Vulnerability Assessment of the Climatic Changes Implications on the Egyptian Red Sea Coast Based on Physical and Socioeconomic Indices

Risk assessment of climatic events and climate change is a globally challenging issue. For risk as well as vulnerability assessment, there can be a large number of socioeconomic indicators, from which it is difficult to identify the most sensitive ones. Many researchers have studied risk and vulnerability assessment through specific set of indicators. The set of selected indicators varies from expert to expert, which inherently results in a biased output. To avoid biased results in this study, the most sensitive indicators are selected through sensitivity analysis performed by applying a non-linear programming system, which is solved by Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. Here, risk is assessed as a function of exposure, hazard, and vulnerability, which is defined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), where, exposure and vulnerability are described via socioeconomic indicators. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test is applied to select the set of indicators that are the most sensitive for the system to assess risk. The method is applied to the Bangladesh coast to determine the most sensitive socioeconomic indicators in addition to assessing different climatic and climate change hazard risks. The methodology developed in this study can be a useful tool for risk-based planning.

The present study introduce an overview on the cladal structure of Symbiodinium population associated with some species of scleractinean corals and fire coral in the Egyptian Red Sea coast and discuss the possible consequences of recent climate changes on coral reefs. Cladal structure of Symbiodinium populations associated with eight keystone species of scleractinean corals and one species of fire coral that collected along Egyptian Red Sea coast, during 2012-2013, had been resolved based on 18S nrDNA and ITS2 genetic markers. Only Symbiodinium subclades C1 and A1 were identified from all examined species. Symbiodinium C1 was the dominant subclade that associated with 61% of coral samples. Results revealed that the studied pocilloporid corals were associated with Symbiodinium C1 and/or A1 while acroporids were only associated with Symbiodinium C1. The present data also indicated that Symbiodinium C1 occurred at high densities than A1 or A1+C1 combination. Because of the relative thermal susceptibility of clades C and A, the current study addresses that the recent climate changes may derive dramatic changes on community structure of coral reefs at the Red Sea.

Part 1: Introduction 1. Geographical Perspectives on Climate Change Part 2: Articles 2. Beyond Adapting to Climate Change: Embedding Adaptation in Responses to Multiple Threats and Stresses 3. Changes in Annual Land-Surface Precipitation Over the Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Century 4. The Changing Geography of the U.S. Water Budget: Twentieth-Century Patterns and Twenty-First-Century Projections 5. The Columbian Encounter and the Little Ice Age: Abrupt Land Use Change, Fire, and Greenhouse Forcing 6. Climate Change and Mountain Topographic Evolution in the Central Karakoram, Pakistan 7. Climate Change and Tropical Andean Glacier Recession: Evaluating Hydrologic Changes and Livelihood Vulnerability in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru 8. Climate-Streamflow Linkages in the North-Central Rocky Mountains: Implications for a Changing Climate 9. Adapting to Climate Change in Andean Ecosystems: Landscapes, Capitals, and Perceptions Shaping Rural Livelihood Strategies and Linking Knowledge Systems 10. Making Sense of Twenty-First-Century Climate Change in the Altiplano: Observed Trends and CMIP3 Projections 11. Parameterization of Urban Characteristics for Global Climate Modeling 12. Climatic Shifts in the Availability of Contested Waters: A Long-Term Perspective from the Headwaters of the North Platte River 13. Climate Change, Drought, and Jamaican Agriculture: Local Knowledge and the Climate Record 14. Modeling Path Dependence in Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change 15. Joint Effects of Marine Intrusion and Climate Change on the Mexican Avifauna 16. Adapting Across Boundaries: Climate Change, Social Learning, and Resilience in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 17. Climate, Carbon, and Territory: Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Seattle, Washington 18. Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Flood-Induced Travel Disruptions: A Case Study of Portland, Oregon, USA 19. Constructing Carbon Market Spacetime: Climate Change and the Onset of Neo-Modernity 20. Climate Change and the Global Financial Crisis: A Case of Double Exposure 21. Integrity of the Emerging Global Markets in Greenhouse Gases 22. Climate Change, Capitalism, and the Challenge of Transdisciplinarity 23. Contested Sovereignty in a Changing Arctic 24. Kiavallakkikput Agviq (Into the Whaling Cycle): Cetaceousness and Climate Change Among the Inupiat of Arctic Alaska 25. Benchmarking the War Against Global Warming 26. Regional Initiatives: Scaling the Climate Response and Responding to Conceptions of Scale

The subject of climate change in the areas of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Himalayas has taken on increasing importance because of available water resources from their mountain glaciers. Many of these glaciers over the region have been retreating, while some are advancing and stable. Other studies report that some glaciers in the Himalayas show acceleration on their shrinkage. However, the causes of the glacier meltings are still difficult to grasp because of the complexity of climatic change and its influence on glacier issues. However, it is vital that we pursue further study to enable the future prediction on glacier changes.

