scholarly journals Phenology of non-biting midges (Diptera Chironomidae) in peatland ponds, Central Poland

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Płóciennik ◽  
Martyna Skonieczka ◽  
Olga Antczak ◽  
Jacek Siciński

Non-biting midges are one of the most diverse and abundant aquatic insects in peatlands. The Rąbień mire is a raised bog located on the edge of the Lodz Agglomeration in Central Poland. After peat extraction, many ponds remained in the Rąbień area. During the growing season in 2012, adult chironomids were collected by a light trap and a hand net near one of the excavation ponds. The phenology of adult flight period was documented from April to November. Thirty-one species were recorded and assigned to one of five phenology groups. Three parameters reflecting duration of daytime and weather conditions, i.e. air temperature, air humidity, were found to covary significantly with the observed flight periods. Taxa emerging in the spring may be classified as cold-adapted and those collected in the summer only as preferring higher air temperature. Emergence in late summer was related to a shorter duration of daytime.

Author(s):  
Ildar Rakhmatulin

This manuscript presented an autonomous home farm for predicting metrological characteristics that can not only automate the process of growing crops but also, due to a neural network, significantly increase the productivity of the farm. The developed farm monitors and manages the following indicators: illumination, soil PH, air temperature, earth temperature, air humidity, CO2 concentration, and soil moisture. The presented farm can also be considered as a device for testing various weather conditions to determine the optimal temperature characteristics for different crops. This farm as a result is completely autonomous grows tomatoes at home.


InterConf ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
Nataliiа Halushko ◽  
Ogunsanya Ifeoluwa

We studied the influence of weather conditions (air temperature, absolute and relative air humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and geomagnetic activity) on the epidemic process of COVID-19 in Sumy that is a city in north-eastern Ukraine for the period 4.05.2020-22.03.2021. The study was carried out using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis dispersive analysis. The obtained results show that all meteorological factors affect the COVID-19 incidence rate. The air temperature, absolute humidity and atmospheric pressure are the most important meteorological factors influencing COVID-19 epidemic process


1987 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 557-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Byers ◽  
D.L. Struble ◽  
G.B. Schaalje

AbstractSex-attractant traps were used to monitor the relative abundances of eight species of cutworm and army worm moths at 81 locations in a 13 000-km2 (5000-mi2) area of southern Alberta from 1978 to 1983. Clover cutworm (Discestra trifolii (Hufn.)), variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia (Hbn.)), bertha armyworm (Mamestra configurata Wlk.), and Leucania commoides Gn. were monitored during spring and early summer, and redbacked cutworm (Euxoa ochrogaster (Gn.)), darksided cutworm (Euxoa messoria (Harr.)), pale western cutworm (Agrotis orthogonia Morr.), and army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris (Grt.)) during late summer and fall.The ranking of moth catches among locations within years was highly consistent, indicating that the spatial pattern of abundance within the survey area remained stable during each flight period. The corollary is that differences in population levels among locations were being consistently detected. Most of the species also exhibited a considerable degree of consistency of pattern of abundance between consecutive years and to some extent over all years.Estimates of the variability associated with individual traps, between duplicate traps, and among locations were obtained for each species. The within-location variability was always much less than the among-location variability, indicating that a meaningful measure of the relative population level at each location was being obtained. When abundance levels approached economic thresholds the likelihood of moth catches in duplicate traps being within 20% of the mean catch for a location was usually greater than 80%. Year-to-year differences in mean trap catches were frequently significant at the 95% confidence level and the monitoring system could detect relatively small changes in population level between years. Season cumulative trap catches are a composite measure of abundance and the mate-searching activity of males. Weather conditions that restrict male activity are also likely to reduce oviposition by females. Cumulative trap catches may therefore be closely correlated with realized fecundity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56
Author(s):  
Wilson M. Stanislavski ◽  
Ulisses R. Antuniassi ◽  
Rodolfo G. Chechetto

