Search results for: climate data validation
27197 Climate Change Effects on Western Coastal Groundwater in Yemen (1981-2020)
Authors: Afrah S. M. Al-Mahfadi
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Climate change is a global issue that has significant impacts on water resources, resulting in environmental, economic, and political consequences. Groundwater reserves, particularly in coastal areas, are facing depletion, leading to serious problems in regions such as Yemen. This study focuses on the western coastal region of Yemen, which already faces risks such as water crises, food insecurity, and widespread poverty. Climate change exacerbates these risks by causing high temperatures, sea level rise, inadequate sea level rise, and inadequate environmental policies. Research Aim: The aim of this research is to provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of climate change on the western coastal region of Yemen. Specifically, the study aims to analyze the relationship between climate change and the loss of fresh groundwater resources in this area. Methodology: The research utilizes a combination of a literature review and three case studies conducted through site visits. Arch-GIS mapping is employed to analyze and visualize the relationship between climate change and the depletion of fresh groundwater resources. Additionally, data on precipitation from 1981 to 2020 and scenarios of projected sea level rise (SLR) are considered. Findings: The study reveals several future issues resulting from climate change. It is projected that the annual temperature will increase while the rainfall rate will decrease. Furthermore, the sea level is expected to rise by approximately 0.30 to 0.72 meters by 2100. These factors contribute to the loss of wetlands, the retreat of shorelines and estuaries, and the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifer, rendering drinking water from wells increasingly saline. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: Data for this research are collected through a literature review, including studies on climate change impacts in coastal areas and the hydrogeology of the study region. Furthermore, three case studies are conducted through site visits. Arch-GIS mapping techniques are utilized to analyze the relationship between climate change and the loss of fresh groundwater resources. Historical precipitation data from 1981 to 2020 and scenarios of projected sea level rise are also analyzed. Questions Addressed: (1) What is the impact of climate change on the western coastal region of Yemen? (2) How does climate change affect the availability of fresh groundwater resources in this area? Conclusion: The study concludes that the western coastal region of Yemen is facing significant challenges due to climate change. The projected increase in temperature, decrease in rainfall, and rise in sea levels have severe implications, such as the loss of wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. Additionally, the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifer further exacerbates the issue of saline drinking water. Urgent measures are needed to address climate change, including improving water management, implementing integrated coastal zone planning, raising awareness among stakeholders, and implementing emergency projects to mitigate the impacts. Recommendations: To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, several recommendations are provided. These include improving water management practices, developing integrated coastal zone planning strategies, raising awareness among all stakeholders, improving health and education, and implementing emergency projects to combat climate change. These measures aim to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of future climate change impacts.Keywords: climate change, groundwater, coastal wetlands, Yemen
Procedia PDF Downloads 6527196 Evaluation of the Impact of Pavement Roughness on Vehicle Emissions by HDM-4
Authors: Muhammad Azhar, Arshad Hussain
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Vehicular emissions have increased in recent years due to rapid growth in world traffic resulting in an increase in associated problems such as air pollution and climate change, therefore it’s necessary to control vehicle emissions. This study looks at the effect of road maintenance on vehicle emissions. The Highway Development and Management Tool (HDM-4) was used to find the effect of road maintenance on vehicle emissions. Key data collected were traffic volume and composition, vehicle characteristics, pavement characteristics and climate data of the study area. Two options were analysed using the HDM-4 software; the base case or do nothing while the second is overlay maintenance. The study also showed a strong correlation between average roughness and yearly emission levels in both the alternatives. Finally, the study showed that proper maintenance reduces the roughness and emissions.Keywords: vehicle emissions, road roughness, IRI, maintenance, HDM-4, CO2
Procedia PDF Downloads 26427195 Modeling Fertility and Production of Hazelnut Cultivars through the Artificial Neural Network under Climate Change of Karaj
Authors: Marziyeh Khavari
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In recent decades, climate change, global warming, and the growing population worldwide face some challenges, such as increasing food consumption and shortage of resources. Assessing how climate change could disturb crops, especially hazelnut production, seems crucial for sustainable agriculture production. For hazelnut cultivation in the mid-warm condition, such as in Iran, here we present an investigation of climate parameters and how much they are effective on fertility and nut production of hazelnut trees. Therefore, the climate change of the northern zones in Iran has investigated (1960-2017) and was reached an uptrend in temperature. Furthermore, the descriptive analysis performed on six cultivars during seven years shows how this small-scale survey could demonstrate the effects of climate change on hazelnut production and stability. Results showed that some climate parameters are more significant on nut production, such as solar radiation, soil temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation. Moreover, some cultivars have produced more stable production, for instance, Negret and Segorbe, while the Mervill de Boliver recorded the most variation during the study. Another aspect that needs to be met is training and predicting an actual model to simulate nut production through a neural network and linear regression simulation. The study developed and estimated the ANN model's generalization capability with different criteria such as RMSE, SSE, and accuracy factors for dependent and independent variables (environmental and yield traits). The models were trained and tested while the accuracy of the model is proper to predict hazelnut production under fluctuations in weather parameters.Keywords: climate change, neural network, hazelnut, global warming
Procedia PDF Downloads 13227194 Influence of Water Reservoir Parameters on the Climate and Coastal Areas
Authors: Lia Matchavariani
