scholarly journals Ambassadors of the Sensible World

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Gamboni
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The South ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Physical Presence ◽  
South Of Brazil ◽  
Ecological Transition

We may work on things, but the opposite is perhaps even more true: things work on us. Reflecting on several projects of art and research that I have been involved in over the past years, which address different aspects of the environmental mutations currently in process, this paper will aim to partly divert from a usual focus on the deliberate intentions and goals that we can set ourselves as authors, rather observing how various objects of concern can progressively grow in our conscience and in our practice, calling for new transdisciplinary and investigative tools. These projects include the observation of a negotiation summit re-enacted at SciencesPo Paris in 2012, during which the « specter » of climate change seemed to appear in the room as an almost physical presence; the long term artistic research project « A tale as a tool » developed with anthropologist and writer Sandrine Teixido, involving a text of fiction as an investigative object of mediation, allowing to collect testimonies by members of frontline communities from the South of Brazil to the North of Norway; and the research project « The Anthropocene Atlas of Geneva » at Geneva school of Art and Design, gathering self-reflexive interviews with numerous scientists, artists and other actors of the ecological transition.

scholarly journals Multi-Time-Scale Climatic Variations over Eastern China and Implications for the South–North Water Diversion Project

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoyu Ren ◽  
Hongbin Liu ◽  
Ziying Chu ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Precipitation Variability ◽  
Water Diversion ◽  
Pan Evaporation ◽  
The South ◽  
Climatic Variations ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Water Diversion Project ◽  
North Water

Abstract Middle and eastern routes of the South–North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) of China, which are approximately located within the area 28°–42°N and 110°–122°E, are being constructed. This paper investigates the past climatic variations on various time scales using instrumental and proxy data. It is found that annual mean surface air temperature has increased significantly during the past 50–100 years, and winter and spring temperatures in the northern part of the region have undergone the most significant changes. A much more significant increase occurs for annual mean minimum temperature and extreme low temperature than for annual mean maximum temperature and extreme high temperature. No significant trend in annual precipitation is found for the region as a whole for the last 50 and 100 years, although obvious decadal and spatial variation is detectable. A seesaw pattern of annual and summer precipitation variability between the north and the south of the region is evident. Over the last 100 years, the Haihe River basin has witnessed a significant negative trend of annual precipitation, but no similar trend is detected for the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins. Pan evaporation has significantly decreased since the mid-1960s in the region in spite of the fact that the trend appears to have ended in the early 1990s. The negative trend of pan evaporation is very significant in the plain area between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. There was a notable series of dry intervals lasting decades in the north of the region. The northern drought of the past 30 years is not the most severe in view of the past 500 years; however, the southern drought during the period from the 1960s to the 1980s may have been unprecedented. The dryness–wetness index (DWI) shows significant oscillations with periodicities of 9.5 and 20 years in the south and 10.5 and 25 years in the north. Longer periodicities in the DWI series include 160–170- and 70–80-yr oscillations in the north, and 100–150-yr oscillations in the south. The observed climate change could have implications for the construction and management of the SNWDP. The official approval and start of the hydro project was catalyzed by the severe multiyear drought of 1997–2003 in the north, and the operation and management of the project in the future will also be influenced by climate change—in particular by precipitation variability. This paper provides a preliminary discussion of the potential implications of observed climate change for the SNWDP.

The India–China Confrontation: A View from Seawards

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-76
Author(s):  
Admiral (Retd) Arun Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Political Leadership ◽  
False Belief ◽  
The South ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Actual Control

Most Indians assumed that India’s humiliating military defeat at China’s hands in 1962 had jolted its political leadership out of its complacency, engendered by naïve beliefs in the commonality of China’s and India’s aims and aspirations. The current tense confrontation between Indian and Chinese forces in the remote Himalayan wastes of Ladakh, climaxing in the June 2020 sanguinary clash, therefore, came as a rude re-awakening for the Indian public. It is now obvious that over the past three decades, India’s politico-diplomatic establishment has been lulled into the false belief that parleys and summit meetings could ensure peace and tranquillity across the undefined ‘line of actual control’. They also seem oblivious of the fact that growing naval pressure from the south, coupled with existing military pressure in the north, could have ominous security implications for India. Amidst the prevailing perplexity, this essay is a modest attempt to cast some light on the rationale and motivation behind China’s actions and its long-term strategic objectives with a focus on its grandiose maritime ambitions.

