Degrees Of Longitude Research Articles

SuperDARN Radar Wind Observations of Eastward-Propagating Planetary Waves

An array of SuperDARN meteor radars at northern high latitudes was used to investigate the sources and characteristics of eastward-propagating planetary waves (EPWs) at 95 km, with a focus on wintertime. The nine radars provided the daily mean meridional winds and their anomalies over 180 degrees of longitude, and these anomalies were separated into eastward and westward waves using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) method to extract the planetary wave components of zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2. Years when a sudden stratospheric warming event with an elevated stratopause (ES-SSW) occurred during the winter were contrasted with years without such events and composited through superposed epoch analysis. The results show that EPWs are a ubiquitous—and unexpected—feature of meridional wind variability near 95 km. Present even in non-ES-SSW years, they display a regular annual cycle peaking in January or February, depending on the zonal wavenumber. In years when an ES-SSW occurred, the EPWs were highly variable but enhanced before and after the onset.

The Impact of Foreign Aid on Local Development: A Grid Cell Analysis

We examine whether geocoded World Bank foreign aid projects affect economic activity at the level of equally sized grid cells with a spatial resolution of 0.5 decimal degrees latitude and longitude. We use geospatial data for 58,676 grid cells during the period 1997-2013 with about one million grid-by-year observations. Using fixed effects estimating techniques, we evaluate the impact of World Bank foreign aid projects on grid cell night-time light growth. The estimates reveal that World Bank foreign aid projects contribute significantly and positively to grid cell economic activity measured by night-time light growth. We complement the fast-growing literature using geocoded data to assess aid effectiveness at the subnational level. We provide evidence that the lack of robust empirical findings at the country and subnational (e.g., ADM1 and ADM2) level can be explained due to spatial aggregation and the choice of spatial units. Additional estimates and robustness tests further corroborate our main findings.

The great tit HapMap project: A continental-scale analysis of genomic variation in a songbird.

A major aim of evolutionary biology is to understand why patterns of genomic diversity vary within taxa and space. Large-scale genomic studies of widespread species are useful for studying how environment and demography shape patterns of genomic divergence. Here, we describe one of the most geographically comprehensive surveys of genomic variation in a wild vertebrate to date; the great tit (Parus major) HapMap project. We screened ca 500,000 SNP markers across 647 individuals from 29 populations, spanning ~30 degrees of latitude and 40 degrees of longitude - almost the entire geographical range of the European subspecies. Genome-wide variation was consistent with a recent colonisation across Europe from a South-East European refugium, with bottlenecks and reduced genetic diversity in island populations. Differentiation across the genome was highly heterogeneous, with clear 'islands of differentiation', even among populations with very low levels of genome-wide differentiation. Low local recombination rates were a strong predictor of high local genomic differentiation (FST), especially in island and peripheral mainland populations, suggesting that the interplay between genetic drift and recombination causes highly heterogeneous differentiation landscapes. We also detected genomic outlier regions that were confined to one or more peripheral great tit populations, probably as a result of recent directional selection at the species' range edges. Haplotype-based measures of selection were related to recombination rate, albeit less strongly, and highlighted population-specific sweeps that likely resulted from positive selection. Our study highlights how comprehensive screens of genomic variation in wild organisms can provide unique insights into spatio-temporal evolutionary dynamics.

SEISMICITY AND SEISMOTECTONIC STUDY FOR ALTUNKOPRI DAM SITE NORTH IRAQ

A seismicity and seismotectonicstudy for a dam site located on latitude (35˚:48΄ – 35˚:50΄) degree North and longitude (44˚:20΄) degree East was carried out. The surrounding area within a circular area ofradius 100 km was also included to determine the seismic activity.It is found that the area was subjected to 10 historical events prior 1900 year with an intensity ranges (V - IX) degree and the area exposed to about 163 recent earthquakes with Ms=1.1 – 5.9.The maps of epicentral locations, tectonic features and lineaments of the study area were compiled and drawn. Matching was carried out for these three maps and it is found that most of earthquake epicenters coincide with the main structural and tectonic phenomena at the dam site.ISO – intensity map for the dam site was also drawn. It is found that the dam site was located between (5 -6) degree earthquake intensity on MMI Scale

Arctic sea ice retreat fuels boreal forest advance.