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Water reservoir construction on the rivers flowing into the sea complicates the coast protection, seashore starts to degrade causing coast erosion and disaster on the backdrop of current climate change. The instruments of the impact of a water reservoir on the climate and coastal areas are its contact surface with the atmosphere and the area irrigated with its water or humidified with infiltrated waters. The Black Sea coastline is characterized by the highest ecological vulnerability. The type and intensity of the water reservoir impact are determined by its morphometry, type of regulation, level regime, and geomorphological and geological characteristics of the adjoining area. Studies showed the impact of the water reservoir on the climate, on its comfort parameters is positive if it is located in the zone of insufficient humidity and vice versa, is negative if the water reservoir is found in the zone with abundant humidity. There are many natural and anthropogenic factors determining the peculiarities of the impact of the water reservoir on the climate, which can be assessed with maximum accuracy by the so-called “long series” method, which operates on the meteorological elements (temperature, wind, precipitations, etc.) with the long series formed with the stationary observation data. This is the time series, which consists of two periods with statistically sufficient duration. The first period covers the observations up to the formation of the water reservoir and another period covers the observations accomplished during its operation. If no such data are available, or their series is statistically short, “an analog” method is used. Such an analog water reservoir is selected based on the similarity of the environmental conditions. It must be located within the zone of the designed water reservoir, under similar environmental conditions, and besides, a sufficient number of observations accomplished in its coastal zone.Keywords: coast-constituent sediment, eustasy, meteorological parameters, seashore degradation, water reservoirs impact
Procedia PDF Downloads 4427193 Impacts on Atmospheric Mercury from Changes in Climate, Land Use, Land Cover, and Wildfires
Authors: Shiliang Wu, Huanxin Zhang, Aditya Kumar
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There have been increasing concerns on atmospheric mercury as a toxic and bioaccumulative pollutant in the global environment. Global change, including changes in climate change, land use, land cover and wildfires activities can all have significant impacts on atmospheric mercury. In this study, we use a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to examine the potential impacts from global change on atmospheric mercury. All of these factors in the context of global change are found to have significant impacts on the long-term evolution of atmospheric mercury and can substantially alter the global source-receptor relationships for mercury. We also estimate the global Hg emissions from wildfires for present-day and the potential impacts from the 2000-2050 changes in climate, land use and land cover and Hg anthropogenic emissions by combining statistical analysis with global data on vegetation type and coverage as well as fire activities. Present global Hg wildfire emissions are estimated to be 612 Mg year-1. Africa is the dominant source region (43.8% of global emissions), followed by Eurasia (31%) and South America (16.6%). We find significant perturbations to wildfire emissions of Hg in the context of global change, driven by the projected changes in climate, land use and land cover and Hg anthropogenic emissions. 2000-2050 climate change could increase Hg emissions by 14% globally. Projected changes in land use by 2050 could decrease the global Hg emissions from wildfires by 13% mainly driven by a decline in African emissions due to significant agricultural land expansion. Future land cover changes could lead to significant increases in Hg emissions over some regions (+32% North America, +14% Africa, +13% Eurasia). Potential enrichment of terrestrial ecosystems in 2050 in response to changes in Hg anthropogenic emissions could increase Hg wildfire emissions both globally (+28%) and regionally. Our results indicate that the future evolution of climate, land use and land cover and Hg anthropogenic emissions are all important factors affecting Hg wildfire emissions in the coming decades.Keywords: climate change, land use, land cover, wildfires
Procedia PDF Downloads 32627192 The Study of Climate Change Effects on the Performance of Thermal Power Plants in Iran
Authors: Masoud Soltani Hosseini, Fereshteh Rahmani, Mohammad Tajik Mansouri, Ali Zolghadr
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Climate change is accompanied with ambient temperature increase and water accessibility limitation. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of climate change on thermal power plants including gas turbines, steam and combined cycle power plants in Iran. For this purpose, the ambient temperature increase and water accessibility will be analyzed and their effects on power output and efficiency of thermal power plants will be determined. According to the results, the ambient temperature has high effect on steam power plants with indirect cooling system (Heller). The efficiency of this type of power plants decreases by 0.55 percent per 1oC ambient temperature increase. This amount is 0.52 and 0.2 percent for once-through and wet cooling systems, respectively. The decrease in power output covers a range of 0.2% to 0.65% for steam power plant with wet cooling system and gas turbines per 1oC air temperature increase. Based on the thermal power plants distribution in Iran and different scenarios of climate change, the total amount of power output decrease falls between 413 and 1661 MW due to ambient temperature increase. Another limitation incurred by climate change is water accessibility. In optimistic scenario, the power output of steam plants decreases by 1450 MW in dry and hot climate areas throughout next decades. The remaining scenarios indicate that the amount of decrease in power output would be by 4152 MW in highlands and cold climate. Therefore, it is necessary to consider appropriate solutions to overcome these limitations. Considering all the climate change effects together, the actual power output falls in range of 2465 and 7294 MW and efficiency loss covers the range of 0.12 to .56 % in different scenarios.Keywords: climate, change, thermal, power plants
Procedia PDF Downloads 7927191 Validation of the X-Ray Densitometry Method for Radial Density Pattern Determination of Acacia seyal var. seyal Tree Species
Authors: Hanadi Mohamed Shawgi Gamal, Claus Thomas Bues
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Wood density is a variable influencing many of the technological and quality properties of wood. Understanding the pattern of wood density radial variation is important for its end-use. The X-ray technique, traditionally applied to softwood species to assess the wood quality properties, due to its simple and relatively uniform wood structure. On the other hand, very limited information is available about the validation of using this technique for hardwood species. The suitability of using the X-ray technique for the determination of hardwood density has a special significance in countries like Sudan, where only a few timbers are well known. This will not only save the time consumed by using the traditional methods, but it will also enhance the investigations of the great number of the lesser known species, the thing which will fill the huge cap of lake information of hardwood species growing in Sudan. The current study aimed to evaluate the validation of using the X-ray densitometry technique to determine the radial variation of wood density of Acacia seyal var. seyal. To this, a total of thirty trees were collected randomly from four states in Sudan. The wood density radial trend was determined using the basic density as well as density obtained by the X-ray densitometry method in order to assess the validation of X-ray technique in wood density radial variation determination. The results showed that the pattern of radial trend of density obtained by X-ray technique is very similar to that achieved by basic density. These results confirmed the validation of using the X-ray technique for Acacia seyal var. seyal density radial trend determination. It also promotes the suitability of using this method in other hardwood species.Keywords: x-ray densitometry, wood density, Acacia seyal var. seyal, radial variation
Procedia PDF Downloads 15227190 Factors Affecting the Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture in Central and Western Nepal
