Climate Resource Research Articles

Climatotherapy and the natural resources of Kołobrzeg

The seaside health resort in Kołobrzeg has exceptional climatic conditions and natural resources. Heliotherapy, aerotherapy, thalassotherapy and terrain therapy are used as the most beneficial forms of therapy for the respiratory and circulatory systems or disorders of the endocrine system and metabolism. The aim of the study was to present the possibilities of climatic treatment and the natural resources of Kołobrzeg which are rich in brine and mud used in cosmetology and medicine.

The impact of organizational culture and leadership climate on organizational attractiveness and innovative behavior: a study of Norwegian hospital employees

BackgroundIn the domain of health services, little research has focused on how organizational culture, specifically internal market-oriented cultures (IMOCs), are associated with organizational climate resources, support for autonomy (SA), and whether and how IMOCs and SA are either individually or in combination related to employee perceptions of the attractiveness of the organization and their level of innovative behavior. These knowledge gaps in previous research motivated this study.MethodsA conceptual model was tested on a sample (N = 1008) of hospital employees. Partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was employed to test the conceptual models, using the SmartPLS 3 software. To test the mediator effect, a bootstrapping test was used to determine whether the direct and indirect effects were statistically significant, and when combining two tests, to determine the type of mediator effect.ResultsThe results can be summarized as four key findings: i) organizational culture (referring to an IMOC) was positively and directly related to SA (β = 0.87) and organizational attractiveness (β = 0.45); ii) SA was positively and directly related to both organizational attractiveness (β = 0.22) and employee individual innovative behavior (β = 0.37); iii) The relationships between an IMOC, SA, and employee innovative behavior were all mediated through organizational attractiveness; and iv) SA mediated the relationship between the IMOC and organizational attractiveness as well as that between the IMOC and employee innovative behavior.ConclusionsOrganizational culture, IMOC, organizational climate resources, and SA were highly correlated and necessary drivers of employee perceptions of organizational attractiveness and their innovative behavior. Managers of hospitals should consider IMOC and SA as two organizational resources that are potentially manageable and controllable. Consequently, managers should actively invest in these resources. Such investments will lead to resource capitalization that will improve both employee perceptions of organizational attractiveness as well as their innovative behavior.

Identification and Measurement of Multidimensional Relative Poverty of Chinese Rural Adults Considering Climate Factors

The climate conditions in different regions of China are different, resulting in uneven climate resources owned by residents. It is important to design a comprehensive evaluation method to measure the multidimensional relative poverty (MRP) status and differences in rural areas considering climate factors from the micro-level. With adults as the research object, imitating multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and other indexes, and referring to the relative poverty lines in Britain, Australia, and other countries, this study considers the housing sunshine level and air quality of the living environment, which can reflect the superposition of economy and climate, in the dimension of human settlements environment, and establishes an indicator system of MRP in rural China. Using the Chinese General Social Survey data in 2018 and the A-F method to measure the indicator poverty rate, multidimensional relative poverty index (MRPI), and indicator contribution rate, this study evaluates the MRP in rural China including climate factors. The results show that the poverty rate of sunshine level and air quality indicator in North China is the highest in China, and the MRPI is the lowest. In North China, the sunshine level and air quality indicator poverty rate are 17.47% and 53.01%, respectively. MRPI under K = 1 standard is 0.1182. It shows that the indicator system can identify the typical phenomenon that highly industrialized economic development may negatively affect the environment. MRP alleviation should focus on coordinated governance of the economy, education, health, and the human settlements, we should establish a climate emergency plan for joint prevention and control with the meteorological department, set afforestation protection areas, set climate-related building standards such as sunshine times of rural houses, and improve and upgrade the energy use in rural areas to achieve the harmonious development of the society, economy, and environment and the high-quality life pursued by rural residents.

Governance of technological innovations in water and energy use in Uzbekistan

ABSTRACT Increasing water and energy demand in agriculture due to changing climatic conditions and high resource consumption is widespread in Central Asia. Under these constraints, compounded by lack of irrigation water, farmers are opting to use drainage water for crop production, with negative consequences. Focusing on Uzbekistan, we evaluate the governance of farmer adoption of selected technological innovations (i.e., constructed wetlands and biogas) to improve crop productivity while providing water and energy savings. We build upon farmers’ expressed views of the strategic decisions they would take regarding constructed wetlands and biogas plants. We use institutional analysis to identify relevant action situations, highlight potential institutional complementarity between these situations, and indicate promising areas for policy intervention.

