Climate Profiles Research Articles

Decarbonising the Shipping Industry: A Status Report

Abstract Against the background of an escalating climate crisis, this article provides an overview of the present status of international regulatory efforts addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. It does so by tracing the evolution of mitigation policies and regulations and examining their adequacy, practicability as well as equity and fairness. Its principal focus is on reducing GHG emissions from ships themselves as the most direct and effective approach to improving the shipping industry’s climate profile. International shipping, as an intrinsically globally operating industry, ultimately requires consistency, if not uniformity, in regulation which only a global regime can provide. The article therefore focuses primarily on efforts by the international community at large, specifically by the International Maritime Organization, to respond to the climate crisis and to ensure that the shipping industry decarbonises in a timely as well just and fair manner.

КЛИМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ПРОФИЛЬ ВОДОСБОРОВ ПРАВОБЕРЕЖНЫХ ПРИТОКОВ РЕК БУКТЫРМИНСКОГО ВОДОХРАНИЛИЩА

In this article, the analysis of the climatic profile of the catchment area of the right tributaries of the Buktyrma reservoir was carried out. The climatic data of air temperature, precipitation for the modern period from 1990 to 2021, and wind speed and direction for the period 1966...2000 were taken as a basis. The results of the work showed that, in the territory under consideration, the average annual air temperature ranges from -1.8 to +3.8 0C. Precipitation in most of the territories is unevenly distributed over time. In the warm season, 60...75% of the annual precipitation falls, in the cold season up to 15%. In monthly precipitation distributions, the maximum is observed in June and July, and the minimum in January. The annual precipitation at the high-altitude weather stations Markakol Reserve (1372 m), Katon-Karagai (1081 m) and Leninogorsk (809 m) for the period 1991...2020 is 441...634 mm, and at the weather stations located in the low-mountain part of the considered territory Kurshim (433 m) and Ulken-Naryn (402 m) varies from 256 mm to 395 mm. The values of the average monthly wind speed, calculated from the daily data series, in the annual context showed a high repeatability of the winds of the eastern direction. In the long-term section, the minimum wind speed is observed at the Markakol Reserve station 0.6 m/s (January), and the maximum 4.2 m/s (April) at the Katon-Karagai station

Explanatory Factors of School Climate and School Identification: An Analysis of Multilevel Latent Profiles

School climate is a highly relevant variable that is associated with a series of positive results. However, there are still few studies that have statistically modelled the simultaneous influence of structural variables at the school level on the individual perception of the school climate and identification. This study had two objectives: (1) Identify school climate and school identification profiles at the individual and school levels. (2) Relate school climate and school identification profiles to factors located at the individual and school levels. The participants were selected from a probabilistic and stratified sample, n = 2070 adolescents (40.6% men, 59.4% women), aged between 13 and 18 years (M = 14.64, SD = 0.718), from 28 secondary schools in Chile. The results allowed us to identify four clusters at the student level and two classes of school climate at the school level. The explanatory factors at the individual level were Cognitive engagement (p < 0.001), Academic Expectations (p < 0.001), Positive Attitude to Authority (p < 0.001) and Family Conflict (p < 0.001). The explanatory factor at the school level was the school vulnerability index (p = 0.031). Finally, the explanatory effects of factors at individual and school levels on school climate are theoretically discussed.

Linking transformational leadership to teacher commitment and alienation: Do motivational climate profiles moderate?

This study aimed to identify schools’ motivational climate profiles and tested how each profile moderates the linkage of transformational leadership with teacher commitment and alienation. Gathering data from 1193 teachers working in 103 schools in Türkiye, we employed multilevel moderation with a latent class variable to estimate the structural links between our variables. The study offered nuanced evidence to the literature by suggesting that sampled schools were categorised under two profiles as high performance and high mastery school climate in terms of their prevalent motivational climate. Our results also provided evidence of the significant moderator role of the school-level profiles on the effect of transformational leadership. Our study suggests that transformational leaders might be more effective in promoting teachers’ collective sense of commitment and eliminating their sense of alienation in schools where a performance-oriented climate is fostered. Key implications for policy and practice around the contextualised nature of school leadership are discussed in this study.