Authors: Maharjan Shree Kumar
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Climate change impacts are observed in all livelihood sectors primarily in agriculture and forestry. Multiple factors have influenced the climate vulnerabilities and adaptations in agricultural at the household level. This study focused on the factors affecting adaptation in agriculture in Madi and Deukhuri valleys of Central and Western Nepal. The systematic random sampling technique was applied to select 154 households in Madi and 150 households in Deukhuri. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the socio-economic factors that either influence or restrain the farmers’ adaptation to climate change at the household level by applying the linear probability model. Based on the analysis, it is revealed that crop diversity, education, training and total land holding (acre) were positively significant for adaptation choices the study sites. Rest of the variables were not significant though indicated positive as expected except age, occupation, ethnicity, family size, and access to credit.Keywords: adaptation, agriculture, climate, factors, Nepal
Procedia PDF Downloads 15227189 Mapping of Solar Radiation Anomalies Based on Climate Change
Authors: Elison Eduardo Jardim Bierhals, Claudineia Brazil, Francisco Pereira, Elton Rossini
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The use of alternative energy sources to meet energy demand reduces environmental damage. To diversify an energy matrix and to minimize global warming, a solar energy is gaining space, being an important source of renewable energy, and its potential depends on the climatic conditions of the region. Brazil presents a great solar potential for a generation of electric energy, so the knowledge of solar radiation and its characteristics are fundamental for the study of energy use. Due to the above reasons, this article aims to verify the climatic variability corresponding to the variations in solar radiation anomalies, in the face of climate change scenarios. The data used in this research are part of the Intercomparison of Interconnected Models, Phase 5 (CMIP5), which contributed to the preparation of the fifth IPCC-AR5 report. The solar radiation data were extracted from The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) model using the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios that represent an intermediate structure and a pessimistic framework, the latter being the most worrisome in all cases. In order to allow the use of solar radiation as a source of energy in a given location and/or region, it is important, first, to determine its availability, thus justifying the importance of the study. The results pointed out, for the 75-year period (2026-2100), based on a pessimistic scenario, indicate a drop in solar radiation of the approximately 12% in the eastern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Factors that influence the pessimistic prospects of this scenario should be better observed by the responsible authorities, since they can affect the possibility to produce electricity from solar radiation.Keywords: climate change, energy, IPCC, solar radiation
Procedia PDF Downloads 19227188 Socio-Economic Setting and Implications to Climate Change Impacts in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Authors: Kenneth Nhundu, Leocadia Zhou, Farhad Aghdasi, Voster Muchenje
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Climate change poses increased risks to rural communities that rely on natural resources, such as forests, cropland and rangeland, waterways, and open spaces Because of their connection to the land and the potential for climate change to impact natural resources and disrupt ecosystems and seasons, rural livelihoods and well-being are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change. Climate change has the potential to affect the environment in a number of ways that place increased stress on everyone, but disproportionately on the most vulnerable populations, including the young, the old, those with chronic illness, and the poor. The communities in the study area are predominantly rural, resource-based and are generally surrounded by public or private lands that are dominated by natural resources, including forests, rangelands, and agriculture. The livelihoods of these communities are tied to natural resources. Therefore, targeted strategies to cope will be required. This paper assessed the household socio-economic characteristics and their implications to household vulnerability to climate change impacts in the rural Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The results indicate that the rural communities are climate-vulnerable populations as they have a large proportion of people who are less economically or physically capable of adapting to climate change. The study therefore recommends that at each level, the needs, knowledge, and voices of vulnerable populations, including indigenous peoples and resource-based communities, deserve consideration and incorporation so that climate change policy (1) ensures that all people are supported and able to act, (2) provides as robust a strategy as possible to address a rapidly changing environment, and (3) enhances equity and justice.Keywords: climate change, vulnerable, socio-economic, livelihoods
Procedia PDF Downloads 35527187 Trend Analysis of Annual Total Precipitation Data in Konya
Authors: Naci Büyükkaracığan
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Hydroclimatic observation values are used in the planning of the project of water resources. Climate variables are the first of the values used in planning projects. At the same time, the climate system is a complex and interactive system involving the atmosphere, land surfaces, snow and bubbles, the oceans and other water structures. The amount and distribution of precipitation, which is an important climate parameter, is a limiting environmental factor for dispersed living things. Trend analysis is applied to the detection of the presence of a pattern or trend in the data set. Many trends work in different parts of the world are usually made for the determination of climate change. The detection and attribution of past trends and variability in climatic variables is essential for explaining potential future alteration resulting from anthropogenic activities. Parametric and non-parametric tests are used for determining the trends in climatic variables. In this study, trend tests were applied to annual total precipitation data obtained in period of 1972 and 2012, in the Konya Basin. Non-parametric trend tests, (Sen’s T, Spearman’s Rho, Mann-Kendal, Sen’s T trend, Wald-Wolfowitz) and parametric test (mean square) were applied to annual total precipitations of 15 stations for trend analysis. The linear slopes (change per unit time) of trends are calculated by using a non-parametric estimator developed by Sen. The beginning of trends is determined by using the Mann-Kendall rank correlation test. In addition, homogeneities in precipitation trends are tested by using a method developed by Van Belle and Hughes. As a result of tests, negative linear slopes were found in annual total precipitations in Konya.Keywords: trend analysis, precipitation, hydroclimatology, Konya
Procedia PDF Downloads 21827186 Potential of Detailed Environmental Data, Produced by Information and Communication Technology Tools, for Better Consideration of Microclimatology Issues in Urban Planning to Promote Active Mobility
Authors: Živa Ravnikar, Alfonso Bahillo Martinez, Barbara Goličnik Marušić
