scholarly journals Geoinformation Technologies in Support of Environmental Hazards Monitoring under Climate Change: An Extensive Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Andreas Tsatsaris ◽  
Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos ◽  
Nikolaos Stathopoulos ◽  
Panagiota Louka ◽  
Konstantinos Tsanakas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Environmental Hazards ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Spatial Data Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Geospatial Technologies ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The Impact

Human activities and climate change constitute the contemporary catalyst for natural processes and their impacts, i.e., geo-environmental hazards. Globally, natural catastrophic phenomena and hazards, such as drought, soil erosion, quantitative and qualitative degradation of groundwater, frost, flooding, sea level rise, etc., are intensified by anthropogenic factors. Thus, they present rapid increase in intensity, frequency of occurrence, spatial density, and significant spread of the areas of occurrence. The impact of these phenomena is devastating to human life and to global economies, private holdings, infrastructure, etc., while in a wider context it has a very negative effect on the social, environmental, and economic status of the affected region. Geospatial technologies including Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing—Earth Observation as well as related spatial data analysis tools, models, databases, contribute nowadays significantly in predicting, preventing, researching, addressing, rehabilitating, and managing these phenomena and their effects. This review attempts to mark the most devastating geo-hazards from the view of environmental monitoring, covering the state of the art in the use of geospatial technologies in that respect. It also defines the main challenge of this new era which is nothing more than the fictitious exploitation of the information produced by the environmental monitoring so that the necessary policies are taken in the direction of a sustainable future. The review highlights the potential and increasing added value of geographic information as a means to support environmental monitoring in the face of climate change. The growth in geographic information seems to be rapidly accelerated due to the technological and scientific developments that will continue with exponential progress in the years to come. Nonetheless, as it is also highlighted in this review continuous monitoring of the environment is subject to an interdisciplinary approach and contains an amount of actions that cover both the development of natural phenomena and their catastrophic effects mostly due to climate change.

Climate change impacts on viticulture in Italy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Massano ◽  
Giorgia Fosser ◽  
Marco Gaetani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Wine Production ◽  
Bioclimatic Indices ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Impact Studies ◽  
The Impact

<p>In Italy the wine industry is an economic asset representing the 8% of the annual turnover of the Food & Beverage sector, according to Unicredit Industry Book 2019. Viticulture is strongly influenced by weather and climate, and winegrowers in Europe have already experienced the impact of climate change in terms of more frequent drought periods, warmer and longer growing seasons and an increased frequency of weather extremes. These changes impact on both yield production and wine quality.</p><p>Our study aims to understand the impact of climate change on wine production, to estimate the risks associated with climate factors and to suggest appropriate adaptation measurement. The weather variables that most influence grape growth are: temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration. Starting for these variables we calculate a range of bioclimatic indices, selected following the International Organisation of Vine and Wine Guidelines (OIV), and correlate these with wine productivity data. According to the values of different indices it is possible to determine the more suitable areas for wine production, where we expect higher productivity, although the climate is not the only factor influencing yield.</p><p>Using the convection-permitting models (CPMs – 2.2 horizontal resolution) we investigate how the bioclimatic indices changed in the last 20 years, and the impact of this change on grapes productivity. We look at possible climate trends and at the variation in the frequency distribution of extreme weather events. The CPMs are likely the best available option for this kind of impact studies since they allow a better representation of surface and orography field, explicitly resolve deep convection and show an improved representation of extremes events. In our study, we compare CPMs with regional climate models (RCMs – 12 km horizontal resolution) to evaluate the possible added value of high resolution models for impact studies. To compare models' output to observation the same analysis it carried out using E-OBS dataset.</p><p>Through our impact study, we aim to provide a tool that winegrower and stakeholders involved in the wine business can use to make their activities more sustainable and more resilient to climate change.</p>

scholarly journals Analysis of meteorological variations on wheat yield and its estimation using remotely sensed data. A case study of selected districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan (2001-14)

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafia Mumtaz ◽  
Shahbaz Baig ◽  
Iram Fatima
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
The Impact

