scholarly journals Living with Urban Flooding: A Continuous Learning Process for Local Municipalities and Lessons Learnt from the 2021 Events in Germany

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2769
Author(s):  
Bert Bosseler ◽  
Mirko Salomon ◽  
Marco Schlüter ◽  
Matteo Rubinato
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
The World ◽  
Pluvial Flooding ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Underground Infrastructure

In 2021, heavy precipitation events in Germany have confirmed once again that pluvial flooding can cause catastrophic damage in large, medium, and small cities. However, despite several hazard-oriented strategies already in place, to date there is still a lack of integrated approaches to actually preventing negative consequences induced by heavy rainfall events. Furthermore, municipalities across the world are still learning from recent episodes and there is a general need to explore new techniques and guidelines that could help to reduce vulnerability, and enhance the resilience, adaptive capacity, and sustainability of urban environments, considering the already predicted future challenges associated with climate variability. To address this gap, this paper presents the outcomes of the research project “Heavy Rainfall Checklist for Sewer Operation” which was conducted by IKT Institute for Underground Infrastructure, to involve all the stakeholders affected by pluvial flooding within cities, and implement a series of documents that can be adopted by municipalities across the world to support organizations and their operational staff in preventing problems caused by heavy rainfall incidents. More in detail, three different rainfall scenarios have been deeply analysed, and for each of them a list of specific tasks and suggestions has been provided for aiding decision-making.

Heavy Rainfall and Flash Flooding

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ S. Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coupled Processes ◽  
Flash Flooding ◽  
The World

Heavy precipitation, which in many contexts is welcomed because it provides the water necessary for agriculture and human use, in other situations is responsible for deadly and destructive flash flooding. Over the 30-year period from 1986 to 2015, floods were responsible for more fatalities in the United States than any other convective weather hazard (www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.shtml), and similar findings are true in other regions of the world. Although scientific understanding of the processes responsible for heavy rainfall continues to advance, there are still many challenges associated with predicting where, when, and how much precipitation will occur. Common ingredients are required for heavy rainfall to occur, but there are vastly different ways in which the atmosphere brings the ingredients together in different parts of the world. Heavy precipitation often occurs on very small spatial scales in association with deep convection (thunderstorms), factors that limit the ability of numerical models to represent or predict the location and intensity of rainfall. Furthermore, because flash floods are dependent not only on precipitation but also on the characteristics of the underlying land surface, there are fundamental difficulties in accurately representing these coupled processes. Areas of active current research on heavy rainfall and flash flooding include investigating the storm-scale atmospheric processes that promote extreme precipitation, analyzing the reasons that some rainfall predictions are very accurate while others fail, improving the understanding and prediction of the flooding response to heavy precipitation, and determining how heavy rainfall and floods have changed and may continue to change in a changing climate.

scholarly journals Conditions for Implementing Trolleybuses in Public Urban Transport

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 467-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josip Zavada ◽  
Jasna Blašković Zavada ◽  
Katica Miloš
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Partial Solution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Public ◽  
Passenger Transportation ◽  
The World ◽  
Electrical Vehicle ◽  
Technical Solutions

Big cities in the world are burdened by heavy traffic and all the resulting negative consequences. A partial solution of this problem is achieved by the introduction of high-quality public urban transport of passengers that enables faster and more efficient transport. Since the introduction of individual forms of public urban transport depends on several factors, such as economic, traffic, environmental and technical ones, the problem is often a very complex one. The implementation of trolleybuses represents one of the forms of passenger transportation in public urban transport. It is the most favourable electrical vehicle for public urban transport when the implementation of a rail system is not affordable. Looking through history, the trolleybus has experienced significant changes in the implementation, in a large number of world urban environments. This paper points out the unjustifiable neglect of trolleybus in the implementation for the public urban transport and the renewed increase in the interest for its implementation. The advantages and drawbacks of the trolleybus are listed in relation to buses, as well as the reasons due to which some cities in the world are introducing it or increasing its implementation. The paper also emphasises and provides arguments of the ecological and energy advantages of trolleybuses in relation to buses as crucial in advanced public urban transport of passengers. Also, advanced technical solutions are pointed out that contribute to safer, faster and more comfortable transport of passengers. KEY WORDS: trolleybus, bus, public urban transport, environment, economics

1968: On Social, Epistemic, and Historiographic(?) Revolutions

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto D. Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Studies ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The World ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Young Students ◽  
Historic Significance ◽  
Agent Of Change