Pacific Northwest conifer forest stand carrying capacity under future climate scenarios

AbstractMaximum stand density index (SDIMAX) represents the carrying capacity of a forest stand based on the relationship between the number of trees and their size. Plot‐level inventory data provided through a collaborative network of federal, state, and private forest management groups were utilized to develop SDIMAX models for important Pacific Northwest conifers of western Washington and Oregon, USA. The influence of site‐specific climatic and environmental variables was explored within an ensemble learning model. Future climate projections based on global circulation models under different representative CO2 concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and timeframes (2050s and 2080s) were utilized in a space‐for‐time substitution to understand potential shifts in modeled SDIMAX. A majority of the region showed decreases in carrying capacity under future climate conditions. Modeled mean SDIMAX decreased 5.4% and 11.4% for Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) dominated forests and decreased 6.6% and 8.9% for western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), dominated forests under the RCP 4.5 in the 2050s and RCP 8.5 in the 2080s, respectively. Projected future conditions often fall outside the range of any contemporary climate profile, resulting in what may be referred to as extramural conditions. Within the study region, 45% and 46% of climate variables included in the final model were extramural for the Douglas‐fir and hemlock models, respectively, under RCP 8.5 in the 2080s. Although extrapolating beyond the range of input data is not appropriate and many unknowns remain regarding future climate projections, these results allow for general interpretations of the direction and magnitude of potential shifts in forest carrying capacity.

Representativeness of Energy Rating acc. to IEC 61853 for Different Locations in Middle and South Europe

The energy rating standard series IEC 61 853 parts 1–4 provide a procedure to calculate the performance of a photovoltaic (PV) module for six different reference climates. The results, denoted as climate specific energy rating (CSER), aim to predict the module's energy output for a complete year under maximum power point operation. The reference climate profiles shall represent the typical operating conditions of a PV module in a given region. Our study investigates the representativeness of these reference climates profiles for several locations in South and Central Europe. We gathered both ground‐ and satellite‐based data sets from different weather monitoring stations. Using such data for our specific location in Freiburg, Germany, and a specific reference module, we found deviations ranging from 2.0% to 2.9% compared to the CSER using the temperate continental profile. Further, we analyze the annual impact of the loss factors: reflectivity as function of angle of incidence, solar spectrum, ambient temperature, and irradiance on module performance. For an in‐depth PV module benchmarking, we recommend the use of site‐specific meteorological data for an accurate module performance assessment, rather than relying on the more general estimates from the standard procedure, which do not intend to capture site‐specific effects.

Innovation Climate Profiles

Abstract: While person-centered analyses can provide information on important configural effects in the context of multi-dimensional constructs, we have found little research taking this approach with innovation climate. Specifically, we found no research applying this approach to results from the Team Climate Inventory, the most frequently used questionnaire on innovation climate. Therefore, we explore the presence of latent profiles in responses to the Team Climate Inventory and extend this exploration to associations between the profiles and self-reported innovative behaviors. Latent profile analyses conducted on two samples of 435 and 461 participants indicated the presence of three innovation climate profiles respectively indicating low, medium, and high scores on innovation climate dimensions. Innovative behaviors covaried with profiles accordingly. The multi-group analysis supported the similarity between latent profile solutions across samples. We discuss the apparent lack of potential for configural effects and invite researchers who could be interested in interactive effects between climate dimensions to verify whether the configurations implied by their interactions are actually present in the data.

Organizational climate profiles: Identifying meaningful combinations of climate level and strength.