scholarly journals THE KEY FEATURES OF THE CURRENT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 22-41
Author(s):  
S.A. Lysenko ◽  
◽  
I.V. Buyakov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Potential Evaporation ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Sum Of Active Temperatures

This paper investigates spatial and temporal features of the climate change in the Republic of Belarus during the period from 1960 to 2019. To accomplish this, we used data on daily average surface air temperature and applied decomposing the time series of these data with singular-spectrum analysis. We analyzed the principal components and long-term average anomalies of average annual, winter and summer air temperatures, the number of frosty days in the cold season and the number of winter days with thaws, the duration and heat supply of the growing season, as well as the frequency and intensity of heat waves. We also estimated the rates of moving the annual sum of active temperatures and the duration of the growing season from the south to the north of Belarus as a result of global warming. The ERA5 reanalysis estimates the spatial and temporal changes in the balance between annual rainfall and potential evaporation from 1980 to 2019. The average annual air temperature in 2000-2019 is shown to be exceeded the long-term average of this value by 1.8° C. The annual sum of active temperatures moves northward at an average speed of 120 km in 10 years with acceleration. Over the past 20 years, the rate of this displacement has doubled in comparison with the period 1980-2000. The length of the growing season moves from the south to the north at a speed of about 110 km per 10 years. It is shown that an increase in potential evaporation due to air warming when slightly changing annual amount of precipitation leads to aridization of the climate of Belarus emitting a reduction in the duration of the cold period with a simultaneous increase in the number of thaws does not contribute to the replenishment of water reserves during snowmelt. Additional damage to forestry and agriculture might be caused by heat waves, the frequency of which for 2000-2019 increased by a factor of 4 compared to the previous 20-year period. Additional damage to forestry and agriculture might be caused by heat waves, which frequency during last 19 years increased by a factor of 4 compared to the previous 20 years.

Patterns in the Data across England

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-104
Author(s):  
Letty ten Harkel ◽  
Anwen Cooper ◽  
Victoria Donnelly ◽  
Chris Gosden ◽  
Chris Green ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
The South ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Ways Of Life

We look at regional variability in the manner in which archaeologists have worked, regional differences in the types of evidence found, and how we can understand different ways of life across England in the past with some long-term continuities to these differences. Overall, we see a broad distinction between the south and east and the north and west, with fewer artefacts in the latter region and perhaps also more mobile ways of life in many periods. We also present a series of case studies, designed to give more detailed insights into a large number of contrasting areas across England, adding nuance to the broad distinctions identified above.

scholarly journals West Nile virus in Portugal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Lourenço ◽  
Sílvia C Barros ◽  
Líbia Zé-Zé ◽  
Daniel SC Damineli ◽  
Marta Giovanetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Serological Evidence ◽  
The South ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North

AbstractBackgroundWest Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen with a globally expanding geographical range. Many European countries regularly report outbreaks affecting both human and equine populations, with an increase in epidemic activity in the past decade. Portugal, on the far west of Europe, has not yet experienced large outbreaks of WNV, despite its suitable Mediterranean climate.ObjectivesTo provide a comprehensive, data-driven perspective on the past epidemiology, surveillance and transmission suitability of WNV in Portugal.MethodsLiterature and database reviews were performed, covering the period between 1966 and 2020 on existing evidence for WNV circulation. Climatic data was used to estimate the theoretical transmission potential of WNV, and to analyse long-term climate trends between 1981 and 2019.ResultsExisting data show that WNV-capable mosquito species are spread across the country, while WNV molecular and serological evidence is vastly concentrated in the south. Our analyses suggest that two different climate types, characteristic of the north and south of Portugal, contribute to quantitative differences in WNV theoretical transmission potential. This supports the north-south divide observed from previous molecular and serological evidence. Due to long-term changes in local climate, suitability for WNV transmission is shown to have been slowly increasing in the country.DiscussionData and theoretical analyses support the notion that the south of Portugal is more suitable for WNV transmission, while not rejecting the possibility of transmission in the north. Mosquito monitoring has been effective, but surveillance of key sentinel species remains passive, creating important knowledge gaps for epidemic control and public health. To date, evidence supports WNV circulation, but it remains unclear whether it is endemic or sporadically transmitted. This study supports a timely change towards WNV active surveillance, to avoid and mitigate potential public health emergencies as those recently observed in other European countries.