Climate-induced northward advance of boreal forest is expected to lessen albedo, alter carbon stocks, and replace tundra, but where and when this advance will occur remains largely unknown. Using data from 19 sites across 22 degrees of longitude along the tree line of northern Alaska, we show a stronger temporal correlation of tree ring growth with open water uncovered by retreating Arctic sea ice than with air temperature. Spatially, our results suggest that tree growth, recruitment, and range expansion are causally linked to open water through associated warmer temperatures, deeper snowpacks, and improved nutrient availability. We apply a meta-analysis to 82 circumarctic sites, finding that proportionally more tree lines have advanced where proximal to ongoing sea ice loss. Taken together, these findings underpin how and where changing sea ice conditions facilitate high-latitude forest advance.

Relationships between Temperature at Surface Level and in the Troposphere over the Northern Hemisphere

The thermal structure of the troposphere remains a hot topic, including modelling issues as well as temperature field simulations. This study evaluates the relationship between the air temperature at the Earth’s surface and the temperature of various layers of the troposphere over the Northern Hemisphere, as well as attempts to identify determinants of its variability. Vertical differentiation has been analyzed from the layer σ = 0.995 representing the surface (surface air temperature, SAT), up to an isobaric level of 300 hPa with a focus on the main pressure levels, i.e., 925 hPa, 850 hPa, 700 hPa, 500 hPa. The data were obtained from an NCEP/NCAR reanalysis with a resolution of 2.5 degrees latitude and longitude for the period 1961–2020. The relationship between the SAT and the temperature at each level was expressed using a simple but effective correlation coefficient by Pearson (PCC). These relationships obviously, according to Tobler’s law, weaken with an increasing altitude. However, the distribution of PCC (both horizontal and vertical) proves the impact of geographic factors associated with the relief and also with the surface itself (e.g., land cover). These factors are the main drivers of inversion layers and significantly disturb the straight vertical structure of the atmosphere. The research has shown a significant interannual differentiation of these interactions, as well as their spatial diversity in geographic space. The altitude–temperature relationship becomes weaker in all seasons, but much faster during summer and winter, relative to both spring and autumn.

Studying the polytropic behavior of an ICME using Multi-spacecraft observation by STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and WIND

The polytropic behavior describes the relationship between macroscopic properties of plasma species and provides useful information in understanding physical mechanisms in space plasma. Through the value of the polytropic index, which governs the polytropic relationship, we can identify the energy transfer in plasma systems. In this paper, we determine the polytropic index of proton plasma within an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME), which has been observed by three different spacecraft at ∼1 AU, each separated by ∼20∘ degrees in longitude during the analyzed observations. By performing this multi-spacecraft analysis, we provide evidence that the polytropic index does not vary significantly across the structure of the observed ICME. This may imply that the ICME evolution process is nearly coherent. Moreover, the polytropic index values we derive here can set boundary conditions in existing and future ICME evolution models.

Evolution of Meteosat Solar and Infrared Spectra (2004–2022) and Related Atmospheric and Earth Surface Physical Properties

The evolution of atmospheric and Earth surface physical properties over a period of 15 years (based on data from the longer period from 2004 to 2022) is analyzed through the radiance fluxes measured by the Meteosat second generation (MSG) satellite series. The results show significant changes in the solar (−2.6% to −1.2%) and infrared (+0.4% to +1.0%) domains, with −3.9% for the CO2 absorption band (near 13.4 µm), all variations consistent with results from similar studies of radiation fluxes. Whereas the variation at 13.4 μm radiation is explained by the increase in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, the flux increase towards the satellite in the remainder of the infrared spectra measured by MSG corresponds to surface warming (as documented in external sources like the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The solar outgoing flux decrease exposes a recent reduction in the Earth’s cloud cover under the nominal field of view of Meteosat at 0 degrees longitude (MFOV). Radiance evolution at 6.2 µm and 7.3 µm, a spectral region of intense absorption by water vapor, is interpreted in terms of sensitivity to the humidity content in the middle and upper troposphere by means of a simple radiation transfer model.

