Influence Of Climatic Factors Research Articles

Assessing climate impacts on slow-moving landslides in the western Alps of Piemonte: integration of monitoring techniques for detecting displacements

The influence of climatic factors on landslides triggers and displacement rates is a crucial research topic, especially due to the growing need to understand the evolution of climate change in historical periods of intense precipitation and anomalous temperature increases. Italy, highly prone to hydrogeological instability, extremely its mountainous regions such as the Alps, stands as a pertinent subject area for instability scenarios. However, the interpretation of climate effects on landslides is still an open issue. This work proposed a simplified methodology for investigating the displacements of three slow-moving landslides located in the Western Alps of Piemonte region, in response to significant meteorological events evaluated from reference normal of precipitation and temperature trends over the reference period 1991–2020. Another purpose is to emphasize the advantages of using different monitoring techniques by comparing displacement time series measured with in situ and remote sensing instruments, to detect ground deformation processes of these gravitational phenomena. The existence of a robust monitoring network, coupled with InSAR dataset support, has allowed detecting climatic factors’ impact on displacement rates for the outlined case studies. The results have demonstrated the relationships between the identified climatic events and variations in displacement time series, as well as the potential of integrating field observations and InSAR techniques to improve the interpretation of landslide dynamics. Although this study has laid the basis for understanding the influence of climatic factors on landslide displacements, there is still much to investigate and refine. The proposed preliminary analysis will further improve the ability to predict, monitor and mitigate landslide risk under changing climate conditions.

Evaluation of the impact of natural weathering on the properties of high‐density polyethylene bottles by experimental approach

AbstractThis work presents an in‐depth experimental study aimed at assessing the impact of natural weathering on the behavior of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles. To this end, several analytical techniques were employed, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to examine molecular changes, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study morphology, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to assess thermal properties, and tensile and compression tests to evaluate mechanical properties. The results obtained reveal significant changes in HDPE exposed to natural weathering. FTIR analysis enabled us to identify that the HDPE bottles had been subjected to an oxidation process initiated by the absorption of solar radiation during natural weathering treatments, while SEM analysis showed the presence of holes resulting from the detachment of material fragments after exposure, TGA analysis confirms the impact of natural exposure time on the decrease in the average molecular weight and chemical degradation of HDPE macromolecules, through a reduction in the initial degradation temperature and the maximum thermodegradation temperature. However, tensile and compressive tests showed a reduction in the mechanical strength of HDPE after exposure to natural conditions, with notable variations depending on environmental conditions, making the material damaged. These results enabled us to calculate the damage caused by three damage laws. These results offer important insights into the mechanisms of HDPE degradation under the influence of natural climatic factors, paving the way for the development of more resistant and durable packaging materials in the face of variable environmental conditions.Highlights The objective of this study is to analyze and describe the effects of natural weathering on high‐density polyethylene bottles. This involves evaluating the deterioration of physicochemical, mechanical, and morphological properties. Additionally, three damage laws are employed to assess the extent of damage inflicted by this material. Analytical techniques were used, including SEM, FTIR, and TGA, tensile and compressive test.

Mathematical modeling of the creation process and aging of polymer composite materials

Based on the analysis of the literature on the possibility of using neural networks to create new materials with high functional properties, the article considers a solution to the problem of determining the operational stability of polymeric composite materials by creating physical and chemically sound mathematical prediction models. Epoxy resins of the UP-637 and EA brands with an isophorone diamine hardener were chosen as the matrix of the model composite material, and oligobutadiene rubber of the SKN-10 KTR brand was chosen as the modifier. It justifies directions of work necessary for development of new materials creation methodology with optimal characteristics, building a model for changing the properties of materials at variation of composition and implementation of full-scale mathematical modeling of physical and chemical processes of polymer composite materials aging at changing level and time of climatic factors influence. Verification of the obtained dependence of service characteristics on the composition of the material and the level of influencing climatic factors was carried out on the basis of data from full-scale tests in a temperate climate. The proposed methodology for modelling the properties of polymer composite materials will reduce the development time of new materials and allow creation of polymer composites based on epoxy resin containing fillers of various natures (carbon, mineral and polymer) with high performance parameters.