Seasonal pattern of resource conflict between farmers and herdsmen in Benue State, Nigeria

There is sparse literature on seasonal pattern of farmers and herdsmen conflict in Benue State, Nigeria despite numerous links between climate change and resource conflict. Thus, this study was designed to assess the seasonal occurrence of armed conflict in Benue State and analyze the monthly death casualties of armed conflict in Benue state from 2010-2019. Data were collected from secondary sources such as report of Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria watch data base and Newspapers. Data were presented in tables and analyzed using descriptive statistic such as range, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Result shows that monthly occurrence of armed conflict ranged from 0-20 times with mean value of 4.92 and 98% coefficient of variation. March has the highest number (20) of armed conflict occurrence followed by April and, then July. October had zero (0) record of armed conflict from 2010-2019. Similarly, the monthly conflict death was higher in dry than rainy season. Monthly death ranged from 0-590 with mean value of 106 deaths and 95 % coefficient of variation. It was concluded that both the frequency and death casualties of resource conflict in Benue State have seasonal pattern and were more in dry than rainy season. Intensification of resolution mechanisms and ranching were recommended.

Long-Term Effects of Climate Variability on Seed Rain Dynamics of Four Fagaceae Sympatric Species in Qinling Mountains, China.

Simple SummaryThe external climate is an important factor affecting plant phenology. In this study, we monitored seed rain of four sympatrically distributed Fagaceae species in the Qinling Mountains of China for 10 consecutive years and also collected local climate data to clarify how the seed rain dynamics of four sympatric species changed, whether and how climate variability will affect seed rain drop dynamics of the four sympatric species, and how can the four species better coexist in the same domain. We found there were differences in the seed rain dynamics among the four species, which indicated that there was no concentrated flowering and fruiting among different species. Thus, they could well avoid fierce competition for similar resources, which was also an important reason why different species could co-exist well in the same domain. In addition, our study also found that the seed rain dynamics of these four plants were different in response to different climatic factors, which may be also conducive to their better sympatric distribution.Seed rain, as the beginning of species dispersal, is a key process for forest structure and regeneration. In this study, the seed rain of four Fagaceae sympatric plant species (Castanea mollissima, Quercus aliena, Quercus variabilis, and Quercus serrata) in the Qinling Mountains were monitored for ten consecutive years, and the responses of seed rain dynamics of the four species to major climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) were analyzed. We found there were significant differences in the seed rain dynamics between C. mollissima of Castanea and the other three species of Quercus in the initial period and end period and the duration of the whole seed rain process among the 10 years. This could indicate to some extent that there was no concentrated flowering and fruiting among different plants of different genera, and they could well avoid fierce competition for similar resources and coexist in the same region. This may also be a reproductive strategy for plants. Seed rain dynamics of different plant species had different sensitivities to climate factors (temperature and precipitation), which indicated that mainly because of their different responses to climate factors, they could well avoid fierce competition for similar climate resources. In addition, the differences in seed rain dropping dynamics could reduce consumption in large numbers by seed predators, thereby promoting their own dispersal and regeneration. All of the above contribute to their better coexistence in the same domain.

Impact of climate change on wheat yield and quality in the Yellow River Basin under RCP8.5 during 2020–2050

