Urban warming in villages

Long term meteorological records (> 100 years) from stations associated with villages are generally classified as rural and assumed to have no urban influence. Using networks installed in two European villages, the local and microclimatic variations around two of these rural-village sites are examined. An annual average temperature difference ($\Delta{T}$) of 0.6 and 0.4 K was observed between the built-up village area and the current meteorological station in Geisenheim (Germany) and Haparanda (Sweden), respectively. Considerably larger values were recorded for the minimum temperatures and during summer. The spatial variations in temperature within the villages are of the same order as recorded over the past 100+ years in these villages (0.06 to 0.17 K/10 years). This suggests that the potential biases in the long records of rural-villages also warrant careful consideration like those of the more commonly studied large urban areas effects.

Examining the predictability of the Stratospheric Sudden Warming of January 2013 using multiple NWP systems

The first multi-model study to estimate the predictability of a boreal Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is performed using five NWP systems. During the 2012-2013 boreal winter, anomalous upward propagating planetary wave activity was observed towards the end of December, which followed by a rapid deceleration of the westerly circulation around 2 January 2013, and on 7 January 2013 the zonal mean zonal wind at 60°N and 10 hPa reversed to easterly. This stratospheric dynamical activity was followed by an equatorward shift of the tropospheric jet stream and by a high pressure anomaly over the North Atlantic, which resulted in severe cold conditions in the UK and Northern Europe. In most of the five models, the SSW event was predicted 10 days in advance. However, only some ensemble members in most of the models predicted weakening of westerly wind when the models were initialized 15 days in advance of the SSW. Further dynamical analysis of the SSW shows that this event was characterized by the anomalous planetary wave-1 amplification followed by the anomalous wave-2 amplification in the stratosphere, which resulted in a split vortex occurring between 6 January 2013 and 8 January 2013. The models have some success in reproducing wave-1 activity when initialized 15 days in advance, they but generally failed to produce the wave-2 activity during the final days of the event. Detailed analysis shows that models have reasonably good skill in forecasting tropospheric blocking features that stimulate wave-2 amplification in the troposphere, but they have limited skill in reproducing wave-2 amplification in the stratosphere.

Questioning Kenneth N. Waltz (1924-2013)

Two little-known academics examine the doctoral thesis of a young theorist, Kenneth Waltz. They conclude that his work is important, despite its ambiguities. Some years later, they catch up with Professor Waltz between classes and explore how his ideas have developed.

New use of global warming potentials to compare cumulative and short-lived climate pollutants

Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have requested guidance on common greenhouse gas metrics in accounting for Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to emission reductions1. Metric choice can affect the relative emphasis placed on reductions of ‘cumulative climate pollutants’ such as carbon dioxide versus ‘short-lived climate pollutants’ (SLCPs), including methane and black carbon2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Here we show that the widely used 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) effectively measures the relative impact of both cumulative pollutants and SLCPs on realized warming 20–40 years after the time of emission. If the overall goal of climate policy is to limit peak warming, GWP100 therefore overstates the importance of current SLCP emissions unless stringent and immediate reductions of all climate pollutants result in temperatures nearing their peak soon after mid-century7, 8, 9, 10, which may be necessary to limit warming to “well below 2 °C” (ref. 1). The GWP100 can be used to approximately equate a one-off pulse emission of a cumulative pollutant and an indefinitely sustained change in the rate of emission of an SLCP11, 12, 13. The climate implications of traditional CO2-equivalent targets are ambiguous unless contributions from cumulative pollutants and SLCPs are specified separately.

Understanding the rapid summer warming and changes in temperature extremes since the mid-1990s over Western Europe

Analysis of observations indicates that there was a rapid increase in summer (June-August, JJA) mean surface air temperature (SAT) since the mid-1990s over Western Europe. Accompanying this rapid warming are significant increases in summer mean daily maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature, annual hottest day temperature and warmest night temperature, and an increase in frequency of summer days and tropical nights, while the change in the diurnal temperature range (DTR) is small. This study focuses on understanding causes of the rapid summer warming and associated temperature extreme changes. A set of experiments using the atmospheric component of the state-of-the-art HadGEM3 global climate model have been carried out to quantify relative roles of changes in sea surface temperature (SST)/sea ice extent (SIE), anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs), and anthropogenic aerosols (AAer). Results indicate that the model forced by changes in all forcings reproduces many of the observed changes since the mid-1990s over Western Europe. Changes in SST/SIE explain 62.2% ± 13.0% of the area averaged seasonal mean warming signal over Western Europe, with the remaining 37.8% ± 13.6% of the warming explained by the direct impact of changes in GHGs and AAer. Results further indicate that the direct impact of the reduction of AAer precursor emissions over Europe, mainly through aerosol-radiation interaction with additional contributions from aerosol-cloud interaction and coupled atmosphere-land surface feedbacks, is a key factor for increases in annual hottest day temperature and in frequency of summer days. It explains 45.5% ± 17.6% and 40.9% ± 18.4% of area averaged signals for these temperature extremes. The direct impact of the reduction of AAer precursor emissions over Europe acts to increase DTR locally, but the change in DTR is countered by the direct impact of GHGs forcing. In the next few decades, greenhouse gas concentrations will continue to rise and AAer precursor emissions over Europe and North America will continue to decline. Our results suggest that the changes in summer seasonal mean SAT and temperature extremes over Western Europe since the mid-1990s are most likely to be sustained or amplified in the near term, unless other factors intervene.