Modelling the paleopedological development of loess/palaeosol sections using discriminant function analysis of compositional geoscience data, case study in Eastern Croatia

Previous studies on the mineralogical differentiation of Pleistocene loess/palaeosol sections focused on the description and source material of four loess/palaeosol sections located on the eastern border of Croatia along the Danube: Zmajevac, Zmajevac I, Erdut and Šarengrad. The authors demonstrated the decreasing influence of the Danube and the increasing influence of the rivers draining the Central Bosnian Mountains of the Dinaric Ophiolite Zone both important source areas for aeolian sediments at the southern edge of the Carpathian Basin that transport material from the Central Bosnian Mountains. The aim of this research is to identify the palaeoclimatic factors that influenced the pedogenetic development of the studied palaeosols. The model was created based on the research results of the same four loess/palaeosol sequences in Eastern Croatia. This model can also be applied in other locations to determine the influence of certain climatic factors on the degree of pedogenetic development of individual palaeosols. The loess/palaeosol sequences were divided into eight comprehensive groups (horizons) based on their genesis, degree of pedological development and/or position in the soil profiles. The explanation of the typical patterns occurring between the studied horizons is based on the construction of a Discriminant Function Model (DFM) resulting from the analysis of the compositional data (CoDa) of the geochemical (major and trace elements) and granulometric (grain size) data of the loess/palaeosols in combination with external variables such as weathering coefficients and chemical soil properties. In the final phase, the DFM was transformed from structural (mathematical) to functional (process) terms. This revealed that three main themes dominate the formation of Pleistocene loess/palaeosol sequences: 1) the separation of well-developed palaeosols from parent material; 2) the separation of automorphic palaeosols from hydromorphic soils exposed to post-pedogenic waterlogging conditions; and 3) the differentiation of horizons (soils and alluvium) formed by the redeposition (by water or mudflows) of previously deposited aeolian material, regardless of whether and to what extent it was exposed to post-sedimentary pedogenesis.

Some Geomorphological Implications of Chemical Weathering in Sequences of Sedimentary Rocks in the Kirkuk Structure

This study was based on a review of a group of geomorphological features and characteristics within the Kirkuk anticline in the Low Folded Zone within the Unstable Shelf of Iraq. As well as identifying the role of the chemistry of the rocks that form the geological formations in the studied area and explaining the role of chemical weathering processes in shaping the geomorphological units. Each of these geomorphological units includes several landforms with different lithologies. These shapes were produced as a result of weathering, erosion, and sedimentation processes associated with structural, compositional, rock, and climatic factors. Literature. The exposed rocks in the sedimentation basin, from which different formations are formed, showed variation in their resistance to chemical and physical weathering processes. It has been noted that the chemical weathering of gypsum rocks is of the type of incipient weathering and that of limestone is of the type of incipient to moderate weathering. For the sandstones, they are of the moderate weathering type, while it is noted that the chemical weathering of the claystone and marl is of the extreme weathering type. This demonstrates the important role played by the type of rocks and their chemical composition in highlighting the role of various geomorphological processes in determining the nature of land units and forming the geomorphological features, in addition to the influence of various geological processes and the presence of structural units such as joints, fractures, and faults, as well as the influence of slope and various climatic factors.

Assessment of Lung Function in Scavenger Workers at Some Waste Dumpsites in Baghdad City

Waste scavengers face occupational hazards from exposure to toxic landfill emissions, putting them at risk for respiratory illnesses. This study aimed to assess the impacts of landfill gases on lung function in scavengers. Spirometry was used to evaluate lung function in scavengers at 5 dumpsites in Baghdad compared to non-exposed controls. The results showed that winter measurements in the internal measuring point for carbon dioxide indicated that the highest concentration was 454.89 ppm in the Adhamiya landfill and the lowest concentration was 397.65 ppm in the Baghdad Aljadeeda landfill. Lung disease cases were recorded and correlated to landfill sites, work duration, and seasons. The results of the lung efficiency examination showed a clear decrease in spirometry parameters at high-pollution landfill sites with varying concentrations of particulates and gases compared to the control group—more airway restriction cases correlated with increased years of scavenger exposure and higher pollutant levels. As noted, severe respiratory symptoms increased in the summer season likely due to the influence of climatic factors.