Studying the impact of future climate change on the yield and quality of wheat in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is both essential for rationalizing the utilization of climate resources and ensuring national food security. In this study, we employed corrected refined meteorological grid data (30 km × 30 km) generated by the Climate–Weather Research and Forecasting model under RCP8.5, coupled with the DSSAT–CERES–Wheat model to predict the impact of climate change on wheat phenology, yield, and grain nitrogen content (GNC) in the YRB from 2020 to 2050. According to the type of wheat variety and planting management in the YRB, we designed five wheat ecological regions (I–V). The results show that from 2020 to 2050, the agro-meteorological resource, involving temperature, solar radiation, and precipitation, would have an overall increasing trend during the wheat growth seasons in the YRB. The growth period of wheat was generally shortened by approximately 8 d, including 6 d less from sowing to anthesis, and 2 d less from anthesis to maturity. In general, the predicted wheat yield showed a decreasing trend in the YRB, with an average reduction of 0.19% over the period from 2020 to 2050 compared with the baseline period from 1975 to 2005, and the spatial variation in wheat yield change was considerably large. In the future, the Qing‒Zang Spring Wheat region (V) in the western part of the YRB would be the only region with a yield increase of 35.4%, whereas the Northern Spring Wheat region (I) in the northern part of the YRB would be the region exhibiting the greatest decrease of 9.9%. Moreover, compared with the baseline, the GNC would increase by an average of 2.3% in the YRB, with a significant increase in the southern and central parts during 2020–2050. The GNC increase in the Huang‒Huai Winter Wheat region (III) was the highest with a 12.5% increment, but the Qing‒Zang Spring Wheat region (V) is the only region where GNC would decline, with an average decrease of 18.9%. This study implies that wheat yield and GNC have a negative correlation constraint. In general, winter wheat yield is less affected by future climate change, and the GNC of winter wheat would increase more than that of spring wheat in the YRB. Tapping the potential pathway for the balance of yield and GNC improvements under future climate change needs more exploration in the future. For instance, appropriate adjustment of the irrigation and fertilizer schedules and regimes could be considered and recommended to ensure the simultaneous improvement of wheat yield and quality in the YRB.

Pathways between Climate, Fish, Fisheries, and Management: A Conceptual Integrated Ecosystem Management Approach

The abundance and distribution of marine fishes is influenced by environmental conditions, predator–prey relationships, multispecies interactions, and direct human impacts, such as fishing. The adaptive response of the system depends on its structure and the pathways that link environmental factors to the taxon in question. The “Star Diagram” is a socio-ecological model of marine ecosystems that depicts the general pathways between climate, fish, and fisheries, and their intersection with climate policy and resource management. We illustrate its use by identifying the key factors, pathways and drivers that influence walleye pollock, crab, and sockeye salmon, under a warming scenario on the eastern Bering Sea shelf. This approach predicts that all three species will see reduced populations under a long-term warming scenario. Going forward, the challenge to managers is to balance the magnitude of the effect of harvest and the adaptability of their management system, with the scale and degree of resilience and the behavioral, physiological, or evolutionary adaptation of the ecosystem and its constituents. The Star Diagram provides a novel conceptual construct that managers can use to visualize and integrate the various aspects of the system into a holistic, socio-ecological management framework.

Concrete Structures and Their Impacts on Climate Change and Water and Raw Material Resource Depletion

The construction sector contributes significantly to the production of greenhouse gases and thus to climate change. This study aims to quantify the environmental performance of selected bearing constructions with special regard to their climate change contribution and resource depletion. Environmental impacts were assessed using environmental indicators, such as global warming potential and abiotic, water and natural resource depletion. The material composition of the wall structures consisted of aerated concrete blocks, ranging from 300 to 375 mm, with different thermal-insulation materials (expanded polystyrene with graphite, and rock wool) and variable interior and exterior plaster. The evaluation was based on life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology within the ‘‘cradle to gate” boundaries. The calculated values of global warming potentials per square metre of wall construction ranged from 234.16 to 283.46 kg CO2 eq for the 20-year time span, from 213.02 to 255.20 kg CO2 eq for the 100-year time span and from 190.40 to 229.90 kg CO2 eq for the 500-year time span. The average water consumption was identified as 3.97 m3, and the abiotic depletion was identified as 1.41 kg Sbeq per square metre of the wall structure. The lowest environmental impact in all environmental categories evaluated was found for a structure with aerated concrete with a thickness of 300 mm with graphite polystyrene thermal insulation and with silicone outdoor plaster. Using a suitable material composition of the wall structure, up to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved while maintaining the same thermal parameters of the structure.