Ecosystem indicators to measure the effectiveness of marine nature-based solutions on society and biodiversity under climate change

<p>The Thai-coast project aims to improve scientific understanding of the vulnerability of Thailand's shoreline and coastal communities to hydro-meteorological hazards, including storms, floods and coastal erosion, under future climate change scenarios. Coastal erosion and flooding affect more than 11 million people living in Thailand’s coastal zone communities (17% of the country's population). Each year erosion causes Thailand to lose 30 km<sup>2</sup> of coastal land (Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment). Sea level is predicted to rise by 1 metre in the next 40 -100 years, impacting at least 3,200 km<sup>2</sup> of coastal land, through erosion and flooding, at a potential financial cost to Thailand of 3 billion baht [~ £70 million; Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning]. We address an urgent need to enhance the resilience and adaptation potential of coastal communities, applying scientific research to inform more robust and cost-effective governance and institutional arrangements.</p><p>The Thai-coast project has established causal links between climate change, erosion and flooding and is using this information to assess natural and social processes’ interactions to enhance coastal community resilience and future sustainability. We focus on two study areas, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and Krabi Province, selected on the basis of DMCR coastal erosion data and with contrasting natural and socio-economic characteristics. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we integrate climate science, geomorphology, socio-economics, health and wellbeing science and geo-information technology to improve understanding of hydro-meteorological hazard occurrence, their physical and socioeconomic, health and wellbeing impacts on Thailand's coastal zone and the ways in which governance and institutional arrangements mitigate their impact. Examining future scenarios of climate change hydrometeorology, coastal landform and land use change scenarios we have assessed and modelled impacts (erosion, flooding, coastal community vulnerability), and population and community adaptation. Our collaborative team of natural and social scientists, from UK, US and Thai research institutions work closely with Thai Government and UK and Thai industry partners to ensure that results are policy and practice-relevant.</p><p>Key findings indicate that erosion and accretion rates are more dramatic on mangrove coastlines (-34.5 and 21.7 m/year) compared with sandy coastlines (-4.1 and 4 m/year). Modelled future climate changes indicate more extended and severe floods in Southern Thailand with the risk of flash floods increasing significantly. Socio-economic resilience is generally higher in more urbanized areas but there are greater variations amongst subdistricts. Different communities within the coastal regions have different levels of resilience and adopt different coping strategies when faced with emergency situations. When physical and socio-economic indices are compared, Krabi Province has a higher level of physical vulnerability than Nakhon Si Thammarat (NST), whilst NST is has a higher level of socio-economic vulnerability than Krabi.  When physical and socio-economic factors are combined to generate the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI), the results show that the two provinces have relatively comparable CVI despite the underlying variability in physical and socio-economic resilience.</p>

Globally, agricultural productivity is adversely impacted due to climatic changes as the temperatures rises and precipitation decreases, and especially in Pakistan, which ultimately enhanced groundwater salinity and harmed water quality in the country. However, the impacts of groundwater salinity and climate change on farmers' revenue have not been fully understood in Pakistan. Therefore, the focus of current research is the assessment of shadow price of water, farmers' revenue, and socioeconomic and environmental indicators affected by variations in groundwater salinity, precipitation, and temperature. The estimation of crop yield sensitivity to groundwater salinity, precipitation, and temperature and their prediction for 2030, 2040, and 2050 time periods was accomplished through the technique of General Maximum Entropy and Response-Yield function. Moreover, the assessment of groundwater quality and climate variable impacts on socioeconomic and environmental indicators was obtained through Target Motad-PMP model. In the end, the most suitable climate change scenario in the study area was established by applying a multi-criteria decision-making method. The results revealed that groundwater salinity and temperature expressed a significantly increasing trend with the Z values of 5.82 and 2.15, respectively. While the precipitation depicted a significantly decreasing trend (Z value = -3.37). The negative impact of climatic changes and groundwater salinity was revealed for revenue risk and shadow prices of water. The most negative impact on income risk and shadow prices is during 2050 horizon with a decrease by 11.4 and 19.4% respectively. The environmental index is the most important with a priority of 43.4% compared to the socio-economic indicators. The sub-index water use is also significant in the study area with a priority of 28.1%. A2 is the most appropriate climate scenario conferring to the TOPSIS ranking method. Therefore, the A2 scenario should be taken into account for the policy of adaptation to the climate change wonder in district Kohat.