Solar events and solar wind conditions associated with intense geomagnetic storms

Intense magnetic storms pose a systemic threat to the electric power grid. In this study we examined the solar/interplanetary causes of such storms, their peak theoretical and observed intensities, and their occurrence frequency. Using coronal mass ejection (CME) and solar wind data, we selected the 18 intense magnetic storms from 1996 to 2021 with disturbance storm time (Dst) index of less than – 200 nT and analyzed solar events and solar wind conditions associated with them. Approximately 83% of the CMEs associated with the storms were full halo type and more than 83% of the flares associated with the storms were located within 30 degrees in longitude of solar central meridian. The integrated dawn-to-dusk electric field in the solar wind (Ey) showed a good correlation with |min. Dst| of the storms and the peak Ey (Eyp) and the peak southward interplanetary magnetic field showed next good correlations with |min. Dst|. We obtained the Eyp of 236 mV/m for |min. Dst| of 2500 nT of the expected upper limit of Earth’s magnetosphere using the empirical equations from the correlations between |min. Dst| and solar wind parameters and showed that this value of Ey is possible according to the past observations. The Eyp of 54 mV/m for the 13 March 1989 storm and that of 165/79 mV/m for the Carrington storm (|min. Dst|= 1760/850 nT) were also obtained. The analysis using the complimentary cumulative distribution function suggested the probabilities of Ey of 100, 200, 250, and 340 mV/m over the next 100 years to be 0.563, 0.110, 0.060 and 0.026, respectively.Graphical

A Comparison of the Statistical Downscaling and Long-Short-Term-Memory Artificial Neural Network Models for Long-Term Temperature and Precipitations Forecasting

General circulation models (GCMs) run at regional resolution or at a continental scale. Therefore, these results cannot be used directly for local temperatures and precipitation prediction. Downscaling techniques are required to calibrate GCMs. Statistical downscaling models (SDSM) are the most widely used for bias correction of GCMs. However, few studies have compared SDSM with multi-layer perceptron artificial neural networks and in most of these studies, results indicate that SDSM outperform other approaches. This paper investigates an alternative architecture of neural networks, namely the long-short-term memory (LSTM), to forecast two critical climate variables, namely temperature and precipitation, with an application to five climate gauging stations in the Lake Chad Basin. Lake Chad is a data scarce area which has been impacted by severe drought, where water resources have been influenced by climate change and recent agricultural expansion. SDSM was used as the benchmark in this paper for temperature and precipitation downscaling for monthly time–scales weather prediction, using grid resolution GCM output at a 5 degrees latitude × 5 degrees longitude global grid. Three performance indicators were used in this study, namely the root mean square error (RMSE), to measure the sensitivity of the model to outliers, the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), to estimate the overall performance of the predictions, as well as the Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), which is a standard measure used in the field of climate forecasting. Results on the validation set for SDSM and test set for LSTM indicated that LSTM produced better accuracy on average compared to SDSM. For precipitation forecasting, the average RMSE and MAPE for LSTM were 33.21 mm and 24.82% respectively, while the average RMSE and MAPE for SDSM were 53.32 mm and 34.62% respectively. In terms of three year ahead minimum temperature forecasts, LSTM presents an average RMSE of 4.96 degree celsius and an average MAPE of 27.16%, while SDSM presents an average RMSE of 8.58 degree celsius and an average MAPE of 12.83%. For maximum temperatures forecast, LSTM presents an average RMSE of 4.27 degree celsius and an average MAPE of 11.09 percent, while SDSM presents an average RMSE of 9.93 degree celsius and an average RMSE of 12.07%. Given the results, LSTM may be a suitable alternative approach to downscale global climate simulation models’ output, to improve water management and long-term temperature and precipitations forecasting at local level.

