Hydrometeorological Phenomena Research Articles

Hydrometeorological Hazards on Crop Production in the State of Veracruz, Mexico

Hydrometeorological hazards are considered the most important phenomena affecting crop production in the Eastern regions of Mexico, where the State of Veracruz is located. However, more information about their consequences on these sites needs to be studied. This research aims to determine the effects of hydrometeorological phenomena on the most important crops cultivated in the State of Veracruz. The methodology involved analyzing the State’s crop production database from 2001 to 2020 and comparing this data with the National Hydrometeorological Disaster Declarations database. Multivariable correlation analysis and geographic information systems were applied to geographically analyze 42 rainfed crops plus the five most valuable ones in the State to determine their production related to climatic phenomena. The results found that the most affected crops are corn, soy, sorghum, beans, and rice, with more than 10,000 lost hectares. Droughts caused total damage to corn, soy, and beans and decreased productivity in corn, orange, lemon, wheat, coffee, and sesame. For the most valuable crops, tropical cyclones caused the highest production decrements in corn, sugar cane, and pineapple, while droughts caused the same effects in lemon and orange. We conclude that tropical cyclones are the most critical phenomena negatively impacting Veracruz, with high implications on the agrifood system.

Floods Simulation on the Vedea River (Romania) Using Hydraulic Modeling and GIS Software: A Case Study

Extreme hydro-meteorological phenomena have become more frequent in recent years compared to the year 2000 in Europe, including Romania. Flooding occurs from heavy rainfalls favored by natural and anthropogenic factors such as the valley’s flat slope or settlements situated near the river. Ţigăneşti and Brânceni villages (from southern Romania) are no exception and have been affected by floods many times. One of these events is that from 2005, when the flow reached 676 m3/s (a value 80 times higher than the normal flow of the Vedea River) in Brȃnceni. This paper aims to present a simulation of the flood that occurred during 3–6 July 2005 and its impact on the settlements, roads, and land, using field observation (including some from 2005), GIS software (ArcGIS), software for flood simulations (HEC-RAS—Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System), and flow data from the Romanian National Institute of Hydrology. Simulations were run in HEC-RAS. The obtained flooded areas imported back into GIS (Geographic Information System) were used to determine the area covered by water and the length of affected roads. The surface and number of flooded buildings were calculated using different tools from ArcMap. Results were interpreted, commented on, and compared with data and maps provided by the Romanian Water National Administration. The simulation shows that the villages would be protected from the flood by building a levee along the Vedea River. Significant losses can be prevented, and money can be saved.

Фактологическое обоснование структуры данных ГИС «Паспорт климатической безопасности республики Адыгея»

The study is aimed at determining the optimal data structure of the regional monitoring and forecasting system of climate change and related weather and climate risks for the socio-economic infrastructure of the Republic of Adygea. The basic spatial units of monitoring identified landscape and climatic regions, allocated according to a combination of factors correcting the zonal mode of meteorological processes in the North-West Caucasus under the conditions of the mountain-plain Adygea. With regard to landscape and climatic areas, differences have been identified in both the variation of climatic parameters in the multi-year and annual course, and in the recurrence and severity of hazardous and adverse hydrometeorological processes. Preliminary studies of climate change in Adygea and the results of reanalysis have revealed a steady trend of warming of the climate, especially intensive in the last 20 years (1.2°C/10 years), caused by the increase of temperature in the cold half of the year, at a low temperature change of the warm period. The dramatic increase in air temperature over the past two decades highlights the challenge of current climate change and its impacts. The results proving coherence of the course of parameters of the energetic field of the ground atmosphere (gradient field of temperature) with the course of parameters of intensity of the hydrometeorological phenomenon at the forecasting point have been obtained. It is proposed to use the regional temperature gradient value reflecting the dynamics of the thermal field of the region as a predictor in models of forecasting hydrometeorological phenomena and processes of different advance. Successful long-term forecasting of weather-climatic phenomena will provide the fulfillment of those functions, which are intended “Climate Safety Passport”.

