contribution, we present the communication approach we applied during a stakeholder workshop as well as its evaluation by the stakeholders.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Okuli William Swai

Although various long term adaptation measures are currently implemented by farmers to adapt to the effects of climate change in Tanzania, information regarding factors determining choice of adaptation options between men and women is scarce. A gendered analysis was done to analyze determinants of adaptation to climate change in Bahi and Kondoa Districts, Dodoma Region, Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design was adopted whereby the data was collected from a sample of 360 respondents, 12 focus groups and 18 key informants. Analysis of quantitative data involved descriptive statistics and multinomial logit model using Nlogit 3.0 and qualitative data were summarized by using content analysis. Results revealed that the main occupation and land size were the main factors that determined adaptation options for men during food shortage while for women, the main factor was marital status. The village/location of respondents was the main factor that determined climate change adaptation option for women to adapt crops to climate change whereas, for men, access to agricultural knowledge was the main factor that encouraged men to use improved seeds, manure and deep cultivation, instead of selecting and keeping enough seeds for the next season. It is concluded that factors determining choice of climate change adaptation between men and women are not the same, emphasizing the need for gender differentiated interventions to promote climate change adaptation. Thus, planners and policy makers from Agriculture, Livestock and Environment sectors; Tanzania NAPA and other development practitioners dealing with climate change should use gender sensitive interventions to manage climate change.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schott

<p><b>Abstract </b></p> <p>While the pedagogical benefits of fieldtrips have long been recognised our ever increasing understanding of the impacts of flying on climate change is presenting educators with a poignant dilemma; the many benefits long associated with international fieldtrips are at odds with the world community’s needs in limiting/halting climatic change. In response, the paper presents the concept of a VR-based virtual fieldtrip as an innovative and carbon-sensitive type of (educational) travel. The paper not only makes the case for virtual fieldtrips as a meaningful learning tool but also explores both the virtual fieldtrip’s impact on Greenhouse Gas emissions and climate change-related learning. On both accounts the initial findings in this paper are very encouraging. More in-depth research is now required to not only develop a deeper understanding of the full breadth of benefits, but also of the diverse weaknesses presented by virtual fieldtrips and how to negotiate them.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim van der Schriek ◽  
Konstantinos V. Varotsos ◽  
Dimitra Founda ◽  
Christos Giannakopoulos

&lt;p&gt;Historical changes, spanning 1971&amp;#8211;2016, in the Athens Urban Heat Island (UHI) over summer were assessed by contrasting two air temperature records from established meteorological stations in urban and rural settings. When contrasting two 20-year historical periods (1976&amp;#8211;1995 and 1996&amp;#8211;2015), there is a significant difference in summer UHI regimes. The stronger UHI-intensity of the second period (1996&amp;#8211;2015) is likely linked to increased pollution and heat input. Observations suggest that the Athens summer UHI characteristics even fluctuate on multi-annual basis. Specifically, the reduction in air pollution during the Greek Economic Recession (2008-2016) probable subtly changed the UHI regime, through lowering the frequencies of extremely hot days (T&lt;sub&gt;max&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 37 &amp;#176;C) and nights (T&lt;sub&gt;min&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 26 &amp;#176;C).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Subsequently, we examined the future temporal trends of two different UHIs in Athens (Greece) under three climate change scenarios. A five-member regional climate model (RCM) sub-ensemble from EURO-CORDEX with a horizontal resolution of 0.11&amp;#176; (~12 &amp;#215; 12 km) simulated air temperature data, spanning the period 1976&amp;#8211;2100, for the two station sites. Three future emissions scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) were implanted in the simulations after 2005. The observed daily maximum and minimum air temperature data (T&lt;sub&gt;max&lt;/sub&gt; and T&lt;sub&gt;min&lt;/sub&gt;) from two historical UHI regimes (1976&amp;#8211;1995 and 1996&amp;#8211;2015, respectively) were used, separately, to bias-adjust the model simulations thus creating two sets of results.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This novel approach allowed us to assess future temperature developments in Athens under two different UHI intensity regimes. We found that the future frequency of days with T&lt;sub&gt;max&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 37 &amp;#176;C in Athens was only different from rural background values under the intense UHI regime. There is a large increase in the future frequency of nights with T&lt;sub&gt;min&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; 26 &amp;#176;C in Athens under all UHI regimes and climate scenarios; these events remain comparatively rare at the rural site.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study shows a large urban amplification of the frequency of extremely hot days and nights which is likely forced by increasing air pollution and heat input. Consequently, local mitigation policies aimed at decreasing urban atmospheric pollution are expected to be also effective in reducing urban temperatures during extreme heat events in Athens under all future climate change scenarios. Such policies therefore have multiple benefits, including: reducing electricity (energy) needs, improving living quality and decreasing heat- and pollution related illnesses/deaths.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
Constantinos Perisoratis

The climate changes are necessarily related to the increase of the Earth’s temperature, resulting in a sea level rise. Such continuous events, were taking place with minor and greater intensity, during the alternation of warm and cool periods in the Earth during the Late Quaternary and the Holocene periods. However, a particularly significant awareness has taken place in the scientific community, and consequently in the greater public, in the last decades: that a climatic change will take place soon, or it is on-going, and that therefore it is important to undertake drastic actions. However, such a climatic change has not been recorded yet, and hence the necessary actions are not required, for the time being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhan Sofhian

After 75 years of Indonesian Independence, the country is supposedly be developed and prosperous, as well as categorized to Super-power state, since it has abundant resources and potential demographic. However, the conditions that occur today cannot be progressed from the state of developing country. What makes Indonesia's not-so-good including massive and systematic corruption? Based on the premise, researchers review the documentation, rules, and regulations related to corruption issues. Are there enough rules? Or is there another cause that makes these rules blunt and helpless against reality? Based on the results of analyzing the rules and phenomena over government institutions, researchers conclude that the main factor of corruption in Indonesia occurs for human factors, especially those who own good strengths in government, economic, and social aspects.


Epohi ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevena Nedelcheva ◽  
◽  
◽  

The report presents the changes that took place in nahiya Kara Lom between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is based on published and unpublished Ottoman documents – detailed cizye and avariz defters, stored in the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul and at the Oriental Department in Sofia. They were composed in the late 17th – first half of the 18th centuries. At the turn of the 18th century, very significant transformations took place in this region, which changed its appearance and state fundamentally. The main focus of the study is on the demographic and religious changes and processes in the region. They were expressed in the sharp decline of the population. This process was specific to the whole region, and its causes can be traced to many factors that have had a detrimental effect. These included climate change, plague epidemics, population migrations, economic problems in the Ottoman Empire, and the process of Islamization. They led to a decline in the population of Kara Lom, which can be described as a demographic crisis. In the vortex of this crisis, there was a “change” of the confessional image of the nahiya, i.e. a radical change in the religious model of the district, which had disastrous consequences for many settlements in the region. The report provides possible explanations for the demographic and religious transformations in nahiya Kara Lom, which shaped the area in the next century as we know it today.


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