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Climate change mitigation has been formally adopted and announced by countries over the globe, where cities are targeting carbon neutrality through various more or less successful, systematic, and fragmentary actions. The article is based on the fact that environmental conditions affect human comfort and the usage of space. Urban planning can, with its sustainable solutions, not only support climate mitigation in terms of a planet reduction of global warming but as well enabling natural processes that in the immediate vicinity produce environmental conditions that encourage people to walk or cycle. However, the article draws attention to the importance of integrating climate consideration into urban planning, where detailed environmental data play a key role, enabling urban planners to improve or monitor environmental conditions on cycle paths. In a practical aspect, this paper tests a particular ICT tool, a prototype used for environmental data. Data gathering was performed along the cycling lanes in Ljubljana (Slovenia), where the main objective was to assess the tool's data applicable value within the planning of comfortable cycling lanes. The results suggest that such transportable devices for in-situ measurements can help a researcher interpret detailed environmental information, characterized by fine granularity and precise data spatial and temporal resolution. Data can be interpreted within human comfort zones, where graphical representation is in the form of a map, enabling the link of the environmental conditions with a spatial context. The paper also provides preliminary results in terms of the potential of such tools for identifying the correlations between environmental conditions and different spatial settings, which can help urban planners to prioritize interventions in places. The paper contributes to multidisciplinary approaches as it demonstrates the usefulness of such fine-grained data for better consideration of microclimatology in urban planning, which is a prerequisite for creating climate-comfortable cycling lanes promoting active mobility.Keywords: information and communication technology tools, urban planning, human comfort, microclimate, cycling lanes
Procedia PDF Downloads 13427185 The Application of International Law in Terms of Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and Another v Minister of Energy and Others 65662/16 (2017) Case
Authors: M. van der Bank
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This study involves a legal analysis of the case Earthlife Africa Johannesburg v Minister of Environmental Affairs and Others. The case considered the impact of the Thabametsi Power Project if it operated to the expected year 2060 on the global climate and ever-changing climate, in South Africa. This judgment highlights the significance, place and principles of climate change and where climate change impacts the South African environmental law which has its founding principles in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This paper seeks to examine the advances for climate change regulation and application in terms of international law, in South Africa, through a qualitative study involving comparative national and international case law. A literature review study was conducted to compare and contrast the various aspects of law in order to support the argument undertaken. The paper presents a detailed discussion of the current legislation and the position as it currently stands with reference to international law and interpretation. The relevant protections as outlined in the National Environmental Management Act will be discussed. It then proceeds to outline the potential liability of the Minister in the interpretation and application of international law.Keywords: climate change; environment, environmental review, international law; and principles
Procedia PDF Downloads 12527184 The Role of Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Contribution of Small-Scale Farming towards Ensuring Food Security in South Africa
Authors: Victor O. Abegunde, Melusi Sibanda
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There is need for a great deal of attention on small-scale agriculture for livelihood and food security because of the expanding global population. Small-scale agriculture has been identified as a major driving force of agricultural and rural development. However, the high dependence of the sector on natural and climatic resources has made small-scale farmers highly vulnerable to the adverse impact of climatic change thereby necessitating the need for embracing practices or concepts that will help absorb shocks from changes in climatic condition. This study examines the strategic position of small-scale farming in South African agriculture and in ensuring food security in the country, the vulnerability of small-scale agriculture to climate change and the potential of the concept of climate-smart agriculture to tackle the challenge of climate change. The study carried out a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature touching small-scale agriculture, climate change, food security and climate-smart agriculture, employing the realist review method. Findings revealed that increased productivity in the small-scale agricultural sector has a great potential of improving the food security of households in South Africa and reducing dependence on food purchase in a context of high food price inflation. Findings, however, also revealed that climate change affects small-scale subsistence farmers in terms of productivity, food security and family income, categorizing the impact on smallholder livelihoods into three major groups; biological processes, environmental and physical processes and impact on health. Analysis of the literature consistently showed that climate-smart agriculture integrates the benefits of adaptation and resilience to climate change, mitigation, and food security. As a result, farming households adopting climate-smart agriculture will be better off than their counterparts who do not. This study concludes that climate-smart agriculture could be a very good bridge linking small-scale agricultural sector and agricultural productivity and development which could bring about the much needed food security.Keywords: climate change, climate-smart agriculture, food security, small-scale
Procedia PDF Downloads 24127183 Effect of Climate Change Rate in Indonesia against the Shrinking Dimensions of Granules and Plasticity Index of Soils
Authors: Muhammad Rasyid Angkotasan
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The soil is a dense granules and arrangement of the pores that are related to each other, so that the water can flow from one point which has higher energy to a point that has lower energy. The flow of water through the pores of the porous ground is urgently needed in water seepage estimates in ground water pumping problems, investigate for underground construction, as well as analyzing the stability of the construction of Weirs. Climate change resulted in long-term changes in the distribution of weather patterns are statistically throughout the period start time of decades to millions of years. In other words, changes in the average weather circumstances or a change in the distribution of weather events, on average, for example, the number of extreme weather events that increasingly a lot or a little. Climate change is limited to a particular regional or can occur in all regions of the Earth. Geographical location between two continents and two oceans and is located around the equator is klimatologis factor is the cause of flooding and drought in Indonesia. This caused Indonesia' geographical position is on a hemisphere with a tropical monsoon climate is very sensitive to climatic anomaly El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO causes drought occurrence in sea surface temperature conditions in the Pacific Equator warms up to the middle part of the East (El Nino). Based on the analysis of the climate of the last 30 years show that there is a tendency, the formation of a new pattern of climate causes the onset of climate change. The impact of climate change on the occurrence of the agricultural sector is the bergesernya beginning of the dry season which led to the above-mentioned pattern planting due to drought. The impact of climate change (drought) which is very extreme in Indonesia affect the shrinkage dimensions grain land and reduced the value of a percentage of the soil Plasticity Index caused by climate change.Keywords: climate change, soil shrinkage, plasticity index, shrinking dimensions