Development of Methods for Forecasting Changes in the River Water Level in the Nearby Transport Infrastructure Facilities

Dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena cause significant damage to transport infrastructure facilities, as a rule due to the factor of their suddenness and poor efficiency of preventive protection measures. The solution of such problems is the forecasting the parameters of the object state, depending on the incoming meteorological report. This paper is a continuation of the paper and it is devoted to the development of approaches to short-term forecasting of the water level impact in rivers in the nearby transport infrastructure facilities. As an object of research, the station forecourt and engineering facilities at the Rostov-Glavniy railway station of the North Caucasus Railway, located at the mouth of the Temernik River, were selected.

Adaptation of construction and demolition waste management towards climate change

According to the results of observations of Federal agency Roshydromet, the specific signs of recent decades are climate changes caused by global warming. Their features are an increase in the average annual temperature, frequency and intensity of dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena, an increase in the amount of precipitation, spatial and seasonal heterogeneity. The territories of Russia are in the area of observed and predicted climate changes, and their consequences have an increasing impact on the socio-economic development of the country, the living conditions and health of people, as well as on the state of economic sectors and objects of economic activity. The article examines measures to adapt the sphere of management of construction and demolition waste (CDW) to the negative consequences of climate change.

Assessment of the intensity of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the socio-economic system of Belarus

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the population and economy of the Belarus. The indicators determine the intensity of the impact of hydrometeorological factors and take into account the level of socio-economic development of the region. The authors analysed dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena in the period 2008–2020 according to the state network of hydrometeorological observations of Belarus. Statistical method and mapping method were used. The authors assessed the intensity of the impact of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the basis of a quantitative analysis of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the socio-economic system of Belarus. Official data on population, area of administrative districts and GRP of regions are the initial data of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. The paper proposes an adapted methodology for a multi-scale study of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the economy and population in the context of the local level, mesolevel (region) and macrolevel (country) using geoinformation technologies and information electronic database. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the administrative regions of Belarus have unequal vulnerability to dangerous weather manifestations, therefore, the most vulnerable regions of Belarus were identified, for which hydrometeorological services are of particular importance. From the point of view of the intensity of the impact of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomen on the socio-economic system, the most unfavorable is Minsk Region. The results showed that the higher the population density and the greater the frequency of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena, the higher the intensity of the possible impact on the population. Accordingly, the higher the GRP, the more significant economic losses can be expected in a particular region of Belarus. Therefore, it is in areas with high GRP that the necessary protective measures should be taken in the first place in order to reduce the consequences of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena.

Опасные гидрологические явления Красноярского края и заблаговременность их прогноза

In Russia, there are significant fluctuations in climatic conditions throughout the country, the damage from hydrometeorological phenomena is 80–90% of the total damage of a natural nature. For the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, five types of dangerous hydrological phenomena are characteristic, leading to the occurrence of material damage: traffic jams, ice jams, low low water, floods and floods. The research material was long-term data on fixing dangerous hydrological phenomena with fixed material damage for 30 years. The analysis of dangerous hydrological phenomena was carried out, the stationarity of the time series was checked, and conclusions were drawn about the statistical significance of the obtained trends. Information about the issued forecasts for each hydrological phenomenon is analyzed, information about their lead time is systematized. Research data can be used by institutions and organizations authorized to conduct environmental monitoring in determining regional lists and criteria for hazardous natural phenomena.