Cetacean fauna of the southern part of the Barents Sea in winter 2019–2023 under changing climate conditions

Biophysical changes occurring in Arctic marine ecosystems under the influence of climatic factors may affect cetaceans staying here. For this reason, the urgent task is to conduct regular monitoring of marine mammals in order to assess the state of their populations and preserve the biodiversity of species. We analyzed the results of ship-based surveys of marine mammals carried out by the Polar branch of VNIRO in January–March 2019–2023 in the south of the Barents Sea and compared them with the observation data of earlier years. As the studies have shown, the winter cetacean fauna is currently represented by six species of baleen Mysticeti and toothed Odontoceti whales. White-beaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris Gray, 1846 was the most abundant and widespread species among all cetaceans; however, since 2022 we have seen a decrease in both the number of observations and abundance of this species. Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758 and killer whale Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 were regularly registered in the study area, while sightings of harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758 and humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 were single. Comparative analysis of the obtained data with the materials of 2012–2013 revealed some changes in the cetacean fauna that occurred during the last decade. In the waters of the southern part of the Barents Sea, there began met species that had not been previously recorded in our surveys, first of all, minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 and humpback whale. The materials we collected expanded our understanding of cetaceans staying in the western sector of the Russian Arctic during the winter.

Identification of Time-Varying Conceptual Hydrological Model Parameters with Differentiable Parameter Learning

The parameters of the GR4J-CemaNeige coupling model (GR4neige) are typically treated as constants. However, the maximum capacity of the production store (parX1) exhibits time-varying characteristics due to climate variability and vegetation coverage change. This study employed differentiable parameter learning (dPL) to identify the time-varying parX1 in the GR4neige across 671 catchments within the United States. We built two types of dPL, including static and dynamic parameter networks, to assess the advantages of the time-varying parameter. In the dynamic parameter network, we evaluated the impact of potential evapotranspiration (PET), precipitation (P), temperature (T), soil moisture (SM), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) datasets on the performance of dPL. We then compared dPL with the empirical functional method (fm). The results demonstrated that the dynamic parameter network outperformed the static parameter network in streamflow estimation. There were differences in streamflow estimation among the dynamic parameter network driven by various input features. In humid catchments, simultaneously incorporating all five factors, including PET, P, T, SM, and the NDVI, achieved optimal streamflow simulation accuracy. In arid catchments, it was preferable to introduce PET, T, and the NDVI separately for improved performance. dPL significantly outperformed the empirical fm in estimating streamflow and uncalibrated intermediate variables, like evapotranspiration (ET). Both the derived parX1 from dPL and the empirical fm exhibited significant spatiotemporal variation across 671 catchments. Notably, compared to parX1 obtained through the empirical fm, parX1 derived from dPL exhibited a distinct spatial clustering pattern. This study highlights the potential of dPL in enhancing model accuracy and contributes to understanding the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of parX1 under the influence of climate factors, soil conditions, and vegetation change.

The influence of global climate change on the hydromorphological regime of river waters in the Sabirabad and Ujar regions

In recent decades, climate change has caused impacts on the natural systems of all rivers. Since in the Sabirabad and Ujar regions, which are the objects of the study, the impact of global climate change on river waters has not been studied on such a large scale, the topic is considered very relevant. The article presents some results of a study of the influence of climatic factors on the hydromorphological structure of the Araz rivers, the right branch of the Kura, and the left branch Turyanchay.

Temporal and Spatial Analyses of Forest Burnt Area in the Middle Volga Region Based on Satellite Imagery and Climatic Factors

Wildfires are important natural drivers of forest stands dynamics, strongly affecting their natural regeneration and providing important ecosystem services. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of spatiotemporal burnt area (BA) patterns in the Middle Volga region of the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2022, using remote sensing time series data and considering the influence of climatic factors on forest fires. To assess the temporal trends, the Mann–Kendall nonparametric statistical test and Theil–Sen’s slope estimator were applied using the LandTrendr algorithm on the Google Earth Platform (GEE). The accuracy assessment revealed a high overall accuracy (>84%) and F-score value (>82%) for forest burnt area detection, evaluated against 581 reference test sites. The results indicate that fire occurrences in the region were predominantly irregular, with the highest frequency recorded as 7.3 over the 22-year period. The total forest BA was estimated to be around 280 thousand hectares, accounting for 1.7% of the land surface area or 4.0% of the total forested area in the Middle Volga region. Coniferous forest stands were found to be the most fire-prone ecosystems, contributing to 59.0% of the total BA, while deciduous stands accounted for 25.1%. Insignificant fire occurrences were observed in young forests and shrub lands. On a seasonal scale, temperature was found to have a greater impact on BA compared with precipitation and wind speed.

