scholarly journals South African Winter Rainfall Zone Shifts: A Comparison of Seasonality Metrics For Cape Town From 1841-1899 and 1933-2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Jane Roffe ◽  
Jessica Steinkopf ◽  
Jennifer Fitchett
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Start Date ◽  
Rainfall Seasonality ◽  
Dry Seasons

Abstract Mounting evidence across South Africa’s southwestern winter rainfall zone (WRZ) reflects consistent drying since ~1980 and projected trends suggest this will continue. However, limited evidence exists for the region’s rainfall seasonality changes. To improve our understanding of these WRZ drying trends, especially within the context of Cape Town’s 2015-2017 “Day Zero” drought, it is necessary to explore long-term rainfall seasonality trends. Thus, we use the longest WRZ meteorological record from the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town to investigate rainfall seasonality shifts during 1841-2020. Consistent with recorded poleward migrations of the subtropical high-pressure belt and mid-latitude westerlies, known drivers behind the drought and drying trends, calculated trends demonstrate strengthening of WRZ conditions, primarily from a later start-date trend leading to a shorter wet-season. Long-term drying trends are quantified for the wet- and dry-seasons, however, analysis of trend evolution reveals much variability, reflecting that drying has only persisted since ~1892. Comparative analyses of the first and last 59 years of 1841-2020 reveals a rainfall decline of ~10% across both seasons – highlighting that the extreme “Day Zero” drought was not only driven by wet-season rainfall declines. Results demonstrate that these drying trends were consistently driven by a long-term decline in rain day counts and a more recent decline in average rainfall per rain day. Correspondence between our results and projected rainfall seasonality trends suggests the trends we quantified will likely continue, thus improvements and continuation of existing water conservation and management strategies are imperative for Cape Town.

scholarly journals Long-Term historical and Projected Herbivore Population Dynamics in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph O. Ogutu ◽  
Patricia D Moehlman ◽  
Hans-Peter Piepho ◽  
Victor A Runyoro ◽  
Michael B Coughenour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Large Herbivore ◽  
Herbivore Species ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

The Ngorongoro Crater is an intact caldera with an area of approximately 310 km2. Long term records on herbivore populations, vegetation and rainfall made it possible to analyze historic and project future herbivore population dynamics. In 1974 there was a perturbation in that resident Maasai and their livestock were removed from the Crater. Vegetation structure changed in 1967 from predominately short grassland to mid and tall grasses dominating in 1995. Even with a change in grassland structure, total herbivore biomass remained relatively stable from 1963 to 2012, implying that the crater has a stable multi-herbivore community. However, in 1974, Maasai pastoralists were removed from the Ngorongoro Crater and there were significant changes in population trends for some herbivore species. Buffalo, elephant and ostrich numbers increased significantly during 1974-2012. The zebra population was stable from 1963 to 2012 whereas numbers of other eight species declined substantially between 1974 and 2012 relative to their peak numbers during 1974-1976. Numbers of Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, eland, kongoni, waterbuck (wet season only) declined significantly in the Crater in both seasons after 1974. Wildebeest numbers decreased in the Crater between 1974 and 2012 but this decrease was not statistically significant. In addition, some herbivore species were consistently more abundant inside the Crater during the wet than the dry season. This pattern was most evident for the large herbivore species requiring bulk forage, comprising buffalo, eland, and elephant. Analyses of rainfall indicated that there was a persistent annual cycle of 4.83 years. Herbivore population size was correlated with rainfall in both the wet and dry seasons. The relationships established between the time series of historic animal counts in the wet and dry seasons and lagged wet and dry season rainfall series were used to forecast the likely future trajectories of the wet and dry season population size for each species under three alternative climate change scenarios.

Language and (in)hospitality

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile B. Vigouroux
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Work Done

Abstract Based on a long-term ethnography of Sub-Saharan African migrants in Cape Town, South Africa, this article examines how language as ideology and practice shapes the rules of guesting and hosting and helps (re)configure the on-going positionalities of both the nation-state-defined-host and the foreigner-guest, making murky the distinction between the two. The key notion of hospitality developed here is examined as practices rather than as identities. I argue that this theoretical shift makes it possible to unsettle the host and guest positions by not positing them a priori or conceptualizing them as immutable. It likewise makes it possible to deconstruct the categories imposed by the State and by which scholars and policy makers alike abide, such as the dichotomy between migrants and locals. At a broader level, the paper draws attention to the Occidentalism that has plagued academia, particularly in the work done on migration. I show how the South African case challenges many scholarly assumptions on language and migration overwhelmingly based on the examination of South-to-North migrations, which do not adequately represent worldwide migrations.

scholarly journals Diversity and Threats of Avifauna in Cheleleka Wetland, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amare Gibru ◽  
Zelalem Temesgen
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Study Sites

This study was conducted in Cheleleka Wetland, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia to assess Species diversity  and threats of aviafuana from August to February 2019. Data were analysed by using Simpson’s and Shannon-Weiner Index in analysing biodiversity indices.  One way ANOVA was applied for analysis of the effect of season on the composition and abundance of species. Questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were also used to determine the threats of avifauna in the study area. The result showed a total of 49 avian species record belonging to 21 families and 10 orders during both the wet and dry seasons. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index shown that highest bird species diversity (H’=3.42) was recorded during wet season. Over grazing, agricultural expansion, settlement and sand extraction were the major avifaunal threats in the wetland. The result suggests that the need to conserve the avifauna of the whole study sites through the conservation of their habitats. Therefore, awareness creation programmes should be organized in the community and it will help to reduce biodiversity threats and to develop conservation and management strategies.

scholarly journals The Origins of Early Sapiens Behaviour: Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Antiquity ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Yonatan Sahle
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
The University ◽  
Blombos Cave