Long-term Cyclic Variations of Prominences, Green and Red Coronae over Solar Cycles

2000 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 201-204
Author(s):  
Vojtech Rušin ◽  
Milan Minarovjech ◽  
Milan Rybanský
Keyword(s):  
Emission Lines ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Green Line ◽  
Solar Cycles ◽  
The South ◽  
Coronal Emission ◽  
Local Maxima ◽  
The North ◽  
Cyclic Variations

AbstractLong-term cyclic variations in the distribution of prominences and intensities of green (530.3 nm) and red (637.4 nm) coronal emission lines over solar cycles 18–23 are presented. Polar prominence branches will reach the poles at different epochs in cycle 23: the north branch at the beginning in 2002 and the south branch a year later (2003), respectively. The local maxima of intensities in the green line show both poleward- and equatorward-migrating branches. The poleward branches will reach the poles around cycle maxima like prominences, while the equatorward branches show a duration of 18 years and will end in cycle minima (2007). The red corona shows mostly equatorward branches. The possibility that these branches begin to develop at high latitudes in the preceding cycles cannot be excluded.

scholarly journals Assessing the Sensitivity of Main Crop Yields to Climate Change Impacts in China

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Yuan Xu ◽  
Jieming Chou ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Mingyang Sun ◽  
Weixing Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Output Elasticity ◽  
The Impact

Quantitatively assessing the spatial divergence of the sensitivity of crop yield to climate change is of great significance for reducing the climate change risk to food production. We use socio-economic and climatic data from 1981 to 2015 to examine how climate variability led to variation in yield, as simulated by an economy–climate model (C-D-C). The sensitivity of crop yield to the impact of climate change refers to the change in yield caused by changing climatic factors under the condition of constant non-climatic factors. An ‘output elasticity of comprehensive climate factor (CCF)’ approach determines the sensitivity, using the yields per hectare for grain, rice, wheat and maize in China’s main grain-producing areas as a case study. The results show that the CCF has a negative trend at a rate of −0.84/(10a) in the North region, while a positive trend of 0.79/(10a) is observed for the South region. Climate change promotes the ensemble increase in yields, and the contribution of agricultural labor force and total mechanical power to yields are greater, indicating that the yield in major grain-producing areas mainly depends on labor resources and the level of mechanization. However, the sensitivities to climate change of different crop yields to climate change present obvious regional differences: the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for maize in the North region was stronger than that in the South region. Therefore, the increase in the yield per hectare for maize in the North region due to the positive impacts of climate change was greater than that in the South region. In contrast, the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for rice in the South region was stronger than that in the North region. Furthermore, the sensitivity to climate change of maize per hectare yield was stronger than that of rice and wheat in the North region, and that of rice was the highest of the three crop yields in the South region. Finally, the economy–climate sensitivity zones of different crops were determined by the output elasticity of the CCF to help adapt to climate change and prevent food production risks.

scholarly journals Vulnerability of the North Water ecosystem to climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Ribeiro ◽  
Audrey Limoges ◽  
Guillaume Massé ◽  
Kasper L. Johansen ◽  
William Colgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Little Auk ◽  
The North ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
North Water