The air-assisted ground spray is fairly widespread. However, due to the unpredictable weather conditions, the operational efficiency is impaired by stops on grounds of low humidity and high temperatures. The aim of this work was to assess an air humidification method and evaluate its impact on temperature and air humidity for the air curtain of the air-assisted sprayer. With respect to relative air humidity, it has increased in 6.59%, being the maximum change when inserting 1.92 L min-1. So, it is concluded that the pipeline humidification might significantly reduce temperature and enhance air humidity. The treatments performed in this study consisted of a varied flow of a humidity device, related to weather conditions. Temperature and relative air humidity were measured at 1.0 m height from right to left of middle point of the machine, corresponding to the end of the spray boom, in the middle and end of right spray boom. The readings were also performed at three different distances from the end of the pipeline and at 0.25 and 0.50 m from that to the soil. The results show that 0.48 L min-1 in the humidification system has promoted a better efficiency in reducing air-temperature, on average 2.52 ºC when compared to the non-humidified one.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor L Barradas ◽  
Monica Ballinas

<p>This research is a general reflection of the possible transmission not only of COVID-19 but of any influenza disease depending on environmental parameters such as solar radiation, air humidity and air temperature (vapor pressure deficit), evoking the Penman-Monteith model regarding the evaporation of the water that constitutes the small water droplets (aerosols) that carry the virus. In this case the evapotranspiration demand of the atmosphere with which it can be deduced that the spread of the disease will be higher in those places with less evaporative demand, that is, high air humidity and / or low temperatures, and / or low radiation intensities, and vice versa. It can also be deduced that the hours of greatest potential contagion are the night hours, while those with the lowest risk are between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. On the other hand, in those rooms with low temperatures the contagion would be more effective. So, considering that the drops produced by a sneeze, by speaking or breathing can go beyond two meters away, it is roughly explained that the use of face masks and keeping a safe minimum distance of two meters can limit transmission of viruses and / or infections. However, this practice is not entirely safe as the environment can play an important role. What is recommended to reduce the spread of these pathogens is to produce high evaporative demands: increasing solar radiation, and increasing air temperature and reducing air humidity, which is practice that can be effective in closed rooms.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csenge Nevezi ◽  
Tamás Bazsó ◽  
Zoltán Gribovszki ◽  
Előd Szőke ◽  
Péter Kalicz

<p>In the Hidegvíz Valley experimental catchment in Hungary the meteorological data have been collected since the 1990s and used for various purposes including hydrological studies. Current research began in 2018–19, that aimed to reveal the connections between the hydrological and botanical characteristics in riparian forests and a wet meadow. Changes that occurred in both ecosystems in the groundwater levels, soil moisture and vegetation, showed that the local meteorological events influence these factors. Therefore we decided to analyse longer periods in which meteorological extremes<br>strongly influenced hydrological conditions and so status of ecosystems. Further measurements and their analysis were also required because more accuracy and detail were needed for future water balance modelling.</p><p>The measured data between 2017–2020 were chosen as a starting database. For the first analysis we selected three meteorological parameters, i. e. the precipitation, the air temperature, and the air humidity. These parameters were measured by automated instruments, except for the precipitation. We found that the automated tipping-bucket rain gauge needs validation by a manual measurement (Hellmann-type rain gauge), because the data that collected by the automated device will be invalid if the rain intensity is too high.</p><p>In 2017 and 2018, the annual precipitation was distributed evenly, but in the following two years we observed some extremes. In 2019 and<br>2020, the spring was especially dry, the lowest monthly sum was 1.2 mm in 2020 April. 2019 April was similar (19.5 mm), but after the drought<br>period intense rainfall events arrived in May, resulted a monthly total of 214.1 mm. Air temperature and air humidity has not been showed such extremes as the precipitation.</p><p>This study showed that detailed analysis of meteorological parameters is crucial for hydrological modelling data preparation because errors and extreme event can cause serious problems during modelling process and, also in case of evaluation of model results.</p><p>The research has been supported by the Ministry of Agriculture in Hungary.</p>


2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aly Sherif ◽  
Yasser Hassan