Elevation-dependent warming in mountain regions of the world

There is growing evidence that the rate of warming is amplified with elevation, such that high-mountain environments experience more rapid changes in temperature than environments at lower elevations. Elevation-dependent warming (EDW) can accelerate the rate of change in mountain ecosystems, cryospheric systems, hydrological regimes and biodiversity. Here we review important mechanisms that contribute towards EDW: snow albedo and surface-based feedbacks; water vapour changes and latent heat release; surface water vapour and radiative flux changes; surface heat loss and temperature change; and aerosols. All lead to enhanced warming with elevation (or at a critical elevation), and it is believed that combinations of these mechanisms may account for contrasting regional patterns of EDW. We discuss future needs to increase knowledge of mountain temperature trends and their controlling mechanisms through improved observations, satellite-based remote sensing and model simulations.

Making sense of the early-2000s warming slowdown

It has been claimed that the early-2000s global warming slowdown or hiatus, characterized by a reduced rate of global surface warming, has been overstated, lacks sound scientific basis, or is unsupported by observations. The evidence presented here contradicts these claims.

Hur man döljer det korta håret : Kvinna i hus och hem i Bonniers Veckotidning 1924 - 1925

1920-talet var en tid av turbulenta förändringar i det västerländska samhället. Kvinnors rättigheter och möjligheter att styra över sina egna liv förändrades drastiskt. Tidigare årtionden hade i stor utsträckning sett på kvinnan som mamma och husmoder, men nya kvinnoroller börjar under 1920-talet bli accepterade. Bonniers Veckotidning var en tidskrift som publicerades på 1920-talet i Sverige. Detta arbete behandlar hur kvinnan som mamma och husmoder skildras i just denna veckotidning. Undersökningen utförs med underrubrikerna Utseendet, Moderskapet och äktenskapet och Kvinnan i hem och hus. Bonniers Veckotidning visar sig innehålla en röd tråd gällande hur kvinnan som mamma och husmoder ska vara, hon ska vara händig, ständigt närvarande, naturlig och alltid sätta familjen i första rummet. Kvinnor som inte prioriterar familj och hem ses som något exotiskt och inte helt rumsrent. Att kvinnan som läser Bonniers Veckotidning är mamma och hustru framstår i tidningen som helt självklart, det speglas i både artiklar och reklam. Kvinnan ska alltså vara en fokuserad hustru och mamma, vara naturlig och rar, vara duktig på att laga mat och ordna saker i hemmet.

Diversidade e potencial zoonótico de parasitos de Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1841 (Marsupialia: Didelphidae)

