Updated GOES-13 Heliosat-2 Method for Global Horizontal Irradiation in the Americas

Increasing the utilization of renewable energy is at the center of most sustainability policies. Solar energy is the most abundant resource of this type on Earth, and optimizing its use requires the optimal estimation of surface solar irradiation. Heliosat-2 is one of the most popular methods of global horizontal irradiation (GHI) estimation. Originally developed for the Meteosat satellite, Heliosat-2 has been modified in previous work to deal with GOES-13 data and named here GOES_H2. This model has been validated through the computation of indicators and irradiation maps for the Guiana Shield. This article proposes an improved version of GOES_H2, which has been combined with a radiative transfer parameterization (RTP) and the McClear clear-sky model (MC). This new version, hereafter designated RTP_MC_GOES_H2, was tested on eight stations from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network, located in North and South America, and covered by GOES-13. RTP_MC_GOES_H2 improves the hourly GHI estimates independently of the type of sky. This improvement is independent of the climate, no matter the station, the RTP_MC_GOES_H2 gives better results of MBE and RMSE than the original GOES_H2 method. Indeed, the MBE and RMSE values, respectively, change from −11.93% to −2.42% and 23.24% to 18.24% for North America and from −4.35% to 1.79% and 19.97% to 17.37 for South America. Moreover, the flexibility of the method may allow to improve results in the presence of snow cover and rainy/variable weather. Furthermore, RTP_MC_GOES_H2 results outperform or equalize those of other operational models.

Climate Change, Scorpion Ecology, and Envenomation

Every year, more than 1 million cases of scorpion envenomation are reported worldwide. Scorpions are thermophilic organisms. They are sensitive to weather and climate conditions, in such a way the ongoing trends of increasing temperature and more variable weather could lead to scorpionism spreading. There has been considerable debate as to whether global envenomation will be impacted by climate change which has focused on snake and spider envenomation risk. This debate didn't give enough interest to scorpion stings and its burden risks, in spite their widespread potential effects in many regions. Here, the authors review how climate and climate change may impact scorpion activity as well as scorpion envenomation. They contrast ecological and behavioral characteristics of these arthropods, and how weather, climate, climate change, and socioeconomic factors may have very different impacts on the spatiotemporal occurrence and abundance of scorpions, and the resulting scorpion envenomation.

The Northern Drakensberg Cableway: An Unworkable yet Immortal Development

This study explores the proposed ‘Drakensberg Cableway’ in the Northern Drakensberg. This cableway project is mired in ongoing controversy with both the consultation process and feasibility study heavily criticised. The proposed site of the cableway borders a world heritage site, is within a culturally sensitive area and prone to highly variable weather, including thunderstorms and high winds. The purpose of this study was to garner the views of a mountain user group in South Africa regarding the proposed cableway using a questionnaire survey. Respondents were overwhelmingly not in favour of the development. Users noted several serious concerns ranging from economic, environmental, statutory and political impacts. In particular, the proposed cableway appears financially unsustainable due to low tourist numbers. Additionally, the infrastructure required will have a deleterious effect on the natural environment. It appears that lessons from South Africa’s other two cableways, in terms of economic impacts, environmental issues and weather-related risks, have not been considered. While the provincial KwaZulu-Natal government may punt the proposed cableway as a ‘silver bullet’ solution for the development and social issues bedevilling the area; the project may instead even exacerbate already fraught social and environmental conditions, both at the proposed lower cableway and upper cableway station. Government officials touting this project need to recognise that tourism development in peripheral mountain areas has to proceed within a much wider social and cross-sectoral economic development context.

Bio-Fertilizers Based on Digestate and Biomass Ash as an Alternative to Commercial Fertilizers—The Case of Tomato

The reutilization of agricultural wastes, as bio-fertilizers, is the key way to close the nutrient cycle and save mineral fertilizers. This hypothesis was verified in three consecutive seasons, treating tomato with three bio-fertilizers on the background of a standard rate of mineral fertilizer. The bio-fertilizers differed in their C:N ratio, which was 13:1, 21:1, and 6:1 for the A, B, and C fertilizers, respectively. They were applied at the rate of 200, 400, 800, and 1600 kg ha−1. The average fruit yield increased in the order: B < C < A. For the relevant fertilizer, the maximum commercial yield was 91, 87, and 101 t ha−1, for a respective rate of 1600, 200, and 400 kg ha−1. The number of fruits (CFN), as the dominant yield component, indirectly reflected the nitrogen (N) supply to plants. A shortage or excess of N on plots treated with the B or C fertilizers, resulted in a decreased CFN, leading to a yield decline. The year-to-year variability in the potassium (K) content reflected fairly well the variable weather conditions, responsible for water management by tomato. The conducted study showed that the tested bio-fertilizers can replace mineral fertilizer, as long as they are applied at well-defined rates.

Effects of Variable Weather Conditions on Baled Proportion of Varied Amounts of Harvestable Cereal Straw, Based on Simulations

All harvestable cereal straw cannot be collected every year in regions where wet periods are probable during the baling season, so some Swedish studies have used 'recovery coefficients’ to estimate potential harvestable amounts. Current Swedish recovery coefficients were first formulated by researchers in the early 1990s, after discussions with crop advisors, but there are no recent Swedish publications on available baling times and recovery proportions. Therefore, this study evaluated baling operations over a series of years for representative virtual farms and machine systems in four Swedish regions, to determine the available time for baling, baled straw ratio and annual variation in both. The hourly grain moisture content of pre-harvested cereals and swathed straw was estimated using moisture models and real weather data for 22/23 years, and the results were used as input to a model for simulating harvesting and baling operations. Expected available baling time during August and September was estimated to be 39–49%, depending on region, with large annual variation (standard deviation 22%). The average baling coefficient was estimated to be 80–86%, with 1400 t·year−1 harvestable straw and 15 t·h−1 baling capacity, and the annual variation was also considerable (s.d. 20%).