A One-Dimensional Blocking Index Becomes Two-Dimensional Using GIS Technology

Many previous studies of the occurrence of blocking anticyclones, their characteristics, and dynamics have defined the onset longitude using the one-dimensional zonal index type criterion proposed by Lejenas and Okland. In addition to examining the blocking event itself, the onset longitude was determined to start at the nearest five degrees longitude using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalyses that were used to identify the events. In this study, each blocking event in the University of Missouri Blocking Archive was re-examined to identify an onset latitude, and this information was added to the archive. The events were then plotted and displayed on a map of the Northern or Southern Hemisphere using Geographic Information System (GIS) software housed at the University of Missouri as different colored and sized dots according to block intensity and duration, respectively. This allowed for a comparison of blocking events in the archive above to studies that used a two-dimensional index. Then the common onset regions were divided by phase of the El Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the typical onset of intense and persistent blocking events could be examined. The results found a favorable comparison between the onset regions identified here and those found in previous studies that used a two-dimensional blocking index. Additionally, there was variability identified in the onset regions of blocking in both hemispheres by ENSO phase, including the location of more intense and persistent events.

An Inexpensive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Tool for Mobile Network Output Analysis and Visualization.

Usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for different tasks is widespread, as UAVs are affordable, easy to manoeuvre and versatile enough to execute missions in a reliable manner. However, there are still fields where UAVs play a minimal role regardless of their possibilities. One of these application domains is mobile network testing and measurement. Currently, the procedures used to measure the main parameters of mobile networks in an area (such as power output or its distribution in a three-dimensional space) rely on a team of specialized people performing measurements with an array of tools. This procedure is significantly expensive, time consuming and the resulting outputs leave a higher degree of precision to be desired. An open-source UAV-based Cyber-Physical System is put forward that, by means of the Galileo satellite network, a Mobile Data Acquisition System and a Graphical User Interface, can quickly retrieve reliable data from mobile network signals in a three-dimensional space with high accuracy for its visualization and analysis. The UAV tested flew at 40.43 latitude and -3.65 longitude degrees as coordinates, with an altitude over sea level of around 600-800 m through more than 40 mobile network cells and signal power displayed between -75 and -113 decibels.

Spring phenology is advancing at a faster rate than arrival times of Common Starling

Climate change poses significant impact on most migratory species, altering their breeding and non-breeding distributions, migration distances, and phenology. The ability of a population to track and adjust to the changing environmental conditions is a vital prerequisite for its persistence. In this study, we describe changes in spring arrival phenology of a short-distance migrant, the Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris, in Northeastern Europe and their relation to changes in the onset of meteorological spring during the last century. Phenological data were obtained from an open access database Chronicles of Nature Calendar that held 4291 usable records of the 1st spring observation date of Starlings from 171 phenological network sites between 1922 and 2017. Air temperature data were downloaded from the European Climate Assessment and Dataset database. We found that spring arrival time of Starlings was positively correlated with the onset of spring on a local and broad scale. Spring arrival progression followed a northeast gradient at an average rate of 1.6 days per one degree of latitude (ca. 71 km day−1) and 0.4 days per one degree of longitude (152 km day−1). During the 96-year long period, Starlings on average advanced their spring arrival time by 4.7 days at a rate of 0.05 days per year. However, changes in the onset of spring occurred more rapidly with an average rate of change of 0.18 days per year over the study period. These findings imply broad-scale adjustments in migratory patterns of a short-distance migrant that result from climate change-induced shifts in spring phenology. However, adaptations in bird migration phenology are not occurring fast enough to track and compensate for the rapid increase in air temperature, thus disrupting the earlier matching between bird arrival and spring onset.