Some Aspects of Marine Meteorology and Air-Sea-Wetland-River Interactions During Hurricane Ida (2021)

In August 2021 Hurricane Ida devastated southeast Louisiana. On the basis of numerous pertinent meteorological-oceanographic (met-ocean) information including datasets and graphics as supplied by various public agencies, several unique topics related to marine meteorology and air-sea-land interactions are investigated. It is found that a newly proposed revised relation between minimum sea-level pressure and maximum sustained wind speed is verified during Ida. Characteristics of the rapid intensification, defined as an increase in the sustained winds of a tropical cyclone (TC) of at least 30 knots in a 24-hour period, is presented. Severe wave steepness (≥1/20) was measured continuously for approximately 3 hours when the wind speed ranged between 35 to 45 m s<sup>-1</sup> at 38 m and the wave direction was from the east. Estimations for the wind stress on the wind-seas and a coastal wetland are presented. Finally, hydro-meteorological phenomena related to the Mississippi River flow reversal and the storm surges along the river levees are also revealed. For operational use, estimation methods and forecast formulas related to above topics are also provided.

Assessment of Chemical Risks Associated with Hydrometeorological Phenomena in a Mexican Port on the Gulf of Mexico

Accidents in port areas in the Gulf of Mexico have had great economic costs, since this is an area exposed to extreme phenomena. Tropical cyclones or cold fronts, also known as Tehuantepecers, result in intense winds and waves that impact the coastal infrastructure. The chemical risk associated with extreme winds and waves for the fuel storage tanks of the facility of the Port of Veracruz, the main Mexican port in the Gulf of Mexico, was evaluated with a historical analysis of accidents as a tool to identify significant factors in disasters and establish risk acceptance criteria. It was found that the critical hazard threshold for Veracruz corresponds to winds stronger than 160 km/h (44 m/s) that may result in coastal waves of more than 5 m high. The vulnerability to these phenomena was calculated with the vulnerability index (VI), considering the structural, functional, and chemical factors in the infrastructure, including exposure levels. By means of a risk matrix, it was determined that gasoline storage tanks have a moderate chemical risk, since exposure to the extreme wind wave hazard is low, and diesel tanks are at low risk. These assessments are important elements to consider in the expansion plans for the Port of Veracruz.

Severe Precipitation Phenomena in Crimea in Relation to Atmospheric Circulation

The increase in the frequency and intensity of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena is one of the most dangerous consequences of climate instability. In this study, we summarize the data on severe weather phenomena using the data from 23 meteorological stations in Crimea from 1976 to 2020. Particular attention was paid to the precipitation phenomena descriptions. For the last 45 years, a significant positive trend of interannual variability of the annual occurrence of severe weather phenomena was estimated to be +2.7 cases per decade. The trend for severe precipitation phenomena was estimated to be +1.3 cases per decade. The probable maximum annual daily precipitation as a quantitative indicator of hazardous events was estimated for each station by using both the stationary and the non-stationary GEV models. For at least half of the meteorological stations, a non-stationary GEV model was more appropriate for the estimation of the precipitation extremes. An analysis of the main synoptic processes that drive severe weather phenomena of precipitation was carried out. The greatest contribution to the formation of severe precipitation was made by Mediterranean–Black Sea cyclones. At the same time, half of all of the cases of extreme precipitation were caused by cyclones generated over the Black Sea only, in all seasons apart from winter. In the mid-troposphere, four types of meridional circulation were identified depending on the location of troughs and ridges, with respect to the Black Sea region. More than 42% of severe precipitation phenomena were accompanied by an isolated high-altitude cyclone in the mid-troposphere over the Black Sea region. The main recommendation that can be drawn from this study is that long-term climatic non-stationarity should be taken into account whenever the risk assessment or hazard analysis is to be carried out. The results can also favor the designing of drainage and sewerage systems in urban areas. The findings of atmospheric patterns can be used for the improvement of extreme precipitation forecasts.

From the Relationship to Nature and Space, Towards the Recomposition of the Social Status of the 'Head of the Family' in a Flood Context

The issue of risk and the maintenance of people in risk areas is a major concern in the occupation of urban spaces. From the institutional approach to the scientific approach, the definition of risk remains marked by the nature of unpredictability and dangerousness. The current study constitutes an epistemological break in the sociological understanding of risk in the framework of hydrometeorological phenomena. Therefore, how do the changing properties of the status of the head of the family inspired by contact with floods restructure social relations within the social unit of consumption? Starting from an empirical study on floods in the commune 5 on the right bank of the Niger River in Niamey between 2012 and 2018, the status of the head of the family is at the heart of the reflection. Based on a qualitative methodological approach, centred on biographical interviews, this paper puts back at the heart of the scientific debate, the risk of downgrading and loss of preferential position in a given space or social institution.