Land management for crop production is an essential human activity that supports life on Earth. The main challenge to be faced by the agriculture sector in coming years is to feed the rapidly growing population while maintaining the key resources such as soil fertility, efficient land use, and water. Climate change is also a critical factor that impacts agricultural production. Among others, a major effect of climate change is the potential alterations in the growth cycle of crops which would likely lead to a decline in the agricultural output. Due to the increasing demand for proper agricultural management, this study explores the effects of meteorological variation on wheat yield in Chakwal and Faisalabad districts of Punjab, Pakistan and used normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a predictor for yield estimates. For NDVI data (2001-14), the NDVI product of Moderate Resolution Imaging spectrometer (MODIS) 16-day composites data has been used. The crop area mapping has been realised by classifying the satellite data into different land use/land covers using iterative self-organising (ISO) data clustering. The land cover for the wheat crop was mapped using a crop calendar. The relation of crop yield with NDVI and the impact of meteorological parameters on wheat growth and its yield has been analysed at various development stages. A strong correlation of rainfall and temperature was found with NDVI data, which determined NDVI as a strong predictor of yield estimation. The wheat yield estimates were obtained by linearly regressing the reported crop yield against the time series of MODIS NDVI profiles. The wheat NDVI profiles have shown a parabolic pattern across the growing season, therefore parabolic least square fit (LSF) has been applied prior to linear regression. The coefficients of determination (<em>R</em><sup>2</sup>) between the reported and estimated yield was found to be 0.88 and 0.73, respectively, for Chakwal and Faisalabad. This indicates that the method is capable of providing yield estimates with competitive accuracies prior to crop harvest, which can significantly aid the policy guidance and contributes to better and timely decisions.

scholarly journals A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment among Small Farmers: A Case Study in Western Honduras

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Claudia Caceres
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Spatial Data Analysis ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Climate change is now affecting every known society. Small farmers in Low Income Countries (LICs) are especially vulnerable to climate change patterns because they depend heavily on rain, seasonality patterns, and known temperature ranges. To help build climate change resilient communities among rural farmers, the first step is to understand the impact of climate change on the population. This dissertation aims to use information and communication technology (ICT) to assess climate change vulnerabilities among rural farmers. To achieve this overall goal, this dissertation first proposes a comprehensive Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Framework (CCVAF) that integrates both community level and individual household level indicators. The CCVAF was instantiated into a GIS-based web application named THRIVE for different decision makers to better assess how climate change is affecting rural farmers in Western Honduras. Qualitative evaluation of the THRIVE showed that it is an innovative and useful tool. The CCVAF and its instantiation provides an important initial step towards building climate change resilience among rural farmers. It is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive set of the indicators with related measurements and data sources for climate change vulnerability assessment. The framework thus contributes to the knowledge base of the climate change vulnerability assessment. It also contributes to the design science literature by providing guidelines to design a class of climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. To the best of our knowledge, the CCVAF is the first generalizable artifact that can be used to build a group of ICT-based climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. Another knowledge contribution of this dissertation is its reproducibility by making the input and output data available to the research and practitioner community through a GeoHub. For practical contributions, the framework can be easily used by researchers and practitioners to consistently design a vulnerability assessment tool, starting with the set of indicators organized by the three-level determinants, and following specific spatial data analysis and models. Such an ICT-based tool adds practical values to tackle climate change challenges.

scholarly journals Statistical assessment of the impact of climate change on social and demographic processes (on the example of the Yaroslavl region)

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 57-66
Author(s):  
V. V. Zholudeva
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Statistical Assessment ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study is to analyze current global and regional climate changes, as well as a statistical assessment of the factors that cause climate change, on the one hand, and an assessment of the impact of climate parameters on the economy, agriculture and demographic processes using the example of the Yaroslavl region, on the other hand. The study was conducted on the example of the Yaroslavl region and covers the period from 1922 to the present. First of all, the article analyzes the regulatory documents on ecology and climate change. The insufficient attention of federal and local authorities to solving the above problems, the lack of regional strategies to prevent climate change and reduce its negative consequences, which leads to the increased socio-economic risks, is noted. In order to identify factors causing climate change, a correlation and regression analysis was performed. Regression models of the dependence of crop yields on the average annual air temperature and the average annual precipitation were constructed. The statistical base of the study was compiled by the data of the Federal State Statistics Service and the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Yaroslavl Region, as well as GISMETEO data. Processing of the research results was carried out in Microsoft Excel and SPSS.During the study, it was found that in the Yaroslavl region there is an increase in average annual and average monthly air temperatures, as well as a slight increase in precipitation, which mainly occurs due to an increase in rainfall in spring and early summer.The anthropogenic factors that cause climate change, namely the burning of fossil fuels, an increase in industrial production, an increase in the number of vehicles, as well as a change in land use and deforestation, are identified and statistically substantiated.As a result of the study, it was found that changes in climatic parameters have an impact on the economy, agriculture and demographic processes, namely: – climate change has a positive effect on agricultural production. According to studies, an increase in average air temperature is a positive factor for the agricultural sector of the Yaroslavl region, as crop yields will increase with increasing air temperature. These trends need to be considered when choosing certain varieties of crops and selecting fertilizers. Increasing the level of management and the transition to more modern technologies will have a greater effect. The efficiency and productivity of agriculture, as well as the food security of the region, will depend on these decisions; – it was found that hydro meteorological factors have a negligible effect on the growth rate of gross regional product and food production; – a statistical study showed that in the Yaroslavl region the effects of climate change on demographic processes and human health are currently insignificant.The findings can be used to develop mechanisms for adaptation to climate change and can serve as a basis for further research in the field of studying the impact of climate change on socio-economic and demographic processes in the Yaroslavl region.