Procedia PDF Downloads 23827182 Exploring the Association between Risks Emerging from Climate Change Scenarios and the Built Environment
Authors: Abdullah M. Alzahrani, Abdel Halim Boussabaine
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There is an international consensus on the climate change in the entire world and this is as a result of the combination of the natural factors, such as volcanoes and hurricanes with increased of human activity on the earth, such as industrial renaissance. Where this solidarity increases emissions of greenhouse gases GHGs that considered as the main driver of climate change scenarios and related emerging risks and impacts on buildings. These climatic risks including damages, disruption and disquiet are set to increase and it is considered as the main challenges and difficulties facing built environment due to major implications on assets sector. Consequently, the threat from climate change patterns has a significant impact on a variety of complex human decisions, which affect all aspects of living. Understanding the relationship between buildings and such risks arising from climate change scenarios on buildings are the key in insuring the optimal timing and design of policies and systems, which affect all aspects of the built environment. This paper will uncovering this correlation between emerging climate change risks and the building assets. In addition, how these emerging risks can be classified in practical way in terms of their impact type on buildings. Hence, this mapping will assist professionals and interested parties in the building sector to cope with such risks in several systematic ways including development and designing of mitigation and adaptation strategies and processes of design, specification, construction, and operation; all these leads to successful management of assets.Keywords: climate change, climate change risks, built environment, building sector, impacts
Procedia PDF Downloads 35327181 Unveiling Drought Dynamics in the Cuneo District, Italy: A Machine Learning-Enhanced Hydrological Modelling Approach
Authors: Mohammadamin Hashemi, Mohammadreza Kashizadeh
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Droughts pose a significant threat to sustainable water resource management, agriculture, and socioeconomic sectors, particularly in the field of climate change. This study investigates drought simulation using rainfall-runoff modelling in the Cuneo district, Italy, over the past 60-year period. The study leverages the TUW model, a lumped conceptual rainfall-runoff model with a semi-distributed operation capability. Similar in structure to the widely used Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) model, the TUW model operates on daily timesteps for input and output data specific to each catchment. It incorporates essential routines for snow accumulation and melting, soil moisture storage, and streamflow generation. Multiple catchments' discharge data within the Cuneo district form the basis for thorough model calibration employing the Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE) metric. A crucial metric for reliable drought analysis is one that can accurately represent low-flow events during drought periods. This ensures that the model provides a realistic picture of water availability during these critical times. Subsequent validation of monthly discharge simulations thoroughly evaluates overall model performance. Beyond model development, the investigation delves into drought analysis using the robust Standardized Runoff Index (SRI). This index allows for precise characterization of drought occurrences within the study area. A meticulous comparison of observed and simulated discharge data is conducted, with particular focus on low-flow events that characterize droughts. Additionally, the study explores the complex interplay between land characteristics (e.g., soil type, vegetation cover) and climate variables (e.g., precipitation, temperature) that influence the severity and duration of hydrological droughts. The study's findings demonstrate successful calibration of the TUW model across most catchments, achieving commendable model efficiency. Comparative analysis between simulated and observed discharge data reveals significant agreement, especially during critical low-flow periods. This agreement is further supported by the Pareto coefficient, a statistical measure of goodness-of-fit. The drought analysis provides critical insights into the duration, intensity, and severity of drought events within the Cuneo district. This newfound understanding of spatial and temporal drought dynamics offers valuable information for water resource management strategies and drought mitigation efforts. This research deepens our understanding of drought dynamics in the Cuneo region. Future research directions include refining hydrological modelling techniques and exploring future drought projections under various climate change scenarios.Keywords: hydrologic extremes, hydrological drought, hydrological modelling, machine learning, rainfall-runoff modelling
Procedia PDF Downloads 4127180 Strategies of Smart City in Response to Climate Change: Focused on the Case Studies of Sweden, Japan, and Korea
Authors: K. M. Kim, S. J. Lee, D. S. Oh, Sadohara Satoru
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The climate change poses a serious challenge to urban sustainability. To alleviate the environmental risk, urban planning has been concentrated on climate adaptation and mitigation, and the sustainable urban model, smart city, has been suggested. However, with regard to sustainable smart city development, a majority of researchers have focused mainly on the aspect of adaptation, which causes the lack of the approaches for mitigation. Therefore, the objective was to identify the planning elements of smart city with integrative reviews about mitigation and adaptation. Moreover, the concepts of smart cities in Sweden, Japan, and Korea were analyzed to find out the country-specific characteristics and strategies for achieving smart city.Keywords: sustainable urban planning, climate change, mitigating and adaptation, smart city
Procedia PDF Downloads 35927179 Bottom-up Quantification of Mega Inter-Basin Water Transfer Vulnerability to Climate Change
Authors: Enze Zhang
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Large numbers of inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) projects are constructed or proposed all around the world as solutions to water distribution and supply problems. Nowadays, as climate change warms the atmosphere, alters the hydrologic cycle, and perturbs water availability, large scale IBWTs which are sensitive to these water-related changes may carry significant risk. Given this reality, IBWTs have elicited great controversy and assessments of vulnerability to climate change are urgently needed worldwide. In this paper, we consider the South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) in China as a case study, and introduce a bottom-up vulnerability assessment framework. Key hazards and risks related to climate change that threaten future water availability for the SNWTP are firstly identified. Then a performance indicator is presented to quantify the vulnerability of IBWT by taking three main elements (i.e., sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure degree) into account. A probabilistic Budyko model is adapted to estimate water availability responses to a wide range of possibilities for future climate conditions in each region of the study area. After bottom-up quantifying the vulnerability based on the estimated water availability, our findings confirm that SNWTP would greatly alleviate geographical imbalances in water availability under some moderate climate change scenarios but raises questions about whether it is a long-term solution because the donor basin has a high level of vulnerability due to extreme climate change.Keywords: vulnerability, climate change, inter-basin water transfer, bottom-up