This exhibition showcases the results of archaeological research at three coastal sites in the southern Cape of South Africa: Blombos Cave, Klipdrift Shelter and Klasies River main sites. Part of a long-term programme aiming to make palaeosciences accessible to the public, the exhibition befittingly started more locally, first at Stellenbosch and then at the Iziko South African Museums in Cape Town, before moving to Johannesburg. The exhibition opened at the Origins Centre of the University of the Witwatersrand on 25 November 2021. To those of us who attended the opening, it provided an opportunity to hear from the archaeologists, curators and designers behind the exhibition. The exhibition opened to the public on 27 November.

scholarly journals Defoliation dynamics of Brachiaria brizantha pastures with distinct structural characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Bezerra Fernandes ◽  
Rodrigo Amorim Barbosa ◽  
RaÍsa Turcato De Oliveira ◽  
Caio Vinicio Vargas De Oliveira ◽  
Cauby de Medeiros-Neto
Keyword(s):  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Morphological Structure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Brachiaria Brizantha ◽  
Central Hypothesis ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Growth Habits ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

Although belonging to the same species, different Brachiaria brizantha varieties used for pasture vary significantly in their morphological structure. Therefore, this study starts from the central hypothesis that the defoliation dynamics during the period of occupation by animals in pastures formed by Brachiaria brizantha under rotational stocking varies among cultivars during the year. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with three treatments and three repetitions, with the cultivars consisting of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés, BRS Paiaguás, and Ecótipo B4. The defoliation patterns during the grazing periods were estimated using the marked tiller technique. Despite alterations in the tiller and forage mass components in the wet and dry seasons, no variations were observed in the tiller defoliation dynamics and the respective structural components. In the wet season, the area grazed only once was greater for BRS Paiaguás compared to the other two cultivars, but the other areas representing the grazing horizons were equally exploited among the grass varieties during the year. Therefore, based on the defoliation dynamics of pastures in Brazil’s tropical climate, it is possible to suggest that pastures formed by grasses with different structures and growth habits can be submitted to similar management strategies without impairing the forage canopy exploitation by the animals.

scholarly journals Drought response impacts on household water use practices in Cape Town, South Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phikolomzi Matikinca ◽  
Gina Ziervogel ◽  
Johan P. Enqvist
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Qualitative Understanding ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Water Use Practices

Abstract Cape Town recently endured a record-breaking drought which nearly ended in disaster for the city's water supply. Municipal authorities introduced several measures to curb water demand using both monetary and other incentives, but little is known about how effective these measures were at encouraging people to save water. Previous literature shows no consensus as to which types of measures are most effective for managing residential water demand. Using information obtained through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 individuals living in houses where they paid their water bills, this study provides insights on how respondents interpreted and responded to these mechanisms. Results show that price mechanisms were considered to be ineffective and did not encourage people to save water in their households. Non-price mechanisms were seen as having more impact on respondents, encouraging water conservation behaviour; especially when it comes to household indoor water use activities related to hygiene. While previous studies primarily provide quantitative data to measure the effectiveness of water demand management strategies, this paper adds a qualitative understanding of how and why households' water use practices change in response to these measures.

Connecting Crop Nutrient Use Efficiency to Future Soil Productivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Fernando García ◽  
Andrés Grasso ◽  
María González Sanjuan ◽  
Adrián Correndo ◽  
Fernando Salvagiotti
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Use ◽  
Grain Crop ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
Use Efficiency

Trends over the past 25 years indicate that Argentina’s growth in its grain crop productivity has largely been supported by the depletion of the extensive fertility of its Pampean soils. Long-term research provides insight into sustainable nutrient management strategies ready for wide-scale adoption.

Petroclival meningiomas: long-term outcomes of multimodal treatments and management strategies based on 30 years of experience at a single institution

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 1675-1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Wook Kim ◽  
Hee-Won Jung ◽  
Yong Hwy Kim ◽  
Chul-Kee Park ◽  
Hyun-Tai Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adjuvant Treatment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Local Tumor Control ◽  
Tumor Control ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Local Tumor ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Single Institution ◽  
Petroclival Meningiomas

OBJECTIVEA thorough investigation of the long-term outcomes and chronological changes of multimodal treatments for petroclival meningiomas is required to establish optimal management strategies. The authors retrospectively reviewed the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with petroclival meningioma according to various treatments, including various surgical approaches, and they suggest treatment strategies based on 30 years of experience at a single institution.METHODSNinety-two patients with petroclival meningiomas were treated surgically at the authors’ institution from 1986 to 2015. Patient demographics, overall survival, local tumor control rates, and functional outcomes according to multimodal treatments, as well as chronological change in management strategies, were evaluated. The mean clinical and radiological follow-up periods were 121 months (range 1–368 months) and 105 months (range 1–348 months), respectively.RESULTSA posterior transpetrosal approach was most frequently selected and was followed in 44 patients (48%); a simple retrosigmoid approach, undertaken in 30 patients, was the second most common. The initial extent of resection and following adjuvant treatment modality were classified into 3 subgroups: gross-total resection (GTR) only in 13 patients; non-GTR treatment followed by adjuvant radiosurgery or radiation therapy (non-GTR+RS/RT) in 56 patients; and non-GTR without adjuvant treatment (non-GTR only) in 23 patients. The overall progression-free survival rate was 85.8% at 5 years and 81.2% at 10 years. Progression or recurrence rates according to each subgroup were 7.7%, 12.5%, and 30.4%, respectively.CONCLUSIONSThe authors’ preferred multimodal treatment strategy, that of planned incomplete resection and subsequent adjuvant radiosurgery, is a feasible option for the management of patients with large petroclival meningiomas, considering both local tumor control and postoperative quality of life.

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