Climatic resources mediate the shape and strength of grassland productivity-richness relationships from local to regional scales

The plant productivity and species richness (P-SR) relationship has been a central topic in ecology for decades. It is increasingly recognized that climate resources (CR, temperature and precipitation) might affect the P-SR relationship as (1) the response of plant productivity and species richness to CR are different; (2) plant-plant interactions change along the CR gradient. However, little is known about how these effects mediate the shape and strength of the P-SR relationship from local-site to regional scales. Here, we proposed a cross-scale framework to disentangle the climatic control over the P-SR relationship in grasslands using the HerbDivNet dataset, which covers 28 natural grasslands in 19 countries and 6 continents with wide precipitation and temperature gradients. Our results showed that, at the local-site scale, a humped-back P-SR relationship is common at sites under poor and rich CR conditions, whereas both the shape and strength of the P-SR relationship strongly vary among sites under moderate CR condition. However, at the regional scale, the humped-back P-SR relationship is only observed under poor CR condition. We suggested that the asynchronous responses of productivity and species richness to increasing CR is an abiotic driver of the inconsistent P-SR relationships along the climatic gradient in addition to the changing plant-plant interactions suggested by the stress-gradient hypothesis. These findings help to reconcile the long-standing debate over the P-SR relationship and highlight the importance of CR conditions in developing or comparing grassland ecosystem theories and management at small scales.

Integration of Industrial and Urban Symbiosis from a Renewable Energy Perspective

As the population continues to grow so do cities that are key locations responsible for pollution and resource consumption. This has led to sustainability challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity. One method of tackling these sustainability challenges is through the use of symbiosis systems, be it Industrial Symbiosis (IS), Urban Symbiosis (US), or Urban-Industrial Symbiosis (UIS), to create symbiotic relationships between groups/ organisations to reuse as many resources as possible. These symbiosis systems are also utilized because it can also bring many economic, environmental, and social benefits to the involved organisations. This is why so many governments, private organisations, etc. are encouraging the development and adoption of the symbiosis systems. This situation has led many academics to study it and there is currently a large body of literature that is rapidly growing. However, it mostly focuses on IS and material symbiosis and lacks knowledge on UIS because the latter has only recently become popular and the possibilities of energy symbiosis. This research aims to enrich the understanding of UIS systems and further explore the possibilities of energy symbiosis. This will be done via a conceptual model that will help to consolidate the information both from the industry and literature.

ANALYSIS OF CLIMATE DATA USING SPATIAL TECHNIQUES TO ESTIMATE RAINFALL IN THE NORTH WEST OF NIGERIA

The study inspect the spatial variation of Rainfall in different localities in the North West of Nigeria, Rainfall data present the basic metrological role in many field of geostatistical and practice, that is why it’s one of the major climate resources that can be used as a measuring tool of climate change. The aim was to analyzed the data of one decade for thirty sample locations from (2010 – 2019) obtained from NIMET using three different spatial models and compare the models performance in order to obtained the optimal model that can be used for rainfall prediction in the study Area. The assessment of the optimal model is based on the validation methods used in the research that is the method of RMSE and R2. The supportive auxiliary variables which have been used in estimating neighboring locations are Humidity, Temperature, Pressure and Wind speed. The predicted Rainfall in the models has proved the theory of ITCZ, and the locations with a higher predicted Rainfall are in the southern part while the locations with a lower predicted Rainfall are in the northern part of the study Area in all the models, regarding the validation methods used in the research, Geographically weighted Regression (GWR) outperform Ordinary Kring (O.K) and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) in terms of RMSE and R2.

The Coastal Tourism Climate Index (CTCI): Development, Validation, and Application for Chinese Coastal Cities

Climate is an essential component in the sustainability of tourism cities. Coastal tourism cities face unprecedented challenges under a changing climate. The complexity of the tourism–climate interface predicates the need for tools that can assess the weather and climate accurately. Tourism climate indices have been widely developed to evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of climate resources, but these indices are not entirely applicable to coastal cities facing air pollution. This study developed a Coastal Tourism Climate Index (CTCI) to assess the tourism climate suitability of Chinese coastal cities. The CTCI was developed to include five variables: thermal comfort, sunshine, precipitation, wind, and air quality. This index was applied and verified in the case of nine coastal tourism cities in China compared to the Holiday Climate Index (HCI: Beach). According to the results, the CTCI is more suitable for coastal tourism climate assessment in China. Finally, corresponding countermeasures are put forward for the balanced and sustainable development of Chinese coastal tourism cities. This study takes the lead in applying big data to the development and validation of tourism climate indices. These findings provide novel insights for the tourism climate assessment of coastal destinations facing air pollution.