Procedia PDF Downloads 40027178 Radar Cross Section Modelling of Lossy Dielectrics
Authors: Ciara Pienaar, J. W. Odendaal, J. Joubert, J. C. Smit
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Radar cross section (RCS) of dielectric objects play an important role in many applications, such as low observability technology development, drone detection, and monitoring as well as coastal surveillance. Various materials are used to construct the targets of interest such as metal, wood, composite materials, radar absorbent materials, and other dielectrics. Since simulated datasets are increasingly being used to supplement infield measurements, as it is more cost effective and a larger variety of targets can be simulated, it is important to have a high level of confidence in the predicted results. Confidence can be attained through validation. Various computational electromagnetic (CEM) methods are capable of predicting the RCS of dielectric targets. This study will extend previous studies by validating full-wave and asymptotic RCS simulations of dielectric targets with measured data. The paper will provide measured RCS data of a number of canonical dielectric targets exhibiting different material properties. As stated previously, these measurements are used to validate numerous CEM methods. The dielectric properties are accurately characterized to reduce the uncertainties in the simulations. Finally, an analysis of the sensitivity of oblique and normal incidence scattering predictions to material characteristics is also presented. In this paper, the ability of several CEM methods, including method of moments (MoM), and physical optics (PO), to calculate the RCS of dielectrics were validated with measured data. A few dielectrics, exhibiting different material properties, were selected and several canonical targets, such as flat plates and cylinders, were manufactured. The RCS of these dielectric targets were measured in a compact range at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, over a frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz and a 360° azimuth angle sweep. This study also investigated the effect of slight variations in the material properties on the calculated RCS results, by varying the material properties within a realistic tolerance range and comparing the calculated RCS results. Interesting measured and simulated results have been obtained. Large discrepancies were observed between the different methods as well as the measured data. It was also observed that the accuracy of the RCS data of the dielectrics can be frequency and angle dependent. The simulated RCS for some of these materials also exhibit high sensitivity to variations in the material properties. Comparison graphs between the measured and simulation RCS datasets will be presented and the validation thereof will be discussed. Finally, the effect that small tolerances in the material properties have on the calculated RCS results will be shown. Thus the importance of accurate dielectric material properties for validation purposes will be discussed.Keywords: asymptotic, CEM, dielectric scattering, full-wave, measurements, radar cross section, validation
Procedia PDF Downloads 24027177 Climate Related Financial Risk on Automobile Industry and the Impact to the Financial Institutions
Authors: Mahalakshmi Vivekanandan S.
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As per the recent changes happening in the global policies, climate-related changes and the impact it causes across every sector are viewed as green swan events – in essence, climate-related changes can often happen and lead to risk and a lot of uncertainty, but needs to be mitigated instead of considering them as black swan events. This brings about a question on how this risk can be computed so that the financial institutions can plan to mitigate it. Climate-related changes impact all risk types – credit risk, market risk, operational risk, liquidity risk, reputational risk and other risk types. And the models required to compute this has to consider the different industrial needs of the counterparty, as well as the factors that are contributing to this – be it in the form of different risk drivers, or the different transmission channels or the different approaches and the granular form of data availability. This brings out the suggestion that the climate-related changes, though it affects Pillar I risks, will be a Pillar II risk. This has to be modeled specifically based on the financial institution’s actual exposure to different industries instead of generalizing the risk charge. And this will have to be considered as the additional capital to be met by the financial institution in addition to their Pillar I risks, as well as the existing Pillar II risks. In this paper, the author presents a risk assessment framework to model and assess climate change risks - for both credit and market risks. This framework helps in assessing the different scenarios and how the different transition risks affect the risk associated with the different parties. This research paper delves into the topic of the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases that in turn cause global warming. It then considers the various scenarios of having the different risk drivers impacting the Credit and market risk of an institution by understanding the transmission channels and also considering the transition risk. The paper then focuses on the industry that’s fast seeing a disruption: the automobile industry. The paper uses the framework to show how the climate changes and the change to the relevant policies have impacted the entire financial institution. Appropriate statistical models for forecasting, anomaly detection and scenario modeling are built to demonstrate how the framework can be used by the relevant agencies to understand their financial risks. The paper also focuses on the climate risk calculation for the Pillar II Capital calculations and how it will make sense for the bank to maintain this in addition to their regular Pillar I and Pillar II capital.Keywords: capital calculation, climate risk, credit risk, pillar ii risk, scenario modeling
Procedia PDF Downloads 14027176 Review of Downscaling Methods in Climate Change and Their Role in Hydrological Studies
Authors: Nishi Bhuvandas, P. V. Timbadiya, P. L. Patel, P. D. Porey
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Recent perceived climate variability raises concerns with unprecedented hydrological phenomena and extremes. Distribution and circulation of the waters of the Earth become increasingly difficult to determine because of additional uncertainty related to anthropogenic emissions. According to the sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Paper on Climate Change and water, changes in the large-scale hydrological cycle have been related to an increase in the observed temperature over several decades. Although many previous research carried on effect of change in climate on hydrology provides a general picture of possible hydrological global change, new tools and frameworks for modelling hydrological series with nonstationary characteristics at finer scales, are required for assessing climate change impacts. Of the downscaling techniques, dynamic downscaling is usually based on the use of Regional Climate Models (RCMs), which generate finer resolution output based on atmospheric physics over a region using General Circulation Model (GCM) fields as boundary conditions. However, RCMs are not expected to capture the observed spatial precipitation extremes at a fine cell scale or at a basin scale. Statistical downscaling derives a statistical or empirical relationship between the variables simulated by the GCMs, called predictors, and station-scale hydrologic variables, called predictands. The main focus of the paper is on the need for using statistical downscaling techniques for projection of local hydrometeorological variables under climate change scenarios. The projections can be then served as a means of input source to various hydrologic models to obtain streamflow, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and other hydrological variables of interest.Keywords: climate change, downscaling, GCM, RCM