This article addresses the meaning and significance of the “world revolution of 1968,” as well as the historiography of 1968. I critically interrogate how the production of a narrative about 1968 and the creation of ethnic studies, despite its world-historic significance, has tended to perpetuate a limiting, essentialized and static notion of “the student” as the primary actor and an inherent agent of change. Although students did play an enormous role in the events leading up to, through, and after 1968 in various parts of the world—and I in no way wish to diminish this fact—this article nonetheless argues that the now hegemonic narrative of a student-led revolt has also had a number of negative consequences, two of which will be the focus here. One problem is that the generation-driven models that situate 1968 as a revolt of the young students versus a presumably older generation, embodied by both their parents and the dominant institutions of the time, are in effect a sociosymbolic reproduction of modernity/coloniality’s logic or driving impulse and obsession with newness. Hence an a priori valuation is assigned to the new, embodied in this case by the student, at the expense of the presumably outmoded old. Secondly, this apparent essentializing of “the student” has entrapped ethnic studies scholars, and many of the period’s activists (some of whom had been students themselves), into said logic, thereby risking the foreclosure of a politics beyond (re)enchantment or even obsession with newness yet again.

scholarly journals The Effects of Urban Natural Environments on Preference and Self-Reported Psychological Restoration of the Elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Qujing Chen ◽  
Tian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Aging Populations

The world is facing the challenge of aging populations. Urban natural environments, including green spaces and blue spaces, have been demonstrated to have great benefits to the mental restoration of the elderly. However, the study of the specific characteristics of urban environments that are popular and the most restorative for the elderly is still lacking. Photo elicitation as visual stimuli was utilized to explore the differences in preference and psychological restoration of the elderly through the perception of the eight perceived sensory dimensions (PSDs) in different types of urban environments. The results showed that: (1) The respondents had different perceptions of the eight PSDs in the different urban natural environments. Blue space and partly-closed green space were more preferred by the elderly, and also had more psychological restorative effects on the elderly. (2) There was no significant correlation between the number of highly perceived PSDs and preference, as well as between the number of highly perceived PSDs and psychological restoration. However, there was a significant correlation between preference and psychological restoration. (3) Partly-closed green space with more Serene and Refuge qualities, and blue space with more Serene, Refuge and Prospect properties were optimal characteristics for psychological restoration of the elderly. In addition, open green space with more Prospect, Serene and Social qualities, and closed green space with more Space, Refuge and less Nature properties could also increase psychological restoration of older adults. These findings can provide useful guidelines for restorative environmental design for the elderly in the future.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Surgical Training: the Past, the Present and the Future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Yiasemidou
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Surgical Training ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Surgical Services ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic and infection control measures had an unavoidable impact on surgical services. During the first wave of the pandemic, elective surgery, endoscopy, and ‘face-to-face’ clinics were discontinued after recommendations from professional bodies. In addition, training courses, examinations, conferences, and training rotations were postponed or cancelled. Inadvertently, infection control and prevention measures, both within and outside hospitals, have caused a significant negative impact on training. At the same time, they have given space to new technologies, like telemedicine and platforms for webinars, to blossom. While the recovery phase is well underway in some parts of the world, most surgical services are not operating at full capacity. Unfortunately, some countries are still battling a second or third wave of the pandemic with severely negative consequences on surgical services. Several studies have looked into the impact of COVID-19 on surgical training. Here, an objective overview of studies from different parts of the world is presented. Also, evidence-based solutions are suggested for future surgical training interventions.

scholarly journals Joint Occurrence of Daily Temperature and Precipitation Extreme Events over Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 2148-2162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Tencer ◽  
Andrew Weaver ◽  
Francis Zwiers
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Minimum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Joint Occurrence

AbstractThe occurrence of individual extremes such as temperature and precipitation extremes can have a great impact on the environment. Agriculture, energy demands, and human health, among other activities, can be affected by extremely high or low temperatures and by extremely dry or wet conditions. The simultaneous or proximate occurrence of both types of extremes could lead to even more profound consequences, however. For example, a dry period can have more negative consequences on agriculture if it is concomitant with or followed by a period of extremely high temperatures. This study analyzes the joint occurrence of very wet conditions and high/low temperature events at stations in Canada. More than one-half of the stations showed a significant positive relationship at the daily time scale between warm nights (daily minimum temperature greater than the 90th percentile) or warm days (daily maximum temperature above the 90th percentile) and heavy-precipitation events (daily precipitation exceeding the 75th percentile), with the greater frequencies found for the east and southwest coasts during autumn and winter. Cold days (daily maximum temperature below the 10th percentile) occur together with intense precipitation more frequently during spring and summer. Simulations by regional climate models show good agreement with observations in the seasonal and spatial variability of the joint distribution, especially when an ensemble of simulations was used.

The benefits and disadvantages of the law on the expansion of the jurisdiction of the DIFC Court

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-232
Author(s):  
Tareq Na’el Al-Tawil ◽  
Prabhakar Gantasala ◽  
Hassan Younies
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Limited Volume ◽  
Financial Centre ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Law