According to situation strength theory, organizational climate should have a stronger effect on group behavior when members' perceptions of the climate are both unambiguous (i.e., very high or very low) and shared than when they are more ambiguous and less shared. In the organizational climate literature, this proposition is typically examined by testing the interaction between climate level (i.e., mean) and strength (i.e., variability); surprisingly, the preponderance of empirical research testing this interaction does not support this theoretical expectation. This may be because the traditional variable-centered approach fails to consider the possibility of overlooked subpopulations consisting of unique combinations of climate level and strength, creating distinct climate profiles. To address this issue, we use a group-centered conceptualization and analyses (i.e., latent profile analysis) to examine the extent to which 302 workgroups (Sample 1) and 107 organizations (Sample 2) evidence statistically and practically meaningful climate profiles. Results revealed four to six distinct climate profiles across multiple climate types were differentially associated with theoretically relevant outcomes, including objective financial measures. Consistent with situation strength theory, groups with strong and favorable profiles tended to have more positive outcomes, whereas groups with weaker, less favorable profiles tended to have less positive outcomes. In contrast, the traditional variable-centered approach was generally unsupportive of an interaction between climate level and strength. Overall, these findings provide evidence that the group-centered approach is a more sensitive statistical modeling technique for testing a fundamental tenet of situation strength theory in the context of organizational climate research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Latent profiles of ethical climate and nurses' service behavior.

Hospital ethical climate has important implications for clinical nurses' service behavior; however, the relationships are complicated by the fact that five types of ethical climate (caring, law and code, rules, instrumental, and independence) can be combined differently according to their level and shape differences. Recent developments in person-centered methods (e.g., latent profile analysis (LPA)) have helped to address these complexities. From a person-centered perspective, this study explored the distinct profiles of hospital ethical climate and then examined the relationships of the profiles with clinical nurses' service behavior (both in-role and extra-role service behavior). A quantitative study was conducted using cluster random sampling. Latent profile analysis and binary coded hexadecimal (BCH) analysis were conducted using Mplus 8.2. A total of 871 clinical nurses in China were surveyed using the Ethical Climate Scale and Nurses' Service Behavior Questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the IRB of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University (No. KY-2020-090). A four-profile hospital ethical climate model provided the best fit for the data. The four different profiles not only varied in level, but also in shape: high normative and low egoism (45.8%), high ethical climate (19.9%), low ethical climate (3.6%), and moderate ethical climate (30.8%). These profiles differentially predicted clinical nurses' overall, in-role, and extra-role service behaviors. The results reveal new insights into the nature of hospital ethical climate and how different clinical nurses in these profiles can be best managed to accomplish different forms of service behavior.

From Behavioral Climate Models and Millennial Data to AGW Reassessment

Context. The so called AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming), is based on thousands of climate simulations that indicate that human activity is virtually solely responsible for the recent global warming. The climate models used are derived from the meteorological models used for short-term predictions. They are based on the fundamental and empirical physical laws that govern the myriad of atmospheric and oceanic cells integrated by the finite element technique. Numerical approximations, empiricism and the inherent chaos in fluid circulations make these models questionable for validating the anthropogenic principle, given the accuracy required (better than one per thousand) in determining the Earth energy balance. Aims and methods. The purpose is to quantify and simulate behavioral models of weak complexity, without referring to predefined parameters of the underlying physical laws, but relying exclusively on generally accepted historical and paleoclimate series. Results. These models perform global temperature simulations that are consistent with those from the more complex physical models. However, the repartition of contributions in the present warming depends strongly on the retained temperature reconstructions, in particular the magnitudes of the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. It also depends on the level of the solar activity series. It results from these observations and climate reconstructions that the anthropogenic principle only holds for climate profiles assuming almost no PCA neither significant variations in solar activity. Otherwise, it reduces to a weak principle where global warming is not only the result of human activity, but is largely due to solar activity.