Didelphis albiventris, gambá-de-orelha-branca, é um marsupial de hábitos crepusculares e noturnos que se alimenta de frutos, insetos, pequenos répteis e anfíbios, filhotes de aves e pequenos mamíferos. Com a destruição de seu “habitat” natural devido às queimadas e desmatamentos, esses animais têm-se aproximado, cada vez mais, das regiões peridomiciliar e domiciliar, onde procuram abrigo e alimentos. Com o objetivo de conhecer a diversidade de parasitos de D. albiventris e relatar os que apresentam potencial zoonótico, foram examinados 30 exemplares desta espécie, através de necropsia, para coleta de ectoparasitos da superfície externa do corpo e helmintos dos órgãos e conteúdos estomacal e intestinal. Os sifonápteros foram removidos da superfície externa dos animais, conservados em álcool etílico a 70°GL, clarificados em líquido de Nesbitt, desidratados em etanol, diafanizados em creosoto de Faya e montados em lâminas com bálsamo do Canadá para identificação. Os carrapatos foram removidos da superfície externa dos animais, conservados em álcool etílico a 70°GL e identificados ao estereomicroscópio, segundo chaves específicas de Aragão & Fonseca (1961) e Guimarães et al (2001). Os helmintos foram recolhidos com auxílio de estiletes e pinças, clarificados em lactofenol e montados entre lâminas e lamínulas com bálsamo do Canadá para identificação ao microscópio. Do total de animais examinados, 70% estavam infestados com pulgas das espécies Polygenis (Neopolygenis) atopus, Polygenis (Polygenis) rimatus, Polygenis (Polygenis) roberti roberti, Polygenis (Polygenis) sp., Craneopsylla minerva minerva e Ctenocephalides felis felis, todas essas registradas pela primeira vez sobre D. albiventris e, exceto C. felis felis, são também registradas pela primeira vez no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Carrapatos foram encontrados em 43,33% dos animais examinados, representados pelas espécies Ixodes loricatus, Amblyomma aureolatum e Amblyomma sp, sendo A. aureolatum registrado pela primeira vez parasitando D. albiventris no Brasil. Os helmintos encontrados foram: Filo Nematoda - Capillaria spp. (esôfago, traquéia, faringe e pulmão), Didelphostrongylus hayesi (pulmão), Turgida turgida (estômago), Gnathostoma sp. (estômago e fígado), Travassostrongylus orloffi, Viannaia hamata e Trichuris minuta no intestino delgado e Trichuris didelphis, Cruzia tentaculata e Aspidodera raillieti no intestino grosso; Classe Trematoda – Echinostoma revolutum, Plagiorchis didelphidis, Rhopalias coronatus, R. baculifer, Brachylaema migrans e Didelphodiplostomum variabile, todos no intestino delgado; Classe Cestoda – exemplares da família Diphyllobotriidae, no intestino delgado; e Filo Acanthocephala – Hamanniella microcephala e Centrorhynchus sp., ambos no intestino delgado. Dos helmintos encontrados, os que apresentam potencial zoonótico segundo a literatura são T. turgida, Gnathostoma sp., Capillaria spp., B. migrans, E. revolutum e Família Diphyllobotriidae. Além disso, os sifonápteros e ixodídeos encontrados são potenciais vetores de patógenos que infectam humanos. D. albiventris, portanto, apresenta grande diversidade parasitária, incluindo espécies que podem potencialmente atingir o homem, alertando para a importância destes marsupiais na disseminação de doenças entre animais e humanos.

Visões globais do clima - world wide views on global warming

Visões Globais do Clima é uma iniciativa para promover a participação cidadã nas discussões sobre aquecimento global, que terão um capítulo fundamental em dezembro, durante a Conferência da ONU sobre Mudança do Clima (COP-15). O projeto acontece simultaneamente em 39 países e visa colher a opinião de cidadãos comuns sobre as mudanças climáticas e levar os resultados para cada delegação nacional que representará esses países nas negociações internacionais na COP15, em Copenhagen. No Brasil, a exemplo dos outros países participantes, o ponto alto desse processo foi uma "consulta pública" com 100 cidadãos - que representaram a distribuição demográfica da população - que aconteceu na Fundação Getulio Vargas durante todo o dia 26 de setembro, com a articulação do Observatório do Clima e a facilitação do GVces - Centro de Estudos em Sustentabilidade da FGV

O ouro branco abre caminho: o algodão e a modernização do espaço urbano da Cidade da Parahyba (1850-1924)

The present research deals with the modernization process of the Cidade da Parahyba2, between 1850 and 1924, and its relation with the cotton economy, which represented the main source of wealth accumulation for both the private and the public sectors throughout the First Republic. This study on urban history was developed by focusing on the understanding of the city s spatial formation, and despite its emphasis on the economic aspects involved, other factors that also contribute to the development of the social life were not put aside. The modernization process of the Cidade da Parahyba was also analyzed during the period established for the study according to a chronological and thematic approach that established comparisons with the financial situation of the State, whenever this was necessary, with special attention to the contribution of the cotton economy to the State´s revenues. It was possible to detect a lack of financial help and loans from the federal and municipal administrations for finishing several public works already underway in the capital, since the federal funds allocated to the State of Parahyba do Norte were rather employed in emergency works against droughts and in agricultural development. One can then conclude that the financial resources required for the urban interventions were withdrawn from the State s treasury itself, resources that were collected mainly from activities such as cotton exportation and cotton trading. Another factor shows the interdependence between the urban remodeling and the cotton economy: during the years marked by great droughts or by hard plagues on the cotton plantations, cotton production decreased, as well as the State s finances. The first measures taken by the State s administrators were to halt all projects of urban remodeling in progress in the Cidade da Parahyba, which was, clearly, the most privileged city by the State s presidents during the period analyzed. 2 The city of João Pessoa was named Cidade da Parahyba, a designation that remained until September 1930, when it received its present-day name in order to pay homage to the president of the State, João Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, murdered in the city of Recife in August of that same year. At that time, the State of Paraíba was known as Parahyba do Norte. Since this work is limited to a period of time comprised within the First Republic, the names employed respect the terms used in those days

Feeding habits of the shortnose guitarfish, Zapteryx brevirostris (Müller and Henle, 1841) (Elasmobranchii, Rhinobatidae) in southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)