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the benefits and disadvantages of the law on the expansion of the jurisdiction of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Court. The major role of DIFC Courts in the Arab community is to handle cases related to commerce and business. For a long time, the court had been acting only in their geographical area until a new law was enacted to extend their jurisdiction all over the world. Afterward, a lot of criticism emerged as for why and how the court will benefit from such actions. The law has drawn a harsh response, although most benefits have also been experienced since the court received quite a large number of new signings. Interaction at the world business forum has benefited the economy of Dubai thanks to the law. Design/methodology/approach The following study focuses on a description of such benefits and drawbacks. The study does not evaluate a factual process of expansion but indicates the most distinct evidence of positive, as well as negative consequences of the expansion. Findings It is appropriate to make a general comment on the fact that the expansion of DIFC Court is not sufficiently effective at the current stage. Needless to say, it contains numerous positive aspects, but the gaps are evidently essential because they place the entire Court in a hard circumstance. The Court does not have a well-developed legal framework for its new area of jurisdiction as long as its limited volume of prior precedent is a distinct sign of the Court’s dependence on the UAE’s Law. In such way, DIFC Court will not be able to address issues within new fields of jurisdiction, as it simply lacks an expertise and international law in its legal framework. Moreover, the jurisdiction over new areas of international business was not verified with a plain system of mediation, which is why a current expansion of DIFC Court has to be recognized as redundant. However, its advantages are tending to produce their effects provided that the Court manages to address its current problems. Originality/value The study has described the basic benefits and drawbacks of DIFC Court expansion. To speak about the main benefits, they can be depicted as appliance of the common law, unification of English language for proceedings, presence of a preliminary arbitration and guarantees of award enforcement. In a similar way, the drawbacks of the expansion have been issued. The study has identified such drawbacks as lack of international and sophisticated expertise, untested legal framework, strong influence of forum non conveniens, and existence of a limited volume of prior precedent. The paper has not assessed a success of a factual expansion of DIFC Court jurisdiction, but it has managed to fulfill its primary purpose. Thus, the paper has identified a certain tendency concerning the expansion.

REGIONALISM APPROACH UNDER THE COVID-19 CIRCUMSTANCES

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 126-133
Author(s):  
E. Rasoulinezhad ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World Economy ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Economic Convergence ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
The World ◽  
And Control ◽  
Different Parts

The outbreak of Covid-19 disease since late 2019 has led to fundamental changes in the process of globalization and liberalization of the world economy. In order to prevent the spread of this disease and control its negative consequences, many countries have implemented policies such as urban quarantine, cutting off passenger communication with neighboring countries and the world, closing tourist and tourist places, and implementing policies to protect domestic industries. In general, it led to the phenomenon of reverse globalization. According to the development of new economic convergence, which is based on the role of the market in economic relations between countries can play an important role in improving the productive capacity of countries in a region and create economic integration in different parts of the world. Such a state of integration in different parts of the world could be the solution to the process of globalization and in the post-Corona era, the concept of “one for all, all for one” was created at the regional and global level. As policy implications, the paper recommended some points to make a greater integration between Iran and Russia in the region

A case study of noise pollution levels during the restrictions period due to COVID-19.

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
David Montes-González ◽  
Juan Miguel Barrigón-Morillas ◽  
Ana Cristina Bejarano-Quintas ◽  
Manuel Parejo-Pizarro ◽  
Guillermo Rey-Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to the need for drastic control measures around the world to reduce the impact on the health of the population. The confinement of people in their homes resulted in a significant reduction in human activity at every level (economic, social, industrial, etc.), which was reflected in a decrease in environmental pollution levels. Studying the evolution of parameters, such as the level of environmental noise caused by vehicle traffic in urban environments, makes it possible to assess the impact of this type of measure. This paper presents a case study of the acoustic situation in Cáceres (Spain) during the restriction period by means of long-term acoustic measurements at various points of the city.

Nowcasting heavy precipitation over the Netherlands using a 13-year radar archive: a machine learning approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva van der Kooij ◽  
Marc Schleiss ◽  
Riccardo Taormina ◽  
Francesco Fioranelli ◽  
Dorien Lugt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Radar Images

<p>Accurate short-term forecasts, also known as nowcasts, of heavy precipitation are desirable for creating early warning systems for extreme weather and its consequences, e.g. urban flooding. In this research, we explore the use of machine learning for short-term prediction of heavy rainfall showers in the Netherlands.</p><p>We assess the performance of a recurrent, convolutional neural network (TrajGRU) with lead times of 0 to 2 hours. The network is trained on a 13-year archive of radar images with 5-min temporal and 1-km spatial resolution from the precipitation radars of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). We aim to train the model to predict the formation and dissipation of dynamic, heavy, localized rain events, a task for which traditional Lagrangian nowcasting methods still come up short.</p><p>We report on different ways to optimize predictive performance for heavy rainfall intensities through several experiments. The large dataset available provides many possible configurations for training. To focus on heavy rainfall intensities, we use different subsets of this dataset through using different conditions for event selection and varying the ratio of light and heavy precipitation events present in the training data set and change the loss function used to train the model.</p><p>To assess the performance of the model, we compare our method to current state-of-the-art Lagrangian nowcasting system from the pySTEPS library, like S-PROG, a deterministic approximation of an ensemble mean forecast. The results of the experiments are used to discuss the pros and cons of machine-learning based methods for precipitation nowcasting and possible ways to further increase performance.</p>

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