Net-Zero Climate Emissions Districts: Potentials and Constraints for Social Housing in Milan

Net-zero climate districts are gaining wide attention at the European and international levels. Urban regeneration competitions have been launched recently to stimulate development; nevertheless, the literature does not yet provide a shared scope definition (i.e., product system). Using the process-based life cycle assessment method, the authors evaluate the climate profile of a new district in Milan (14 buildings with 36,000 m2 of gross surface area in total) aiming to become the first net-zero social housing project in Italy. The authors show in the results section how climate neutrality is achieved on the part of the real estate operator by varying the scope. The most conservative scenario (including all the emission sources considered in the analysis) indicates that the net-zero climate target is reached only by purchasing voluntary carbon credits. The authors also highlight: (i) a district composed of nearly-zero energy buildings is far from the definition of a net-zero climate emissions district; (ii) a net-zero climate emissions district may not be a positive energy district and vice-versa; and (iii) constraints linked with the lack of space in a densely populated city due to insufficient area to install renewables on site.

Reconstructing the Parameters of Internal Tidal Bores in the Banda Sea from Satellite Remote Sensing Data

This article presents an algorithm for estimating the vertical displacements of isopycn and horizontal current velocities caused by internal tidal borings from their manifestations in the roughness field on satellite images of the Banda Sea. The calculation algorithm is formulated within the framework of the Korteweg-de Vries equation (KdV), augmented with a term taking into account the cylindrical divergence. The coefficients of the KdV equation — quadratic nonlinearity, dispersion and tidal linear internal wave velocity — were calculated using the mean — climatic density profile in the Banda Sea. The leading soliton velocity and wavelength in the rear zone of the internal tidal borings were determined from satellite images. Using the proposed methodology, estimates of the maximum vertical displacement of the pycnocline/maximum amplitude of the leading soliton and the maximum velocity of surface currents induced by the internal tidal borings were obtained. It follows from the analysis of satellite images that the internal tidal borings in the Banda Sea are transformed under the action not only of nonlinearity and dispersion, but also of cylindrical divergence. It is shown in the framework of the knoidal model of internal tidal borings that in the process of evolution the energy of its leading and subsequent waves is attenuated due to the cylindrical divergence. This attenuation is estimated when the leading soliton travels a distance equal to twice the tidal period.

Land-use patterns of energy crops in the agricultural landscape

Lignocellulosic energy crops can produce substantial amounts of biomass for energy purposes, but their introduction implies land-use changes as they are mainly cultivated in agriculturally dominated landscapes. This thesis presents a land-use analysis of lignocellulosic energy crops in the agricultural landscape in Sweden, specifically aiming to i) assess different energy crops’ regarding production, location and climatic profiles, ii) characterise and define the surrounding agricultural landscape, and iii) study the overall land-use changes derived from the establishment of energy crops in the country. The analysis is based on empirical data from commercial fast-growing tree plantations (willow, poplar, and hybrid aspen) and energy grasses (reed canary grass) at multiple spatial scales from field to landscape level, during the period 1986-2018. At field level, there is a trend for smaller and more regular fields dedicated to energy crops, with cultivation patterns moving towards more productive lands, reflecting an intensification in the land-use management. Willow was initially established mainly on fallow lands, but many plantations were subsequently replaced by cereals due to changes in global cereal prices. In the case of grasses, this pattern was similar, although changes appeared later and not so markedly. At landscape level, energy crops significantly diversify the agricultural landscape, as fast-growing tree plantations are largely introduced in cereal areas and grasses in forest-dominated landscapes. The methods and analysis of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of land-use changes associated to energy crops, and help define their contribution to diversifying the agricultural landscape.

