scholarly journals Global hydrobelts: improved reporting scale for water-related issues?

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 9119-9162
Author(s):  
M. Meybeck ◽  
M. Kummu ◽  
H. H. Dürr
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
General Symmetry ◽  
Latitude Belt ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
The North ◽  
Natural Boundaries ◽  
North And South

Abstract. Questions related to water such as its availability, water needs or stress, or management, are mapped at various resolutions at the global scale. They are reported at many scales, mostly along political or continental boundaries. As such, they ignore the fundamental heterogeneity of the hydroclimate and the natural boundaries of the river basins. Here, we describe the continental landmasses according to eight global-scale hydrobelts strictly limited by river basins, defined at a 30′ (0.5°) resolution. The belts were defined and delineated, based primarily on the annual average temperature (T) and runoff (q), to maximise interbelt differences and minimise intrabelt variability. The belts were further divided into 29 hydroregions based on continental limits. This new global puzzle defines homogeneous and near-contiguous entities with similar hydrological and thermal regimes, glacial and postglacial basin histories, endorheism distribution and sensitivity to climate variations. The Mid-Latitude, Dry and Subtropical belts have northern and southern analogues and a general symmetry can be observed for T and q between them. The Boreal and Equatorial belts are unique. The hydroregions (median size 4.7 Mkm2) contrast strongly, with the average q ranging between 6 and 1393 mm yr−1 and the average T between −9.7 and +26.3 °C. Unlike the hydroclimate, the population density between the North and South belts and between the continents varies greatly, resulting in pronounced differences between the belts with analogues in both hemispheres. The population density ranges from 0.7 to 0.8 p km−2 for the North American Boreal and some Australian hydroregions to 280 p km−2 for the Asian part of the Northern Mid-Latitude belt. The combination of population densities and hydroclimate features results in very specific expressions of water-related characteristics in each of the 29 hydroregions. Our initial tests suggest that hydrobelt and hydroregion divisions are often more appropriate for water-relative global analysis and reporting than conventional continental or political divisions.

scholarly journals Global hydrobelts and hydroregions: improved reporting scale for water-related issues?

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1093-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Meybeck ◽  
M. Kummu ◽  
H. H. Dürr
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
General Symmetry ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
The North ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Natural Boundaries ◽  
Water Issues

Abstract. Global-scale water issues such as its availability, water needs or stress, or management, are mapped at various resolutions and reported at many scales, mostly along political or continental boundaries. As such, they ignore the fundamental heterogeneity of hydroclimates and natural boundaries of river basins. Here we describe the continental landmasses at two levels: eight hydrobelts strictly limited by river basins, defined at a 30' (0.5°) resolution, which are decomposed on continents as 26 hydroregions. The belts were defined and delineated, based primarily on the annual average temperature (T) and run-off (q), to maximise inter-belt differences and minimise intra-belt variability. This new global puzzle defines homogeneous and near-contiguous entities with similar hydrological and thermal regimes, glacial and postglacial basin histories, endorheism distribution and sensitivity to climate variations. The mid-latitude, dry and subtropical belts have northern and southern analogues and a general symmetry can be observed for T and q between them. The boreal and equatorial belts are unique. Population density between belts and between the continents varies greatly, resulting in pronounced differences between the belts with analogues in both hemispheres. Hydroregions (median size 4.7 M km2) are highly contrasted, with the average q ranging between 6 and 1393 mm yr−1 and the average T between −9.7 and +26.3 °C, and a population density ranging from 0.7 to 0.8 p km−2 for the North American boreal region and some Australian hydroregions to 280 p km−2 for some Asian hydroregions. The population/run-off ratio, normalised to a reference pristine region, is used to map and quantify the global population at risk of severe water quality degradation. Our initial tests suggest that hydrobelt and hydroregion divisions are often more appropriate than conventional continental or political divisions for the global analysis of river basins within the Earth system and of water resources. The GIS files of the hydrobelts and hydroregions are available at the supplement of this article and at doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.806957 as well as geotypes.net.

Evaluation of the Impacts of Climate Change on Land Suitability for Jatropha Cultivation

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 3777-3782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Feng Zhao ◽  
Bin Le Lin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Land Suitability ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
The West ◽  
The North ◽  
North And South ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

We evaluated land suitability for Jatropha cultivation at a global scale under current and future climate scenarios. Areas that are suitable for Jatropha cultivation include southern South America, the west and southeast coasts of Africa, the north of South Asia, and the north and south coasts of Australia. In the predicted climate change scenarios, areas near the equator become less suitable for Jatropha cultivation, and areas further from the equator become more suitable. Our analyses suggest that the rank order of the six climate change scenarios, from the smallest to the largest effects on Jatropha cultivation, was as follows: B1, A1T/B2, A1B, A2, and A1FI.

scholarly journals Impact of human population density on fire frequency at the global scale