scholarly journals Innovation Issues in Water, Agriculture and Food

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria do Rosário Cameira ◽  
Luís Santos Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Agriculture And Food ◽  
The Impact

The main challenge faced by agriculture is to produce enough food for a continued increase in population, however in the context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and anthropic water scarcity, and less-participatory water governance. Such a context implies innovative issues in agricultural water management and practices, at both the field and the system or the basin scales, mainly in irrigation to cope with water scarcity, environmental friendliness, and rural society welfare. Therefore, this special issue was set to present and discuss recent achievements in water, agriculture, and food nexus at different scales, thus to promote sustainable development of irrigated agriculture and to develop integrated approaches to water and food. Papers cover various domains including: (a) evapotranspiration and crop water use; (b) improving water management in irrigated agriculture, particularly irrigation scheduling; (c) adaptation of agricultural systems to enhance water use and water productivity to face water scarcity and climate change; (d) improving irrigation systems design and management adopting multi-criteria and risk approaches; (e) ensuring sustainable management for anthropic ecosystems favoring safe and high-quality food production, as well as the conservation of natural ecosystems; (f) assessing the impact of water scarcity and, mainly, droughts; (g) conservation of water quality resources, namely by preventing contamination with nitrates; (h) use of modern mapping technologies and remote sensing information; and (i) fostering a participative and inclusive governance of water for food security and population welfare.

scholarly journals Features of herpetofauna dynamics in the Nature Reserve «Dniprovsko-Orilsky» under conditions of climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-61
Author(s):  
V. Ya. Gasso ◽  
S. V. Yermolenko ◽  
V. M. Kochet ◽  
A. M. Hagut ◽  
O. Ye. Pakhomov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Middle Part ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Pond Turtle ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
The Impact

The Nature Reserve «Dniprovsky-Orilsky» occupies unique ecosystems of the floodplain of the middle part of the Dnieper River, where the medium-flooded forests (black poplar and willow forests, elm-Tatarian maple oakeries, and pine forests at the sandy second terrace) predominate. Marshy, wet and dry meadows, sandy steppes, salt marshes, floodplain lakes and isles support the diversity of habitats. Reptiles, like ectothermic organisms, are known to be sensitive to temperature and humidity, which are directly influenced by climate change. Due to the variety of species and their habitats’ conditions, it is important to study the possible effects of climate change on each species and each place of their residence separately. Studies in more or less natural conditions of the Reserve allow minimizing the impact of the anthropogenic factors on the number and diversity of species. To produce accurate inventories we use the method of linear transects created at survey sites modified by Dinesman and Kaletskaya (1952) with a width of transects up to 3 meters. The length of the survey route depended on the availability for an accountant, but was not less than 1.0 km in all cases. The surveys were conducted during the period of maximum daily activity of reptiles in the spring-summer period on specified routes. The density of reptiles was described as the number of individuals per hectare of an averaged ecosystem. In aquatic and wetland ecosystems, the population density of European pond turtle and dice snake were determined as a number of specimens per 1 km of the waterbody’s bankline. During almost 30 years of observation, eight reptile species have been registered on the territory of the Dniprovsky-Orilsky Nature Reserve, among which three species (Coronella austriaca, Natrix tessellata and Dolichophis caspius) have been recorded in the last decade. In recent years (since 1972), the average increase in the temperature of the surface air layer in Ukraine was more than 1 °С. In winter, in the central regions of the country, the highest increase in the average monthly air temperature is observed. The excess reaches 2 °C and more. Climatic changes can be the reason for the invasion and the number growth of the dice snake and the appearance of the Caspian whipsnake within the Reserve. In the context of general climate change, there is a tendency to reduce the population density of the pond turtle, sand lizard and grass snake. At the same time, there is a gradual increase in the number of steppe vipers. Preserving current temperature trends in the coming years can create favourable conditions for another reptile species – the blotched snake (Elaphe sauromates) – to penetrate into the Reserve, but also negatively affect the hygrophilic species. Increasing the risk of summer fires in the Nature Reserve «Dniprovsky-Orilsky» is one of the most threatening factors for the conservation of the terrestrial biota, including reptiles.