AbstractHigh Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous livelihoods are tightly linked and exposed to climate change, yet assessing their sensitivity requires a long-term perspective. Here, we assess the vulnerability of the North Water polynya, a unique seaice ecosystem that sustains the world’s northernmost Inuit communities and several keystone Arctic species. We reconstruct mid-to-late Holocene changes in sea ice, marine primary production, and little auk colony dynamics through multi-proxy analysis of marine and lake sediment cores. Our results suggest a productive ecosystem by 4400–4200 cal yrs b2k coincident with the arrival of the first humans in Greenland. Climate forcing during the late Holocene, leading to periods of polynya instability and marine productivity decline, is strikingly coeval with the human abandonment of Greenland from c. 2200–1200 cal yrs b2k. Our long-term perspective highlights the future decline of the North Water ecosystem, due to climate warming and changing sea-ice conditions, as an important climate change risk.

scholarly journals Response Characteristics of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) Radial Growth to Climate and Drought Variability Reconstruction in Western Liaoning, Northeast China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 752
Author(s):  
Liu ◽  
Bao ◽  
Bao
Keyword(s):  
Northeast China ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Pinus Tabulaeformis ◽  
Western Liaoning ◽  
Chinese Pine ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Pinus Tabulaeformis Carr ◽  
The North Pacific

Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) plays an important role in maintaining ecosystem health and stability in western Liaoning Province and the southern Horqin sand land, Northeast China, with benefits including sand fixation and soil erosion. In the context of climate change, developing a better understanding of the relationship between climate factors and growth rates of this species will be extremely valuable in guiding management activities and meeting regional conservation objectives. Here, the results based on two groups of tree-ring samples show that the radial growth of Chinese pine is controlled primarily by water conditions. The longer chronology had the highest correlation coefficient with the January–September mean self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI); therefore, drought variability was reconstructed for the period 1859–2014. Statistical analysis showed that our model explained 41.9% of the variance in radial growth during the 1951–2014 calibration period. Extreme dry and wet events, defined as the criteria of one standard deviation less or greater than the mean value, accounted for 19.9% and 18.6% of the 156-year climate record, respectively. During the past century, the regional hydroclimate experienced significant long-term fluctuations. The dry periods occurred from the early-1900s–1930s and 1980s–2000s, and the wet periods occurred from the 1940s–1970s. The drought reconstruction was consistent with the decreasing trend of the East Asian summer monsoon since the late 1970s. The reconstructed temporal patterns in hydroclimate in western Liaoning were closely related to the large-scale climate drivers in the North Pacific and the tropical equatorial Pacific. The teleconnections were confirmed by spatial correlations between the reconstructed sequence and sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Pacific, as well as the correlations with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices. Aerosols played an important role in affecting drought variations over the past several decades. Moisture stress caused by global warming and interdecadal changes in the PDO will have long-term effects on the growth of pines in the study area in the future.

scholarly journals Ensemble models on palaeoclimate to predict India's groundwater challenge

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Partha Sarathi Datta
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Ensemble Models ◽  
North West ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
14C Age

In many parts of the world, freshwater crisis is largely due to increasing water consumption and pollution by rapidly growing population and aspirations for economic development, but, ascribed usually to the climate. However, limited understanding and knowledge gaps in the factors controlling climate and uncertainties in the climate models are unable to assess the probable impacts on water availability in tropical regions. In this context, review of ensemble models on δ18O and δD in rainfall and groundwater, 3H- and 14C- ages of groundwater and 14C- age of lakes sediments helped to reconstruct palaeoclimate and long-term recharge in the North-west India; and predict future groundwater challenge. The annual mean temperature trend indicates both warming/cooling in different parts of India in the past and during 1901–2010. Neither the GCMs (Global Climate Models) nor the observational record indicates any significant change/increase in temperature and rainfall over the last century, and climate change during the last 1200 yrs BP. In much of the North-West region, deep groundwater renewal occurred from past humid climate, and shallow groundwater renewal from limited modern recharge over the past decades. To make water management to be more responsive to climate change, the gaps in the science of climate change need to be bridged.

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