Procedia PDF Downloads 40627175 Comparative Analysis of the Third Generation of Research Data for Evaluation of Solar Energy Potential
Authors: Claudineia Brazil, Elison Eduardo Jardim Bierhals, Luciane Teresa Salvi, Rafael Haag
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Renewable energy sources are dependent on climatic variability, so for adequate energy planning, observations of the meteorological variables are required, preferably representing long-period series. Despite the scientific and technological advances that meteorological measurement systems have undergone in the last decades, there is still a considerable lack of meteorological observations that form series of long periods. The reanalysis is a system of assimilation of data prepared using general atmospheric circulation models, based on the combination of data collected at surface stations, ocean buoys, satellites and radiosondes, allowing the production of long period data, for a wide gamma. The third generation of reanalysis data emerged in 2010, among them is the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) developed by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), these data have a spatial resolution of 0.50 x 0.50. In order to overcome these difficulties, it aims to evaluate the performance of solar radiation estimation through alternative data bases, such as data from Reanalysis and from meteorological satellites that satisfactorily meet the absence of observations of solar radiation at global and/or regional level. The results of the analysis of the solar radiation data indicated that the reanalysis data of the CFSR model presented a good performance in relation to the observed data, with determination coefficient around 0.90. Therefore, it is concluded that these data have the potential to be used as an alternative source in locations with no seasons or long series of solar radiation, important for the evaluation of solar energy potential.Keywords: climate, reanalysis, renewable energy, solar radiation
Procedia PDF Downloads 20927174 Modeling Activity Pattern Using XGBoost for Mining Smart Card Data
Authors: Eui-Jin Kim, Hasik Lee, Su-Jin Park, Dong-Kyu Kim
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Smart-card data are expected to provide information on activity pattern as an alternative to conventional person trip surveys. The focus of this study is to propose a method for training the person trip surveys to supplement the smart-card data that does not contain the purpose of each trip. We selected only available features from smart card data such as spatiotemporal information on the trip and geographic information system (GIS) data near the stations to train the survey data. XGboost, which is state-of-the-art tree-based ensemble classifier, was used to train data from multiple sources. This classifier uses a more regularized model formalization to control the over-fitting and show very fast execution time with well-performance. The validation results showed that proposed method efficiently estimated the trip purpose. GIS data of station and duration of stay at the destination were significant features in modeling trip purpose.Keywords: activity pattern, data fusion, smart-card, XGboost
Procedia PDF Downloads 24627173 Gender, Climate Change, and Resilience in Kenyan Pastoralist Communities
Authors: Anne Waithira Dormal
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Climate change is threatening pastoral livelihoods in Kajiado County, Kenya, through water shortages, livestock deaths, and increasing poverty. This study examines how these impacts differ for men and women within these communities. Limited access to resources, limited land and livestock rights, and limited decision-making power increase women's vulnerability, which is further burdened by traditional gender roles in water procurement. The research recognizes the complexity of climate change and emphasizes that factors such as wealth, family dynamics, and socioeconomic status also influence resilience. Effective adaptation strategies must address all genders. While livestock farming provides a safety net, socioeconomic empowerment through access to credit, healthcare, and education strengthens entire communities. An intersectional perspective that takes ethnicity, social status, and other factors into account is also crucial. This research, therefore, aims to examine how gender-specific adaptation strategies interact with gender and socioeconomic factors to determine the resilience of these Kenyan pastoralist communities. Such strategies, which address the specific needs and vulnerabilities of men and women, are expected to lead to increased resilience to climate change. The aim of the study is to identify effective, gender-specific adaptation strategies that can be integrated into climate change planning and implementation. Additionally, research awaits a deeper understanding of how socioeconomic factors interact with gender to influence vulnerability and resilience within these communities. The study uses a gender-sensitive qualitative approach with focus group discussions in four different pastoral and agropastoral communities. Both qualitative and demographic data are used to capture sources of income, education level, and household size of focus group respondents to increase the power of the analysis. While the research acknowledges the limitations of specific focus sites and potential biases in self-reporting, it offers valuable insights into gender and climate change in pastoral contexts. This study contributes to understanding gender-based vulnerabilities and building resilience in these communities.Keywords: climate adaptation strategies, climate change, climate resilience, gendered vulnerability, pastoralism
Procedia PDF Downloads 4627172 Experimental Observation on Air-Conditioning Using Radiant Chilled Ceiling in Hot Humid Climate
Authors: Ashmin Aryal, Pipat Chaiwiwatworakul, Surapong Chirarattananon
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Radiant chilled ceiling (RCC) has been perceived to save more energy and provide better thermal comfort than the traditional air conditioning system. However, its application has been rather limited by some reasons e.g., the scarce information about the thermal characteristic in the radiant room and the local climate influence on the system performance, etc. To bridge such gap, an office-like experiment room with a RCC was constructed in the hot and humid climate of Thailand. This paper presents exemplarily results from the RCC experiments to give an insight into the thermal environment in a radiant room and the cooling load associated to maintain the room's comfort condition. It gave a demonstration of the RCC system operation for its application to achieve thermal comfort in offices in a hot humid climate, as well.Keywords: radiant chilled ceiling, thermal comfort, cooling load, outdoor air unit
Procedia PDF Downloads 12827171 Statistical Scientific Investigation of Popular Cultural Heritage in the Relationship between Astronomy and Weather Conditions in the State of Kuwait
Authors: Ahmed M. AlHasem