Variables that induce coastal squeeze, case study: Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico

Coastal squeeze describes a dynamic process in which sea level rise and concomitant variables (e.g., increased storms, coastal subsidence) shift coastal habitats to land. The presence of hard structures of anthropogenic origin along the coasts can also create static artificial margins between land and sea, restricting coastal habitats to a narrow area. Ground level rise with respect to the coastal plain, which can be caused by an interrupted hydro-sedimentary flow, can also form added natural barriers. In particular, the coast of Mexico is vulnerable to sea level rise, however, other faster processes could be inducing coastal oppression/squeeze to a greater extent, such as subsidence, extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, changes in land use and erosion derived from sediment retention in the upper coastal basins. The aim of this study is analyzed coastal oppression along the coast for Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico, by finding its determining variables based on a literature review and analysis of open access databases. The processes analyzed correspond to changes in land use, the incidence of storms and the presence of hard structures, among other factors, which have increased rapidly in the study area in recent years and have caused the loss of coastal ecosystems. Ultimately, this work aims to generate a method that can quantitatively measure the effects of coastal oppression in different coastal areas. The resulting method serves as a tool for decision-making and sustainable coastal management. Keywords: coastal zone, land use change, incidence of storms, Gulf of Mexico, Campeche.

Agriculture and water resources: UNFCCC influence on Peruvian adaptation regulations to increase resilience against climate change

Agriculture and water resource are highly threatened due to climate change, increasing the probability of backsliding on almost every aspect of sustainable development worldwide. For instance, water resource distribution throughout the Peruvian territory is not homogeneous. Hydrometeorological phenomena also threaten it, so it is crucial for the agriculture sector and water management to increase resilience against climate change. The study aims to understand the Peruvian conduct under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regime. Its influence in the Peruvian adaptation regulation and public institutions over the years and the interaction with the latest commitment to the UNFCCC related to climate change agriculture - water resources. The methodology used for the study was qualitative, delivered throughout a documentary analysis, and narrative design among scientific papers, UNFCCC documentation, and Peruvian regulation to weave the experience occurred and the sequences of the events to set up a general narrative. The results show that Peru has active participation in the UNFCCC, particularly under a neoliberalism approach. The convention pushed institutional and regulatory development of the Peruvian Government constantly. Also, after the Paris Agreement, one of the most important influences was the implementation of Law N° 30754 on climate change, which articulates all the regulations related to it, providing a national, more substantial legally-binding commitment. Finally, it is important for Peru to analyze the achievement of current adaptation actions and keep studying the impacts of climate change at a local level to develop a bottom-up approach for an effective policy formulation-implementation.