Parametric analysis of the influence of climatic factors on the formation of traditional buildings in the city of Al Najaf

Abstract One of the key variables that can affect energy consumption in a building is the shape of the structure. The current study aims to balance the using solar radiation (lighting, heating, and cooling) and energy consumption by analyzing climatic factors’ effect on building formation systems’ standards. The research shows the mechanism of reaching optimal solutions in building performance problems using evolutionary algorithms as a reliable strategy. By examining the formation of compact fabric elements, the mass of the building on the site is compared with the parametric model adapted to the context to find out the negatives and positives according to the heat gain for each. The research relied on analytical and descriptive methods to clarify the determinants. The analysis included three main axes, the urban characteristics, the urban climatic compatibility in the study area, and parametric analysis. According to the results, shaped building blocks can simultaneously enhance indoor daylight levels and energy performance. Using the framework as a reference model can increase the chances of solving complex urban design problems earlier and recommend sustainable building designs.

Seasonal Incidence and Infestation Pattern of Sunflower Head Borer (Helicoverpa armigera) and Leaf Eating Caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) under the Influence of Climatic Factors

Field experiments were conducted at Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station (RRTTS), Ranital, Bhadrak, OUAT during the summer seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21 to study the seasonal incidence of sunflower head borer and leaf-eating caterpillar in sunflower in relation to the abiotic factor. The seasonal incidence of the target insects, Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera, was investigated using pheromone traps installed in the unprotected sunflower plots (10 m x 5 m) at the research block. The trap catches of male adults were expressed as a number of males trapped per trap per week. In the observation plots, the sunflower hybrid Aruna was cultivated with the approved agronomic package of techniques without any plant protection measures. Weekwise larval populations of Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera were counted from 10 randomly selected tagged plants starting from the initiation of damage and expressed as larval intensity i.e. average larval population per plant.  Besides, weekwise incidence of the pest (leaf damage by tobacco caterpillar and head damage by head borer) were also recorded. The findings of the investigation indicated that tobacco caterpillars' adult activity commenced from the 5th to 6th standard weeks (1st and 2nd week of February) and peak activity in the 11th standard week (3rd week of March). Similarly, the larval population began to appear in the 6th to 7th standard weeks in 2020 and 2021, respectively with a peak population build-up stage during the 12th standard week and their activity steadily decreased as the cropping season progressed. The peak infestation stage coincided with the period of maximum larval activity and the pest caused sizable damage from the early vegetative stage to the peak flowering stage of the crop. The sunflower head borer (Helicoverpa armigera) infested sunflower crops throughout the reproductive stage of the plant with adult activity beginning in the 9th to 10th standard weeks (last week of February-first week of March) and attaining the peak in the 12th to 13th standard weeks (3rd-4th week of March). Similarly, the larval population began to appear in the 10th to 11th standard week and reached the peak in the 13th to 14th standard week (last week of March to first week of April). Various environmental parameters viz. temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were collected from the automated weather station of Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) located at RRTTS, Ranital., These abiotic factors were correlated with trap catch, larval intensity, leaf damage head damage to study the influence of ecological parameters on pest incidence and infestation. The findings of the investigation indicated that among the abiotic factors temperature had a positive influence and relative humidity exhibited a negative effect on the population and damage of Spodoptera litura. All the temperature variables and bright sunshine hour (BSH) exhibited a significant positive correlation and relative humidity (afternoon) had a significant negative correlation with the head damage Helicoverpa armigera.

Climate and soil factors co-derive the functional traits variations in naturalized downy thorn apple (Datura innoxia Mill.) along the altitudinal gradient in the semi-arid environment

Plant functional traits are consistently linked with certain ecological factors (i.e., abiotic and biotic), determining which components of a plant species pool are assembled into local communities. In this sense, non-native naturalized plants show more plasticity of morphological traits by adopting new habitat (an ecological niche) of the invaded habitats. This study focuses on the biomass allocation pattern and consistent traits-environment linkages of a naturalized Datura innoxia plant population along the elevation gradient in NW, Pakistan. We sampled 120 plots of the downy thorn apple distributed in 12 vegetation stands with 18 morphological and functional biomass traits during the flowering season and were analyzed along the three elevation zones having altitude ranges from 634.85 m to 1405.3 m from sear level designated as Group I to III identified by Ward's agglomerative clustering strategy (WACS). Our results show that many morphological traits and biomass allocation in different parts varied significantly (p < 0.05) in the pair-wise comparisons along the elevation. Likewise, all plant traits decreased from lower (drought stress) to high elevation zones (moist zones), suggesting progressive adaptation of Datura innoxia with the natural vegetation in NW Pakistan. Similarly, the soil variable also corresponds with the trait's variation e.g., significant variations (P < 0.05) of soil organic matter, organic carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus was recorded. The trait-environment linkages were exposed by redundancy analysis (RDA) that was co-drive by topographic (elevation, r = −0.4897), edaphic (sand, r = -0.4565 and silt, r = 0.5855) and climatic factors. Nevertheless, the influences of climatic factors were stronger than soil variables that were strongly linked with elevation gradient. The study concludes that D. innoxia has adopted the prevailing environmental and climatic conditions, and further investigation is required to evaluate the effects of these factors on their phytochemical and medicinal value.