The Agro-Climatic Change Characteristics across China during the Latest Decades

Climate change has been highlighted over the last decades worldwide, with pronounced higher warming trends for China. Induced by climate change, to some extent, agricultural production has changed, as well as the climatic resources during the agricultural growing season. An obvious longer potential agricultural growing season (PAGS) was detected in the latest decades from 1961–2020. The spatial–temporal characteristics of change and variation of climatic resources during the PAGS were explored, utilizing comparisons of the differences in mean magnitude, standard deviation, and trends. In the period of 1991–2020 relative to 1961–1990, alterations in PAGS were characterized by increases of 0–1.5 °C in mean air temperature overall, 0.8–23.8% increases in precipitation in the southeast, northeast, and west, as well as a decrease of 2.1–10.2% in insolation in central-south regions but an increase of 0.3–6.7% in the north and west. The features were pronounced during the PAGS in the primary agricultural zones as follows: (1) Northeast China, increasing and stable temperature but unstable precipitation and insolation; (2) North, eastern-west, and Southwest China, increasing but unstable temperature, decreasing but stable precipitation as well as decreasing and unstable insolation; (3) Southeast China, increasing but unstable temperature and precipitation as well as decreasing and unstable insolation; (4) West China, increasing but unstable temperature and precipitation as well as increasing but unstable insolation. Further comparisons between agro-climatic change and climate change indicated that temperature alterations during the PAGS were less numerous while precipitation and insolation were more unstable than the changes during the whole year. These findings can assist the understanding of regional agricultural climate changes and guide agricultural production practices in response.

Оценка агроклиматических ресурсов бассейна Саны

The aim of the investigation is to study the agro-climatic resources of the Sana’a basin to substantiate the productivity of agricultural crops under the conditions of dry farming taking into consideration the established level of agricultural production, especially agro technical, water, chemical, reclamation anti-erosion measures. There is given a concept of agro climatic resources of the territory. The classifi cation of agricultural plants developed on the basis of climatic and ecological principles and based on agro-climatic indicators which characterize the need of plants in heat, illumination and moisture is presented. An assessment of the thermal and light resources of the Sana’a basin was carried out for natural-agricultural mountainous regions with relatively homogeneous mesoclimatic conditions.

Кліматичні ресурси як об’єкти природоресурсних правовідносин

The article is devoted to the study of scientific approaches to the characteristics of the objects of natural resource relations. Theoretical positions of the representatives of legal science on the definition of the concept of natural resources as objects of natural resource legal relations, the separation of their legal features are revealed. Scientific approaches to the legal nature of climatic resources and their place in the modern system of natural resource legal relations are analyzed. Natural resource relations consist of the use and reproduction of natural resources or their properties (for example, the potential energy of water, which is converted into electricity, water surface for water transport, the properties of atmospheric air to contain and dissolve (reduce concentration) pollutants, the property of subsoil underground gas storage facilities, etc.). Climatic resources are called inexhaustible natural resources, which include solar energy, moisture, wind energy, etc. and are determined by the peculiarities of the climate. The use of certain properties of climatic resources as, first of all, alternative energy sources is extremely important. Climatic resources in most of Ukraine are favorable for the development of alternative energy. However, the current state of legal regulation of activities aimed at ensuring the rational and efficient use of climate resources needs to be improved. Keywords: natural resource law, natural resource legal relations, natural resources, climatic resources, climate

Global Climate Resources for Camping and Nature-Based Tourism

Climate change is impacting the distribution of climate resources upon which nature-based tourism and recreation depends. Accordingly, we examine the global distribution of climate resources from 1948 to 2016 using the Camping Climate Index (CCI), a composite index previously validated for camping and national parks visitation for 80% of the world’s major climate types found in the United States. Calculating the CCI globally, spatial and temporal analysis indicates that climate suitability differs greatly for nature-based tourism and that changes have occurred over the last 50 years in many destinations. Locations with higher latitudes and altitudes have primarily experienced shifts towards more favorable climate conditions. Conditions have worsened in tropical and subtropical regions such as central Africa, central Australia, and Southern Asia. Results demonstrate that the redistribution of global climate resources for nature-based tourism and recreation is primarily driven by warming temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme weather events in some regions. Study findings are of particular interest to destination managers and planners of outdoor locations susceptible to weather and climate change.