On the concept of climate services development in Ukraine

Climate change in any region leads to both a noticeable increase in the intensity and impact of extreme hydrometeorological phenomena and to emergence of new climatic threats. Thus it is highly important to develop and implement the measures allowing adaptation to climate and weather extreme phenomena associated with modern global warming. One of the top priorities of climate change adaptation strategies includes establishment of national/regional systems of climate services. The paper offers the ways of addressing such an urgent and important task for Ukraine as establishment of a national climate services system and analyzes the role of the National Hydrometeorological Service of Ukraine in this process.
 Ukraine has an extensive network of hydrometeorological observation and monitoring assets. The National Hydrometeorological Service also has many years of positive experience and scientifically valid methods related to creation and distribution of climate information. However, establishing a national climate services system requires considerable improvement of interaction of climate products providers, scientists and climate services end-users, including the government, society, communities, private sector, technical partners and donors. It implies the transition from the current system of climate information formation and distribution in the form of climatic standard reports that contain basic climatic indices and indicators to a new system of climate information formation and distribution with application of modern information and communication systems.
 The research considers an option of establishing the Council on Climate Services within the Government's Inter-Agency Commission on Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection that would provide an institutional framework for permanent interaction and development of such climate services system. It also studies the tasks and functions of this new organizational mechanism.
 Based on the results of extensive surveys and interviews of both suppliers and end-users of climate services in Ukraine the paper lists the problems that hamper implementation of the World Meteorological Organization's recommendations and should be resolved by the National Hydrometeorological Service, and analyzes the existing solutions. The following are the most important issues to be addressed as soon as possible: (1) technical re-equipment and maintenance of the Ukrainian network of climatic stations; (2) development of the Service's HR potential via the existing system of training and advanced training; (3) coordination of researches focused on the past, current and future state of the regional climate, in particular, development of techniques for evaluation of climate risks related to the current climate and its future change scenarios, assessment of the society's vulnerability to variability and change of climate in general and the vulnerability of certain sectors of the economy in particular.

Trend of Reference Crop Evapotranspiration and its Correlation with Climatic Parameters in Khulna and Rajshahi Districts of Bangladesh

Reference crop evapotranspiration (ETO) is an important hydro-meteorological phenomenon, which is influenced by changing climate. This study estimated the trends ETO and identified the correlation of changes in ETO with climatic parameters in Khulna and Rajshahi districts of Bangladesh. Daily observed climatic parameters of thirty years (1984– 2013) were used in CropWat model to estimate changes in monthly and seasonal ETO. Trend analysis of ETO and climatic parameters were done by Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimation. Correlation between ETO and climatic parameters were analyzed. The results showed a decreasing trend of ETO over most of the period of the year in Khulna and Rajshahi districts. On monthly basis estimation, decreasing trends of relative humidity, wind speed and sun shine hours in Khulna district, and decreasing trends of wind speed and sun shine hours in Rajshahi district played the dominant roles for the decreasing rate of ETO under recent climate change. On seasonal basis estimation, decreasing trends of relative humidity, wind speed and sun shine hours in Khulna district, and decreasing trends of wind speed and sun shine hours in Rajshahi district played the dominant roles for the decreasing rate of ETO under changing climatic condition. Changes in ETO were most strongly correlated with sun shine hours and most weakly with minimum temperature for both Khulna and Rajshahi. Wind speed was most strongly correlated with ETO for Dry/Rabi season. The findings of this study would be useful for agricultural water management of Bangladesh.
 Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 13(1&2): 1-12, 2020

Анализ и оценка процессов опустынивания в Крыму

Among the global problems of humanity that require an urgent comprehensive solution, along with global warming, desertification occupies one of the leading places. At the moment, over 2 billion hectares of productive land worldwide are degraded, and annually 12 million hectares are subject to the process of destruction. The article analyzes the influence of modern natural and anthropogenic processes on the state of the landscapes of the peninsula, which can lead to land desertification. It is noted that over the past 30 years there has been a steady upward trend in air temperature deviations from the norm in almost the entire territory of Crimea and an increase for precipitation. The activation of natural and dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena on the territory of the peninsula has been statistically proven, which leads to the activation of the processes of erosion, deflation, and manifestations of droughts. For the first time, a methodology for assessing the coefficient of potential danger of desertification for the territory of the Crimean peninsula has been proposed.

Impact assessment of the West African monsoon on convective precipitations over the far north region of Cameroon

Squall lines observed over the sahelo-sudanese regions are responsible for most of the annual rainfall recorded in these regions. They originate from the development of convective processes embedded in the Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). The impact assessment of the West African Monsoon (WAM) on the development of squall lines in the sahelo-sudanese regions, particularly the far north region of Cameroon is studied. In this study, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data (TRMM 3A12 and 3B43) and ERA5 reanalysis data from 1998 to 2008 have been used. The technique used is based on the use of the Climate Data Operator (CDO) software and the NCAR command language (NCL). Analysis of these data shows that the seasonal distribution of winds from the saharan heat-low and the Saint Helena high is the dominant atmospheric dynamics associated with the disturbances behind the development of squall lines. This distribution makes it possible to specifically draw up the evolution of the InterTropical Discontinuity (ITD) on the African continent, and thus, highlight the contribution of the WAM on precipitation in the far north region of Cameroon. This study is performed to contribute to the prediction of hydro-meteorological phenomena to improve disaster risks management associated with floods and landslides in this region, the most vulnerable in Cameroon.