Environmental causality calibration: Advancing WLAN RF fingerprinting for precise indoor localization.

In recent years, considerable and valuable research progress has been made in indoor positioning technologies based on WLAN Radio Frequency (RF) fingerprinting, identifying it as one of the most promising positioning technologies with substantial potential for wider adoption. However, indoor environmental factors significantly influence the propagation of wireless RF signals, resulting in a considerable decrease in positioning accuracy as the indoor environmental conditions vary. Thus, effectively mitigating the impact of indoor environmental factors on WLAN RF fingerprinting-based positioning systems has become a crucial research problem. Currently, there is a dearth of comprehensive research on the influence of indoor climatic factors, particularly the variations in relative humidity, on the propagation of WLAN RF signals within indoor spaces and its consequential impact on positioning accuracy. To address the aforementioned issues, this paper proposes an Adaptive expansion fingerprint database (AeFd) model based on a regression learning algorithm. The AeFd, through the design of a relationship model describing the interaction between fingerprint databases under varying relative humidity, allows the fingerprint database expanded by AeFd to dynamically adapt to the changes in indoor relative humidity. Our experiments show that using the AeFd model with the KNN algorithm, a 5% performance improvement was observed over 10 days and an 8% improvement over 10 months. According to experimental test results, the fingerprint database expansion model AeFd proposed in this paper can effectively expand the fingerprint database under different relative humidity levels, thereby significantly enhancing the positioning performance of the system and improving its stability.

Determining the characteristics of concrete in a historical building under the influence of climatic and biological factors

The object of this study was concrete samples of the cathedral and wall frescoes. The study solved the problem related to the destruction of concrete and wall frescoes under the long-term influence of biochemical and climatic factors. Samples of concrete for research and wall murals were obtained from a historic listed building. Using microbiological studies and scanning electron microscopy, damage to wall murals and concrete by microscopic fungi was established: Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sphaerospermum. The study of concrete samples by the TPD-MS method showed the presence of an increased level of moisture and carbon compounds by 20 % in the test samples, compared to control. The sulfur content in all concrete samples was not significant. Determination of the mineral composition of concrete by X-ray diffraction showed the presence of Al2O3, 36–44 %, which indicates a significant clay content. The presence of NiTi, 53 %, and СoMg7O8, 46 %, in the concrete sample indicates the probable migration of the chemical elements of the paint pigments used to decorate the cathedral. The concrete control sample contained a significant amount of SiO2, up to 51 %, which is the main component of sand. A feature of the work is the determination of the corrosion effect on concrete under prolonged exposure to climatic and biological factors. The present study is distinguished by the use of non-destructive methods: microbiological studies, scanning electron microscopy, TPD-MS and X-ray diffraction to determine the destruction of concrete and wall frescoes of the building, which is a cultural heritage. The results of the study could be applied to the development and planning of restoration works for the restoration of buildings that have historical value

Моделирование работы газотурбинной установки SGT5-4000F с исследованием влияния режимных и климатических факторов на устойчивость горения в камере сгорания