scholarly journals Impact of Air-Sea Coupling on the Climate Change Signal Over The Iberian Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALBA DE LA VARA ◽  
William Cabos ◽  
Dmitry V. Sein ◽  
Claas Teichmann ◽  
Daniela Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Climate Change Signal ◽  
The North ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In this work we use a regional ocean-atmosphere coupled model (RAOCM) and its stand-alone atmospheric component to gain insight into the impact of atmosphere-ocean coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The IP is a well suited location for this study as high-resolution models are required to realistically reproduce its current and future climate. We find that under the RCP8.5 scenario, the generalized 2-m air temperature (T2M) increase by the end of the 21st century (2070-2099) in the atmospheric-only simulation is tempered by the coupling. The impact of coupling is specially seen in summer, when the warming is stronger. Precipitation shows regionally-dependent changes in winter, whilst a drier climate is found in summer. The coupling generally reduces the magnitude of the changes. Differences in T2M and precipitation between coupled and uncoupled simulations are caused by changes in the Atlantic large-scale circulation and in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the differences in projected changes of T2M and precipitation with the RAOCM under the RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios are tackled. Results show that in winter and summer T2M increases less and precipitation changes are of a smaller magnitude with the RCP4.5. Whilst in summer changes present a similar regional distribution in both runs, in winter there are some differences in the NW of the IP due to differences in the North Atlantic circulation. The differences in the climate change signal from the RAOCM and the driving Global Coupled Model shows the added value of regionalization in terms of higher resolution over the land and ocean.

scholarly journals A Proposal of a Cluster Model Dedicated to the Development of the Water Industry in Morocco

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 174-190
Author(s):  
Rajae AMINE
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cluster Model ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Economic Opportunity ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Efficiency Optimization ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources ◽  
The Impact

Morocco is dependent on rainfall for its water supplies, and suffers severely from the impact of climate change, which signals a situation of water stress. This scarcity of resources represents a challenge, but also an economic opportunity for companies that can provide solutions for efficiency, optimization and reuse. Analysis of previous studies and reports from international institutions, ministerial reports and specialized literature, crossed with interviews with professionals in the water sector and our own observations, has led us to propose a model for the creation of a cluster dedicated to the water industry. This article proposes a cluster model adapted to the context of a developing country and to the specificities of the strategic water industries sector. The Cluster Ô will be dedicated to the development of the water sector in Morocco, particularly an industry with high technological added value, based on innovation, scientific research, promoting technology transfer and enhancing national capacities.  

Anthropogenic causes of landslides and their implications for monitoring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Ramanathan ◽  
Nirmala Vasudevan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Landslide Occurrence ◽  
Landslide Event ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Are we justified in referring to all landslides as natural hazards? With the effects of climate change, landslide incidences are increasing all over the world, and many of them accompany floods and occur due to extreme weather events. It has been unequivocally established that humans are responsible for global climate change. Further, landslides also occur in deforested areas. Even if one were to discount the effects of deforestation on climate change and the subsequent occurrence of landslides, one cannot ignore the fact that deforestation leads to slope instabilities in multiple ways. It decreases the effective retaining strength of the slope materials and also exposes more slope material to weathering and consequent leaching. Thus, deforestation and climate change, caused directly or indirectly by human beings, have a significant bearing on landslide occurrence. Furthermore, several catastrophic landslides in recent times have occurred due to indiscriminate human activity, such as constructing dams and other structures on fragile slopes, blasting slopes for road construction without providing adequate toe support, excessive mining, constructing faulty retaining structures on unstable slope material, etc. Over the years, such human activity has resulted in landslides of all types and at various scales. Whether a landslide is natural, caused due to anthropogenic factors, or a combination of the two, the investigation approach and monitored parameters remain the same; we still need to identify the various causative factors and quantify their rates of change over time in the run up to the landslide event. However, we need a paradigm shift in our perspective and treatment of landslides. We need to accept that human activity is, or can be, responsible for landslide occurrence. With this change in perspective, we would monitor slopes with an increased awareness that human actions could negatively impact slope stability. This, in turn, would entail monitoring at every stage to ensure that no human activity adversely impacts the natural balance, thus paving the way for truly sustainable development. We would be doing great disservice to the investigation and monitoring of landslides by such preconceived notions as all landslides are natural hazards. It is high time that we accept our part in compounding the problem of landslide occurrences and come up with solutions to monitor the impact of human activity on the environment to prevent landslides.&lt;/p&gt;

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