Optimization and control of photovoltaic water pumping system using kalman filter based MPPT and multilevel inverter fed DTC-IM

This paper aims to research a photovoltaic solar water pumping system (PVWPS) based on a three-phase induction motor (IM) with high performance, low cost, and without chemical energy storage. The proposed control for the PVWPS consists of two principal controllers. The first controller is used to control the system to reach its maximum using a robust MPPT control strategy that is based on the Kalman filter algorithm (KF-MPPT). While the second controller is based on 12-sectors Direct Torque Control (DTC). This technique is proposed to control the IM with the centrifugal pump through a three-level inverter with a neutral point clamped (NPC) structure. Furthermore, to increase the performance of the proposed control without affecting the system efficiency, the torque and flux hysteresis regulators level is increased to five and three levels, respectively. To see the behaviors of the PVWPS with the proposed control, the whole system was designed and simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. This work also includes a comparative analysis to show the performance of the proposed control compared to the conventional controls. This analysis is done first to compare the performance of the KF-MPPT, VSS-P&O-MPPT, and VSS-INC-MPPT using variable radiation, and then to compare the proposed KF-MPPT-PDTC and the conventional KF-MPPT-DTC under a daily climatic profile. The simulated results showed that PVWPS with KF-MPPT and PDTC provide a better performance in terms of reference tracking, response time, torque and flux ripple reduction, current quality, as well as water pumped.

New Distributional Records and Characterization of the Climatic Niche of Lepturges (Lepturges) limpidus Bates, 1872 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae): Sink or Source Population?

A growing number of cases of the spread and establishment of non-native species outside their previously known ranges has been reported in recent years. Here we report new distributional records of Lepturges (Lepturges) limpidus Bates, 1872 (Cerambycidae) from Argentina and investigate whether these records could represent established populations. We constructed ellipsoid envelope models to characterize climatic niches of L. limpidus, identified areas of climatic suitability, investigated the status of new records as climatic outliers, and evaluated its dependency on its known hostplant as a limiting factor for the beetle distribution. Results indicate widespread climatic suitability in the Neotropical Region, and new records are not outliers with regard to the climatic profile of L. limpidus. Association with its known hostplant is non-dependent, indicating that the species might utilize different hosts plants. New records likely represent established populations, but targeted surveys should be carried out to detect new arrivals and enable the installation of mitigation and control measures.

Habitat diversity promotes and structures orchid diversity and orchid-host tree interactions

At the regional scale, abiotic environmental heterogeneity related to elevation and climatic profiles influences patterns of diversity and species composition. At the local scale, little is known about the influence of biotic environmental heterogeneity (habitat diversity) on the diversity, composition, and networks of interspecific interactions (epiphyte-host tree) of plant families with species of epiphytic and terrestrial habit. As a study model, we selected the orchids of a tropical landscape in central Veracruz, Mexico, which comprises natural habitats of tropical oak forest (TOF), semi-humid deciduous forest (SDF), and tropical dry forest (TDF), as well as shaded coffee plantation (SCP). In this landscape, we recorded a total of 635 individual orchids, belonging to 51 species (80% of epiphytic habit). The TOF and SDF, with 36 and 30 orchid species, respectively, were at least twice as diverse than TDF and SCP, and also presented greater similarity in terms of species composition. The TDF presented a particular composition of orchids comprising species that are morphologically adapted to conditions of drought, and also presented more species of terrestrial habit than the other habitats. The SCP hosted a subset of the species of TOF. The structure and specialization of the network of orchid-host tree interactions (at the landscape level) was less nested, and more modular and specialized than has been reported previously for commensalist networks of vascular epiphytes. The most abundant and tallest tree species favored the orchid-host tree interactions. For this reason, at the landscape scale, the particular tree community of different habitats promotes the great diversity and acts to structure the composition and interactions of one of the most representative plant families of the Neotropics.

Bacterial bioinoculants adapted for sustainable plant health and soil fertility enhancement in Namibia

The increase in dryland agriculture elicits the need to develop sustainable practices that improve crop yield and protect soil fertility. The use of biofertilisers adapted to nutrient deficient soils and arid climates would help achieve this. In this review, the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria is explored as a possible solution to the current state of dryland agriculture and climate change threats to agriculture. Plant microbe interactions form the basis of this review as evidence has shown that these interactions often exist to improve the health of plants. This is achieved by the production of important biochemicals and enzymes like indole acetic acid and amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase while also actively protecting plants from pathogens including fungal pathogens. Research, therefore, has shown that these plant-growth promoting bacteria may be exploited and developed into biofertilisers. These biofertilisers are both economically and environmentally sustainable while improving soil quality and crop yield. The literature presented in this review is in context of the Namibian climate and soil profiles.