Today there is much interest in teaching secondary students about climate change. Much of this effort has focused directly on students’ understanding of climate change. We hypothesize, however, that in order for students to understand climate change they must first understand climate as a system and how changes to this system due to both natural and human influences result in climatic and environmental changes and feedbacks. The purpose of this article is to articulate a climate system framework for teaching about climate change and to stimulate discussion about what secondary students should know and understand about a climate system. We first provide an overview of the research on secondary students’ conceptions of climate and climate change. We then present a climate system framework for teaching about climate and climate change that builds on students’ conceptions and scientific perspectives. We conclude by articulating a draft conceptual progression based on students’ conceptions and our climate system framework as a means to inform curriculum development, instructional design, and future research in climate and environmental education.

Urban climate resilience relies on several factors, but urban socioeconomics are considered as a core bloodstream for urban development and building adaptive capability to overcome urban vulnerability and climate change impacts. The socioeconomic indicators are important parameters in assessing urban resilience level on climate-related natural and man-made disasters. This study aims to explore and address the levels of urban vulnerability and resilience in Siem Reap City, Cambodia by using variables of socioeconomic indicators. The research design of this study was made by adopting the HIGS framework (Hazard-Infrastructure-Governance-Socio-economics) on urban vulnerability assessment. Of these four key components of indicators, this study focuses only on twelve socioeconomic indicators by dividing them into three main components (demographic profile, development, and education-poverty-occupation) for assessing vulnerability and exploring how to build urban climate resilience. Data collection and research conducted using commune database data, key informant interviews and focused group discussion with Sangkats (communes) and relevant government agencies in Siem Reap City. The Siem Reap City is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts and has fair resilience toward urban climate change. Siem Reap City remains high ID Poor people. It has a relatively high number of population (especially children and 60 years old) vulnerable to climate change. In addition, the main occupation in this city retains a high attribution of agricultural production, and it has been impacted by climate change. The balanced development should also be made for the communes (Sangkats) that are vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially the green infrastructure, social services, and job creation and livelihood diversification for vulnerable groups, which help reduce the vulnerability of urban areas to climate threats and also key factors for the enhancing response capacity and adaptation of the city, or scalling up small, more local and city-based climate actions.

Water-supply paper 1779-T. The effect of artesian pressure decline on confined aquifer systems and its relation to land subsidence: By J. H. Green. Pp. 11; figs. 4; tbls. 5, U.S. Geol. Surv., Washington, D.C.

ENERGY-METEOROLOGY: A new discipline

Almost 700 people died from heat-related stress during the catastrophic 1995 heat wave in Chicago, Illinois.1 The three-day weather event saw 24-hour mean average temperatures of 87.2°F; the heat reached triple digits on two days, and there was little relief at night.2 Many people succumbed to heart attack and dehydration, while others collapsed during severe episodes of existing respiratory conditions.3 The death toll in the summer of 1995 gave Chicagoans a clear picture of how a surge in hot weather can affect human health. A decade later, Mayor Richard Daley launched an extensive program that brought together city agencies, academics, and scientists to develop a Climate Change Action Plan to help reduce the city’s contribution to climate change.4 Much of the plan focuses on sustainable mitigation actions such as planting trees and training workers to install renewable energy technologies. Within that plan, however, is a climate change adaptation strategy with a goal of preparing the city and its residents for future unusual weather events associated with climate change.5 Chicago is one of several large cities with climate action plans in place—others include New York City, San Francisco, Sydney, and Mexico City.6 Like Chicago’s, these plans promote mitigation and sustainability. Much of the adaptation portion of these initiatives is aimed at the built environment—buildings, highways, and facilities. But officials in these cities are beginning to talk about the public health cobenefits from their action plans, and public health advocates are speaking up and pushing for programs designed to prepare for or prevent climate-sensitive disease and illness.