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 15735-15778 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Knorr ◽  
T. Kaminski ◽  
A. Arneth ◽  
U. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
System Component ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Human impact on wildfires, a major Earth system component, remains poorly understood. While local studies have found more fires close to settlements and roads, assimilated charcoal records and analyses of regional fire patterns from remote-sensing observations point to a decline in fire frequency with increasing human population. Here, we present a global analysis using three multi-year satellite-based burned-area products combined with a parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis with a non-linear model. We show that at the global scale, the impact of increasing population density is mainly to reduce fire frequency. Only for areas with up to 0.1 people per km2, we find that fire frequency increases by 10 to 20% relative to its value at no population. The results are robust against choice of burned-area data set, and indicate that at only very few places on Earth, fire frequency is limited by human ignitions. Applying the results to historical population estimates results in a moderate but accelerating decline of global burned area by around 14% since 1800, with most of the decline since 1950.

scholarly journals The Imaginary North in Finnish Comics on Migration

Nordlit ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Kauranen ◽  
Olli Löytty
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Other ◽  
Central Aspect ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Climate ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Globalized World ◽  
North And South

This article analyses three comics published in Finland that are focused on migration and offer differing insights into the representation of ‘the north’: Pentti Otsamo’s Kahvitauko (2012), Leen van Hulst’s Maitoa ja lunta / Milk and Snow (2011) and Lauri Ahtinen’s Elias (2018). These albums are both representative of the field in general and unique with respect to their treatment of the connections between place and migration. The analysis of the imaginary north is structured around the three tropes of the northern suburb, the northern climate, and the northern natural environment. What is common to them all is a construction of the north as a place without clear limitations and as an amalgamation of various relationships. A central aspect of what a place is in the globalized world is that it constitutes a meeting place. In Kahvitauko, the drinking of coffee is used to show how ‘north’ and ‘south’ are connected on a global scale. In Elias, the symbols of the north, the snow, and the bear, are tied together with Afghanistan. Maitoa ja lunta / Milk and Snow provides another viewpoint, as it lacks the representation of xenophobia. Read in parallel with the other two comics it not only shows that migrants of different kinds are treated differently, but also highlights how a place such as the north is defined in different terms depending on reasons for migration, race and ethnicity, and privilege in general. A place is precisely a place for articulation of networks of meanings, experiences, and people. In addition, the three albums are posited in the broader field of Finnish comics on migration. This is carried out with a focus on how the very concrete places in the comics in the field are named and visually anchored.

scholarly journals Marine Debris on New Zealand Beaches - Baseline Data to Evaluate Regional Variances

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella van Gool ◽  
Marnie Campbell ◽  
Pip Wallace ◽  
Chad L. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Spatial Variance ◽  
The North ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Follow Up Studies ◽  
North And South

Terrestrial sources of marine debris on beaches are substantial, increasing, and are primarily a result of mismanaged waste on land. The scale, source, and composition of beached marine debris in New Zealand was determined by surveying 41 beaches, with triplicate belt transects, across the North and South Islands. Results demonstrated a significant spatial variance, with the South Island showing a significantly higher mean density than the more populated North Island by count as well as by weight. The majority of all anthropogenic marine debris detected was plastic and arrived through the water. Explanations for regional variances in debris presence are difficult to ascertain with certainty but could not be explained by population density and proximity. These findings contribute to the understudied field of marine debris research in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere and provide a starting point for evidence-based mitigation. Recommended changes to future monitoring programs are made. This first national baseline study of marine debris in New Zealand serves as a reference for follow-up studies, including research at other locations.

Population density and ‘slave raiding’—The case of the middle belt of Nigeria

1969 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mason
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The North ◽  
Central Sudan ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
History Of ◽  
North And South ◽  
Lower Population ◽  
Lower Population Density

The expansion of the Sokoto Caliphate into the lands of the diverse non-Muslim peoples of the Middle Belt area is a familiar theme in the nineteenth-century history of the Central Sudan. As the Middle Belt is known to have an overall lower population density than adjoining areas to the north and south, the explanation has been proposed that this was due to slave raiding by Muslim states. A study of the history of this area does not support this overall view, even though it might be accepted with reference to limited areas. areas. It can be shown, moreover that in certain localities populations were actually enhanced as a result of the consolidation of Muslim power, while others, currently of extremely low density, were completely unaffected. If the factors affecting population in this area are to be understood, reference to over-simplified causes such as slave raiding must be shunned. Geographical and biological factors influencing population growth may be more fertile areas of enquiry.

scholarly journals Impact of human population density on fire frequency at the global scale

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1085-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Knorr ◽  
T. Kaminski ◽  
A. Arneth ◽  
U. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
System Component ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Human impact on wildfires, a major earth system component, remains poorly understood. While local studies have found more fires close to settlements and roads, assimilated charcoal records and analyses of regional fire patterns from remote-sensing observations point to a decline in fire frequency with increasing human population. Here, we present a global analysis using three multi-year satellite-based burned-area products combined with a parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis with a non-linear model. We show that at the global scale, the impact of increasing population density is mainly to reduce fire frequency. Only for areas with up to 0.1 people per km2, we find that fire frequency increases by 10 to 20% relative to its value at no population. The results are robust against choice of burned-area data set, and indicate that at only very few places on earth, fire frequency is limited by human ignitions. Applying the results to historical population estimates results in a moderate but accelerating decline of global burned area by around 14% since 1800, with most of the decline since 1950.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document