Road and highway maintenance is vital for the safety of citizens and for enabling emergency and security services to perform their essential functions. Accumulation of snow and (or) ice on the pavement surface during the wintertime substantially increases the risk of road crashes and can have negative impact on the economy of the region. Recently, road maintenance engineers have used pavement surface temperature as a guide to the application of deicers. Stations for road weather information systems (RWIS) have been installed across Europe and North America to collect data that can be used to predict weather conditions such as air temperature. Modelling pavement surface temperature as a function of such weather conditions (air temperature, dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed) can provide an additional component that is essential for winter maintenance operations. This paper uses data collected by RWIS stations at the City of Ottawa to device a procedure that maximizes the use of a data batch containing complete, partially complete, and unusable data and to study the relationship between the pavement surface temperature and weather variables. Statistical models were developed, where stepwise regression was first applied to eliminate those variables whose estimated coefficients are not statistically significant. The remaining variables were further examined according to their contribution to the criterion of best fit and their physical relationships to each other to eliminate multicollinearities. The models were further corrected for the autocorrelation in their error structures. The final version of the developed models may then be used as a part of the decision-making process for winter maintenance operations.Key words: winter maintenance, pavement temperature, statistical modelling, RWIS.


1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. B. Whitaker ◽  
R. Shine

Encounters between humans and dangerously venomous snakes put both participants at serious risk, so the determinants of such encounters warrant attention. Pseudonaja textilis is a large fast-moving elapid snake responsible for most snakebite fatalities in Australia. As part of a broad ecological study of this species in agricultural land near Leeton, New South Wales, we set out to identify factors influencing the probability that a human walking in farmland would come into close proximity to a brownsnake. Over a three-year period, we walked regular transects to quantify the number and rate of snake encounters, and the proportion of snakes above ground that could be seen. The rate of encounters depended upon a series of factors, including season, time of day, habitat type, weather conditions (wind and air temperature) and shade (light v. dark) of the observers’ clothing. Interactions between factors were also important: for example, the effect of air temperature on encounter probability differed with season and snake gender, and the effect of the observers’ shade of clothing differed with cloud cover. Remarkably, even a highly-experienced observer actually saw <25% of the telemetrically monitored snakes that were known to be active (i.e. above ground) nearby. This result reflects the snakes’ ability to evade people and to escape detection, even in the flat and sparsely vegetated study area. The proportion of snakes that were visible was influenced by the same kinds of factors as described above. Most of the factors biasing encounter rates are readily interpretable from information on other facets of the species’ ecology, and knowledge of these factors may facilitate safer coexistence between snakes and people.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuliano Andrea Pagani ◽  
Marcel Molendijk ◽  
Jan Willem Noteboom

&lt;p&gt;Modern automobiles are becoming more and more &amp;#8220;computers on the wheels&amp;#8221; having lots of digital equipment on board. Such equipment is both for the comfort and entertainment of the passengers and for their safety. Sensors play a key role in measuring several parameters of the car performance (e.g., traction control, anti-lock breaking system) and also environmental &amp;#160;parameters are observed directly (e.g., air temperature) or can be somehow inferred (e.g., precipitation via windscreen wipers activity/speed).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;KNMI has been provided air temperature recorded every 10 minutes by thousands of vehicles driving in the Netherlands for the period January-October 2020. We have performed an initial exploratory temporal and spatial analysis to understand the most promising periods of the day and areas where sufficient data is available to perform a more thorough data analysis in the future. Furthermore, we have performed a correlation analysis between the outside temperature measured by cars and air and ground temperature observed by official weather station sensors placed at one location on the Dutch highways. The correlation results for three randomly selected days (with different weather conditions) show a good positive correlation coefficient ranging from 0.93 to 0.76 for car and station air temperature and from 0.91 to 0.67 for car temperature and station ground temperature.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This initial exploration paves the way to the use of (OEM) car data as (mobile) weather stations. We foresee in the future to use a combination of sensed variables from cars such as air temperature, traction control, windscreen wipers activity for example to improve observations of road slipperiness and related warning systems that are not restricted to Dutch highways only.&lt;/p&gt;


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