Implications of climate and environmental change for nature-based tourism in the Canadian Rocky Mountains: A case study of Waterton Lakes National Park

This work provides a comprehensive description of the Scleractinian family Merulinidae (Verrill, 1865) of the Red Sea at species level based on skeletal structure for helping in evaluating and estimation of actual species diversity, as well as predicting their response to environmental changes. The present study is a first attempt to describe and illustrate the coral species of the family Merulinidae in the Farasan Islands (Saudi Arabian Coast). Moreover, coral reef terraces are investigated around El Quseir‐Marsa Alam area on the Egyptian Red Sea Coast. Overall, 42 scleractinian coral species from the family Merulinidae (Verrill, 1865) have been identified. They belong to 14 genera: Dipsastraea, Favites, Echinopora, Goniastrea, Coelastrea, Paragoniastrea, Paramontastraea, Astrea, Cyphastrea, Erythrastrea, Merulina, Platygyra, Leptoria, and Hydnophora. About 37 species are recorded for the first time from the Farasan Islands and 26 species from El Quseir‐Marsa Alam area, among them three species are recognized as new records. Two species are added to coral communities of the Red Sea (Goniastrea favulus and Paragoniastrea deformis), and six species were added to the fossil record of the Red Sea. The terminology, systematic classification, and the criteria of identification for all studied coral taxa are generally updated according to recent results. The known age and all recorded stratigraphic range of these species are illustrated and discussed. From the results, most of the corals are still living in the present Red Sea except for three species: Favites micropentagonus, Goniastrea favulus, and Paragoniastrea deformis. All species are extended down to the Pleistocene and a few to the Pliocene and Miocene.

<p>The Mediterranean region is a hot spot for climate and environmental changes (Cramer et al., 2018). Climate change rates currently observed and expected in future scenarios in this region, exceed the global trends for most variables. Particularly, the average annual mean temperature has risen by 1.4°C since the pre-industrial times and it is expected that it could increase more than 1°C before the end of the century. The Mediterranean coastal zone comprises 75 coastal watersheds and 224 coastal administrative regions, with a total of 46,000 km of coastline.  This coastal zone concentrates about the 50 % of the population of the Mediterranean region while also attracts millions of tourists, supports a large network of infrastructures and, also, supports a large set of coastal and marine ecosystems delivering valuable services.</p><p>Regional climatic and geographical characteristics determine the area to be frequently affected by multiple hydrometeorological hazards such as thunderstorms, floods, windstorms and marine storms. These hazards together with the existence of high values at exposure determine the Mediterranean coastal fringe to be highly vulnerable and subjected to a high risk to the impact of extreme events, which will likely be worsened due to climate change (IPCC, 2018). Due to this, long-term planning of these coastal areas requires a proper assessment of their vulnerability and risk. Usually, this has been done by considering these hazards in an independent manner, although it is clear that a more holistic and integrated approach considering their  interdependencies and feedbacks is needed.</p><p>Within this context, this work  proposes an integrated risk index to classify the Mediterranean coastal municipalities in terms of their susceptibility to be affected by multiple hydrometeorological hazards, which will be later integrated with a similar index for marine  hazards. The index will be tested for a representative Mediterranean coastal area highly affected by hydrometeorological and marine hazards, the Catalonia and Valencia coastal zone (NE Spanish Mediterranean). The indicators represent different system characteristics determining the expected risk: a) climatic, b) geomorphological and  c) impact and perception components. The selected climatic indicators used have been: return period of precipitation, number of lightning strikes and maximum wind speed. Geomorphological indicators include average slope of the catchment area and surface within the municipality. Socioeconomic indicators have been estimated from the economical compensations paid by the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (the National insurance company), number of flood events that have affected each municipality estimated from their impact, and population awareness and social impact measured through analysing response in social media (tweets) to the impact of these hazards. Finally, as a matter of validation, the impact of the last flood events affecting this region is compared with the spatial distribution of the developed index.</p><p>This work has been developed in the framework of the M-CostAdapt project (FEDER/MCIU-AEI/CTM2017-83655-C2-2-R) where  the adaptability to Climate Change and natural risks of the Mediterranean coast is analysed by jointly considering natural maritime and terrestrial (hydrometeorological) hazards.</p>