Экологическая оценка ареала вавиловии прекрасной (Vavilovia formosa, Fabaceae) в Республике Дагестан (Северный Кавказ): новые геосистемные технологии

The article suggests the original method for ecological suitability evaluation of the habitat for local populations of Vavilovia formosa (Steven) Al.Fed. in the Republic of Dagestan (Northern Caucasus). Particular attention is paid to the development of methodological issues of studying the state of rare species local populations. The improvement of the methodology for constructing predictive ranges and the expert evaluation procedure of the obtained results is illustrated by the example of the eastern range fragment detailed analysis of V. formosa in the North Caucasus. The research has identified the limiting factors complexes that determine the patterns of local populations spatial distribution on slopes of different exposure, steepness and absolute height in models of different spatial resolution. For the first time, the translation of the initial probability values into a new habitat suitability index has been proposed and implemented. This index allows working with probability values in the form of natural numbers, which greatly facilitated their comparison. Evaluation of predictors by their contribution to predictive models of different spatial resolution convincingly shows the need to build a full-term series of models that will include the entire range of available spatial resolutions – from 1/6 to 1/120 degrees. Only such an approach will allow the researcher to obtain the most meaningful information base for a correct assessment of the contribution of predictors, taking into account the levels of spatial climate data generalization. A promising direction for further research can be considered dis-cretization of predictive values of the habitat suitability index by dividing small climatic areas into even smaller ones, for example, with a dimension of 1/360 degrees in longitude and latitude.

Germplasm Resources of Oaks (Quercus L.) in China: Utilization and Prospects.

Oaks exhibit unique biological characteristics and high adaptability to complex climatic and soil conditions. They are widely distributed across various regions, spanning 40 degrees latitude and 75 degrees longitude. The total area of oak forest in China is 16.72 million hm2. There are 60 lineages of Quercus in China, including 49 species, seven varieties, and four subgenera. Archaeological data indicate that oaks were already widely distributed in ancient times, and they are dominant trees in vast regions of China's forests. In addition, the acorn was an important food for ancestral humans, and it has accompanied human civilization since the early Paleolithic. Diverse oak species are widely distributed and have great functional value, such as for greening, carbon sequestration, industrial and medicinal uses, and insect rearing. Long-term deforestation, fire, diseases, and pests have led to a continuous decline in oak resources. This study discusses the Quercus species and their distribution in China, ecological adaptation, and the threats facing the propagation and growth of oaks in a changing world. This will give us a better understanding of Quercus resources, and provide guidance on how to protect and better utilize germplasm resources in China. The breeding of new varieties, pest control, and chemical and molecular research also need to be strengthened in future studies.

Stochastic perturbation of tendencies and parameters of parameterizations in the global ensemble prediction system based on the SL-AV model

AbstractAlgorithms for stochastic perturbation of parameters and tendencies of physical parameterizations for subgrid-scale processes are implemented into the ensemble prediction system. This system is based on the global semi-Lagrangian atmospheric model SL-AV with the resolution of 0.9 × 0.72 degrees in longitude and latitude, respectively, 96 vertical levels, and our implementation of the Local Ensemble Tranform Kalman Filter (LETKF). The use of stochastically perturbed parameterizations allows to generate ensembles with a significantly larger spread compared to one obtained with the method of static parameter perturbation. An improvement in the probabilistic estimates of the ensemble forecast for different seasons is shown.

The Impact of the Honeybee Apis mellifera on the Organization of Pollination Networks Is Positively Related with Its Interactive Role throughout Its Geographic Range

Studies at local spatial scales have shown that the generalist honeybee Apis mellifera L. can strongly affect the structural organization and properties of pollination networks. However, there is still little knowledge on how the connectivity of the honeybee within networks (i.e., interactive role) could affect pollination networks at a global scale. To fill this gap, we evaluated how the interactive role of A. mellifera could affect niche overlap, specialization, and robustness of pollination networks. We used 109 weighted pollination networks spread across about 94 degrees of latitude and 227 degrees of longitude. We developed a new standardized framework based on species removal to assess the impact of the honeybee on plant-pollinator networks. We found that when the honeybee was removed from the networks, plant species had less niche overlap (i.e., shared fewer interactions via their pollinators) and the networks became more specialized and more robust to species extinctions. Our findings indicate that A. mellifera’s effects on pollination networks vary geographically and could influence several ecological and evolutionary factors acting at local scales, including pollination services. We hope this contribution will stimulate new macroecological studies involving abundant and generalist species and their functional roles within ecological communities.