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The Kuwaiti society has long been aware of climatic changes and their annual dates and trying to link them to astronomy in an attempt to forecast the future weather conditions. The reason for this concern is that many of the economic, social and living activities of the society depend deeply on the nature of the weather conditions directly and indirectly. In other words, Kuwaiti society, like the case of many human societies, has in the past tried to predict climatic conditions by linking them to astronomy or popular statements to indicate the timing of climate changes. Accordingly, this study was devoted to scientific investigation based on the statistical analysis of climatic data to show the accuracy and compatibility of some of the most important elements of the cultural heritage in relation to climate change and to relate it scientifically to precise climatic measurements for decades. The research has been divided into 10 topics, each topic has been focused on one legacy, whether by linking climate changes to the appearance/disappearance of star or a popular statement inherited through generations, through explain the nature and timing and thereby statistical analysis to indicate the proportion of accuracy based on official climatic data since 1962. The study's conclusion is that the relationship is weak and, in some cases, non-existent between the popular heritage and the actual climatic data. Therefore, it does not have a dependable relationship and a reliable scientific prediction between both the popular heritage and the forecast of weather conditions.Keywords: astronomy, cultural heritage, statistical analysis, weather prediction
Procedia PDF Downloads 12227170 Carbon Footprint Assessment Initiative and Trees: Role in Reducing Emissions
Authors: Omar Alelweet
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Carbon emissions are quantified in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents, generated through a specific activity or accumulated throughout the life stages of a product or service. Given the growing concern about climate change and the role of carbon dioxide emissions in global warming, this initiative aims to create awareness and understanding of the impact of human activities and identify potential areas for improvement regarding the management of the carbon footprint on campus. Given that trees play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions by absorbing CO₂ during the photosynthesis process, this paper evaluated the contribution of each tree to reducing those emissions. Collecting data over an extended period of time is essential to monitoring carbon dioxide levels. This will help capture changes at different times and identify any patterns or trends in the data. By linking the data to specific activities, events, or environmental factors, it is possible to identify sources of emissions and areas where carbon dioxide levels are rising. Analyzing the collected data can provide valuable insights into ways to reduce emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change.Keywords: sustainability, green building, environmental impact, CO₂
Procedia PDF Downloads 6927169 The Unspoken Learning Landscape of Indigenous Peoples (IP) Learners: A Process Documentation and Analysis
Authors: Ailene B. Anonuevo
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The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life presently available for the IP students in selected schools in the Division of Panabo City. This further explores their future dreams and current status in classes and examines some implications relative to their studies. The study adopted the mixed methodology and used a survey research design as the operational framework for data gathering. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires and interviews with sixty students from three schools in Panabo City. In addition, this study describes the learners’ background and school climate as variables that might influence their performance in school. The study revealed that an IP student needs extra attention due to their unfavorable learning environment. The study also found out that like any other students, IP learners yearns for a brighter future with the support of our government.Keywords: IP learners, learning landscape, school climate, quality of life
Procedia PDF Downloads 22427168 The Political Economy of the Global Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives: A Case Study on the Global Environmental Facility
Authors: Anar Koli
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After the Paris agreement in 2015, a comprehensive initiative both from the developed and developing countries towards the adaptation to climate change is emerging. The Global Environmental Facility (GEF), which is financing a global portfolio of adaptation projects and programs in over 124 countries is playing a significant role to a new financing framework that included the concept of “climate-resilient development”. However, both the adaptation and sustainable development paradigms remain continuously contested, especially the role of the multilateral institutions with their technical and financial assistance to the developing world. Focusing on the adaptation initiatives of the GEF, this study aims to understand to what extent the global multilateral institutions, particularly the GEF is contributing to the climate-resilient development. From the political ecology perspective, the argument of this study is that the global financial framework is highly politicized, and understanding the contribution of the global institutions of the global climate change needs to be related both from the response and causal perspectives. A holistic perspective, which includes the contribution of the GEF as a response to the climate change and as well the cause of global climate change, are needed to understand the broader environment- political economic relation. The study intends to make a critical analysis of the way in which the political economy structure and the environment are related along with the social and ecological implications. It does not provide a narrow description of institutional responses to climate change, rather it looks at how the global institutions are influencing the relationship of the global ecologies and economies. This study thus developed a framework combining the global governance and the political economy perspective. This framework includes environment-society relation, environment-political economy linkage, global institutions as the orchestra, and division between the North and the South. Through the analysis of the GEF as the orchestra of the global governance, this study helps to understand how GEF is coordinating the interactions between the North and the South and responding the global climate resilient development. Through the other components of the framework, the study explains how the role of the global institutions is related to the cause of the human induced global climate change. The study employs a case study based on both the quantitative and qualitative data. Along with the GEF reports and data sets, this study draws from an eclectic range of literature from a range of disciplines to explain the broader relation of the environment and political economy. Based on a case study on GEF, the study found that the GEF has positive contributions in bringing developing countries’ capacity in terms of sustainable development goal, local institutional development. However, through a critical holistic analysis, this study found that this contribution to the resilient development helps the developing countries to conform the fossil fuel based capitalist political economy. The global governance institution is contributing both to the pro market based environment society relation and, to the consequences of this relation.Keywords: climate change adaptation, global environmental facility (GEF), political economy, the north -south relation
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