Thermal design method of building wall considering solar energy utilization and thermal insulation

This study makes a breakthrough out of the original thermal design idea which is mainly aim to improve thermal insulation performance of building wall, putting forward thermal design method of building wall to consider solar energy utilization and insulation simultaneously. Firstly, a day is divided into daytime and nighttime, and the expressions of indoor heat gain through the wall during such two periods are derived respectively according to the harmonic response method. The weighted sum of daytime and nighttime heat gain, then, could be used as the evaluation index of wall thermal performance. Taking this index as objective function and wall thermal resistance as well as heat capacity per unit wall area having the corresponding thickness of the thermal resistance as variables, a method for determining the optimum wall thermal resistance and heat capacity is proposed. Finally, for the room without heating measures in Lhasa area, using the typical weather data in winter as input conditions, the optimal matching curve of wall thermal resistance and heat capacity taking into account both the effect of solar energy utilization and insulation is calculated, so are the optimal value of them under different indoor temperatures (0–12 °C, interval of 2 °C). The results show that, in Lhasa area, the south wall has great potential to improve indoor thermal environment by using solar energy. From the perspectives of wall’s “carrier” role of utilizable climatic resources, the higher thermal insulation performance doesn’t always bring better results.

Climate changes in recent decades, the evolution of the drought phenomenon and their influence on vineyards in north-eastern Romania

Unfavourable trends have been identified in the evolution of climate factors (temperatures, precipitation, etc.) over the past years, with a direct impact on the vegetative and productive potential of the vine. This calls for a reassessment of climate resources and the adaptation of cultivation technologies to the new conditions. Our paper analyses the climate data recorded between 1991 and 2020 for the Iaşi vineyard ecosystem, which allowed for the calculation of a series of bioclimatic indices and coefficients, deviations from the multiannual average values, soil moisture dynamics, and their influence on development of vegetation phenophases and grape production. The increasing tendency of the average annual temperature and the decreasing amounts of precipitation registered point to a marked warming of the vineyard climate, especially after 2000. The high values of temperatures, corroborated with the soil water deficit, determined an intensification of the atmospheric and pedological drought, a shift in vegetation phenophases, shortened development periods and a forced ripening of grapes, with a negative impact on yields, which fluctuated from one year to another. The analysis of the ecoclimate conditions over the past 30 years has highlighted an alternation of periods, a colder and wetter one between 1991 and 2006, and a warmer and dried one between 2007 and 2020.

A reusable Gemini surfactant-based electrochemical sensor for As(III) detection

ABSTRACT KSA is one of the rising Gulf regions with many industrial developments, including petrochemicals, mining, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. These activities have a direct impact on the climate and water resources. A Gemini surfactant has been used for enabling the electrochemical detection of As(III) at the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. Monitoring of As(III) in the presence of Gemini surfactant compared either in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant or in the absence of any surfactant was studied. The results showed that the cyclic voltammetry (CV) response of 70 ppb of As(III) at bare ITO in the absence of any surfactant shows a background response. In contrast, 1 mM of CTAB showed a weak oxidation peak at 630 mV without any cathodic peak. On the other hand, the capability of monitoring As(III) species in the presence of Gemini surfactant in neutral pH showed high sensitivity with a low limit of detection of 0.88 ppb. The calibration plot was fit using a linear, exponential Langmuir model. Thus, the bare ITO electrode itself could not detect the As(III); while, the use of the Gemini surfactant enhances the electrochemical activity of ITO towards the As(III). The efficiency of this Gemini surfactant is higher than that of CTAB. The presented sensor showed high reversibility that could conduct without a decrease in the sensor activity. Furthermore, this sensor’s selectivity was verified based on the detection of As(III) in the existence of a high concentration of various organic and inorganic interferences.