Man in the face of suffering. Pedagogical perspective

Suffering, in its broad sense, is present in every person’s life. Suffering accompanies each individual human being at every degree of longitude and latitude and it can, therefore, be considered a universal theme. Suffering coexists with man, and thus it belongs to those areas of human activity and reflection that are constantly undertaken anew. Even though suffering can be discerned in the animal world, the concept of “suffering” seems to affect man in a particular way, and it is an inherent part of human existence. Suffering may reveal to man his own depth and layers of his personality, which he might otherwise often remain unaware of. Human earthly life begins and is fulfilled between immanence and transcendence. For a believer, suffering belongs to the latter. Suffering may reveal itself in many different forms and degrees of intensity. In spite of many attempts to seek an answer to the question “why”, suffering still remains the great mystery. Therefore, a suffering man should always evoke in us the feeling of compassion and respect. As far as possible one should offer him help, comfort and hope. The process of education should sensitize young people to the presence of suffering both in their life as well as in that of others around them.

ROTI Keograms based on CMONOC to characterize the ionospheric irregularities in 2014

Ionospheric irregularities have been studied since ~ 70 years ago. With the development of Global Navigation Satellite system (GNSS), networks of GNSS receivers have been used to obtain the characteristics of the irregularities, including the drift velocity, the structure, and the evolution. In this paper, keograms based on the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) were used to characterize the irregularities over the area from longitude 85 to 125 °E and latitude 11 to 35 °N in 2014. Keograms were obtained for the rate of TEC index (ROTI) for every 0.5 degree longitude and 30 min universal time pixel. The results showed that the occurrence rate of irregularities in 2014 was high in the equinox months and December, and lowest in June. In equinox months the irregularities often appeared after sunset. In March the irregularities usually had long lifetime of ~ 5–7 h and ~ 5 degrees apparent longitudinal width. The long lifetime usually was accompanied by obvious eastward drift of ~ 100 m/s and large vertical ROTI (vROTI). In September the irregularities had weaker ROTI and shorter lifetime than those in March. The irregularities in the 2 equinox months should be related to the equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). In June, they appeared ~ 2–3 h later than those in equinoxes and drifted westward. The summer irregularities had weakest ROTI and their latitude was ~ 30 °N, much higher than those in equinoxes. In December, the irregularities were discrete patches with a longitudinal width of ~ 2 degrees and short lifetime of ~ 2 h. Unlike the equatorial irregularities in equinox months which are part of equatorial plasma bubbles, the solstice irregularities mainly appear to be a local phenomenon.Graphical

The Effect of The Inclusion of The Secondary Roof Under the Main Roof on Performance of Chimney Solar Power Plants

In this work the effect of the inclusion a second roof on the power output of chimney solar power plant (SCPP) were investigated numerically through analytical model. The analytical model presented in this work based on energy balance equations and mass conservation equation at steady state. In second step, the proposed analytical model is then used to estimate the annual electricity production in Sétif, a region of Algeria. For the position of the sun in Setif is 36.19 degrees longitude and 5.41 degrees latitude. It appears from results obtained that the efficiency is increased by 28.7 % for the chimney solar power plant (SCPP) with the secondary roof compared to chimney solar power plant (SCPP) without second roof. It was also concluded that there is an optimal height of the second roof for the power output of chimney solar power plant (SCPP) to remain maximum. It is noted that the energy production increases with the increase in radiation and ambient temperature. However, the solar irradiation is the dominant factor on the electricity production of the chimney solar power plant, compared to the ambient temperature. The results obtained are in good agreement with the experimental results of a prototype plant in MANAZANARES.