Strategic threats to water security in Russia: interconnection of water security, risks and economic growth

The stability of the economy of the Russian Federation depends on the availability of water resources. In the main, statistical information shows that Russia is the most water-rich country. However, at the national and local levels, the lack of readily available freshwater in the regions of Russia has proved to be a key risk, and water scarcity has threatened economic growth in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Population growth and urbanization, climate change, destruction of forest ecosystems, pollution of water resources and an increase in dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena are strategic threats to Russia’s sustainable economic growth. The article analyzed water-related risks affecting the sustainable use of water resources in the Russian Federation and, consequently, economic growth. The results of the study are of practical importance in the development of strategies for sustainable water management and for the development of a methodology for the economic assessment of water-related risks.

Meteocorrective effect of physical and balneal factors in patients with joint diseases

To identify the patterns of meteotropic reactions to biotropic weather conditions and evaluate the meteocorrective efficacy of physical and balneal factors in patients with joint diseases. We studied the features of weather-related disorders in 165 patients diagnosed with osteoarthrosis/osteoarthritis, including those after total hip and knee arthroplasty. Most patients (55.7%) had cardiovascular comorbidities. All patients received balneal and physiotherapeutic procedures in addition to background drug therapy and exercise therapy. The patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (55 patients) received general sodium chloride baths and exposure to alternating magnetic field (AMF); Group 2 (54 patients) received «dry» carbon dioxide baths and AMF; Group 3 (56 patients) received general baths with the antioxidant and antihypoxic agent Mitofen, and AMF. The weather-sensitivity and severity of meteorological reactions were evaluated using questionnaires, and self-observation diaries, correlated with medical and meteorological weather forecasts. We used the WAM method (well-being, activity, mood), the Abbreviated Multifactor Personality Inventory (AMPI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Medical and meteorological weather assessment was performed using a modern medical and meteorological complex (AMMC). Increased weather sensitivity of varying severity was confirmed in 140 (84.8%) patients, and 25 (15.2%) patients were classified as conditionally weather-sensitive. The most severe meteotropic reactions were noted in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities (55.7%) and older individuals with a compromised medical history (29.1%). The use of balneal and physiotherapeutic methods in the medical rehabilitation programs had a positive effect on the manifestations of autonomous disorders and psychological dysadaptation; also, they contributed to the increase of adaptation and functional reserves of the organism exposed to biotropic weather conditions. The effects of the factors were manifested by the reduction of severity of meteotropic reactions. The high effectiveness of general baths with antioxidant and antihypoxic action was revealed in 71.8% of patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. The meteocorrective effect of sodium chloride baths was less pronounced (29.7%), although the majority of patients after the treatment course showed an improvement in their psychoemotional status (39.7%) and a decrease in severe weather-related exacerbations during spastic weather (from 17.6 to 6.7%). The meteocorrective efficacy of complex non-drug methods in patients with joint diseases, including concomitant cardiovascular diseases, has been proved.

Forecasting of hazardous marine hydrometeorological phenomena for the regions of oil and gas deposit development on the Sea of Okhotsk Shelf

A brief description of the marine hazard forecast methods and technology for the Sea of Okhotsk developed in the Federal State Budgetary Institution “ Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute (FERHRI)” is presented. These methods and technology provide numerical prognostic products for the following parameters: wave height, period and direction; sea ice concentration, thickness, drift and compression; sea level and storm surges. The successful cases of practical applications of these forecasts demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed forecast methods and technology.