Taking Stock of the Energy and Climate Profile of Germany and the USA: New Potential for Cooperation

Germany and the United States are both important players in international energy and climate policy. They are major international donors in the energy sector, they participate in manifold bi- and multilateral cooperation formats in the realm of energy and climate policy and they have historically both been leaders in clean energy technology development. Notwithstanding, they have very different starting conditions for and approaches to energy and climate policy. While the US is nearly energy independent, in Germany, the Russian war against the Ukraine has highlighted the high dependence on energy imports. Yet, Germany has experienced a strong increase in renewable energy production, fostered by strong state regulation, as it is an essential element of its climate policy. In the US, overall, renewable energy production has grown at a slower pace, also because climate policy has faced curvier roads through the past decades, and political conditions have changed often. This article seeks to take stock of where Germany and the US stand at this moment with their energy systems as well as their climate policies and examines common interests and cooperation potentials that can support sustainability transformations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Evaluating the Sensitivity of Heat Wave Definitions among North Carolina Physiographic Regions.

Exposure to extreme heat is a known risk factor that is associated with increased heat-related illness (HRI) outcomes. The relevance of heat wave definitions (HWDs) could change across health conditions and geographies due to the heterogenous climate profile. This study compared the sensitivity of 28 HWDs associated with HRI emergency department visits over five summer seasons (2011–2016), stratified by two physiographic regions (Coastal and Piedmont) in North Carolina. The HRI rate ratios associated with heat waves were estimated using the generalized linear regression framework assuming a negative binomial distribution. We compared the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) values across the HWDs to identify an optimal HWD. In the Coastal region, HWDs based on daily maximum temperature with a threshold > 90th percentile for two or more consecutive days had the optimal model fit. In the Piedmont region, HWD based on the daily minimum temperature with a threshold value > 90th percentile for two or more consecutive days was optimal. The HWDs with optimal model performance included in this study captured moderate and frequent heat episodes compared to the National Weather Service (NWS) heat products. This study compared the HRI morbidity risk associated with epidemiologic-based HWDs and with NWS heat products. Our findings could be used for public health education and suggest recalibrating NWS heat products.

Transient risk of water layer formation on PCBAs in different climates: Climate data analysis and experimental study

The reliability of electronic devices depends on the environmental loads at which they are exposed. Climatic conditions vary greatly from one geographical location to another (from hot and humid to cold and dry areas), and the temperature and humidity vary from season to season and from day to day. High levels of temperature and relative humidity mean high water content in the air, but saturated conditions (i.e. 100 % RH) can also be reached at low temperatures. This paper analyses the relationship between temperature, dew point temperature, their difference (here called ΔT), and occurrence and time period of dew point closeness to temperature on transient condensation effects on electronics.This paper has two parts: (i) Data analysis of typical climate profiles within the different zones of the Köppen -Geiger classification to pick up conditions where ΔT is very low (for example ≤0.4 °C). Various summary statistics of these events are calculated in order to assess the temperature at which these events happen, their durations and their frequency and (ii) Empirical investigation of the effect of ΔT ≤ 0.4 °C on the reliability of electronics by mimicking an electronic device, for which the time period of the ΔT is varied in one set of experiments, and the ambient temperature is varied in the other. The effect of the packaging of the electronics is also studied in this section.The statistical study of the climate profiles shows that the transient events (ΔT ≤ 0.4 °C) occur in almost every location, at different temperature levels, with a duration of at least one observation (where observations were hourly in the database). The experimental results show that presence of the enclosure, cleanliness and bigger pitch size reduce the levels of leakage current, while similar high levels of leakage current are observed for the different durations of the transient events, indicating that these climatic transient conditions can have a big impact on the electronics reliability.