When regulating gas turbine units, it is necessary to be confident in the stable combustion process in the combustion chambers, considering the dynamics of the processes and changes of external climatic factors. Many scientific studies are devoted to the problems of experimental research and mathematical modeling of processes in combustion chambers. The possibilities of flame failure, expansion of the lower limit of combustion, determination of the stable position of the flame front and other issues have been assessed. Even though the problem of design of mathematical models and their use remains relevant. The purpose of this research is to model and study the influence of operation and climatic factors on the stability of combustion in the combustion chamber of the SGT5-4000F gas turbine unit. The subject of the research is the SGT5-4000F gas turbine unit with a low-emission combustion chamber. The simulation model of the gas turbine unit has been developed in the environment of dynamic modeling of technical systems SimInTech. The research is carried out using theoretical methods of calculating fuel combustion, thermodynamic foundations of the theory of gas turbine engines, methods of mathematical and simulation modeling, as well as data from the archive of automated process control systems. A simulation model of SGT5-4000F gas turbine unit has been developed. It is distinguished by the ability to assess the proximity of the compressor operating mode to the stability limit and determine the boundaries of stable combustion procedure in the combustion chamber, considering environmental climatic factors. The authors have studied the stability of the compressor and combustion chamber. The results of the experimental studies of a gas turbine unit in the operating load range from 113 to 282 MW and in the range of outside air temperature from –12 to 30 °C have shown that the combustion process in the combustion chamber is unvarying over the entire operational stress spectrum. The results obtained are verified by comparing model values with technological parameters of a gas turbine unit taken from the archive of the power plant control system. The authors have assessed the influence of electrical load on the performance indicators of a gas turbine unit at outdoor temperatures of +30, +15 and –12 °C. According to the results of simulation modeling, the model of SGT5-4000F gas turbine unit is found to be adequate. The developed model can be used as a tool at the stage of functional and technological design of automated control systems for the development of effective automatic control systems.

Elevation Influences Belowground Biomass Proportion in Forests by Affecting Climatic Factors, Soil Nutrients and Key Leaf Traits.

Forest biomass allocation is a direct manifestation of biological adaptation to environmental changes. Studying the distribution patterns of forest biomass along elevational gradients is ecologically significant for understanding the specific impacts of global change on plant resource allocation strategies. While aboveground biomass has been extensively studied, research on belowground biomass remains relatively limited. Furthermore, the patterns and driving factors of the belowground biomass proportion (BGBP) along elevational gradients are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the specific influences of climatic factors, soil nutrients, and key leaf traits on the elevational pattern of BGBP using data from 926 forests at 94 sites across China. In this study, BGBP data were calculated from the root biomass to the depth of 50 cm. Our findings indicate considerable variability in forest BGBP at a macro scale, showing a significant increasing trend along elevational gradients (p < 0.01). BGBP significantly decreases with increasing temperature and precipitation and increases with annual mean evapotranspiration (MAE) (p < 0.01). It decreases significantly with increasing soil phosphorus content and increases with soil pH (p < 0.01). Key leaf traits (leaf nitrogen (LN) and leaf phosphorus (LP)) are positively correlated with BGBP. Climatic factors (R2 = 0.46) have the strongest explanatory power for the variation in BGBP along elevations, while soil factors (R2 = 0.10) and key leaf traits (R2 = 0.08) also play significant roles. Elevation impacts BGBP directly and also indirectly through influencing such as climate conditions, soil nutrient availability, and key leaf traits, with direct effects being more pronounced than indirect effects. This study reveals the patterns and controlling factors of forests' BGBP along elevational gradients, providing vital ecological insights into the impact of global change on plant resource allocation strategies and offering scientific guidance for ecosystem management and conservation.

Influence of Climatic and Geographical Features of the Subjects of the Russian Federation on the Activities of Fire Departments

Introduction. When determining the number and technical equipment of fire departments, regulatory documents on fire safety do not take into account natural, climatic and geographical features of the subjects of the Russian Federation in an explicit form. At the same time, there is some information in scientific literature about the influence of certain natural and climatic factors on the effectiveness of fire protection actions in extinguishing fires. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the system of natural, climatic and geographical characteristics of the subjects of the Russian Federation on the rapid response indicators of territorial fire departments. The results obtained are recommended for further use in rationing the number and technical equipment of fire departments.Materials and Methods. A factor analysis of statistical data for 2020–2022 was carried out. The statistical data were obtained from the Federal State Information System "Federal Database "Fires", from the website of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation and from other sources. For the analysis, the authors selected ten indicators characterizing natural, climatic and geographical features of the subjects of the Russian Federation, two indicators of the rapid response of territorial fire departments and four indicators of the fire situation.Results. Five significant factors were identified, the change of which explained the change in the observed indicators. The first factor characterized the relationship of climatic conditions with fire situation indicators. The second factor connected the indicators of the rapid response of fire departments with the terrain features of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The third factor described the relationship between fire situation indicators and rapid response indicators with population density and forest cover of the territory. Other factors did not significantly contribute to the indicators of fire situation and rapid response.Discussion and Conclusion. By means of mathematical analysis and factor modeling, the authors investigated the interdependence of natural, climatic and geographical features of the subjects of the Russian Federation, fire situation indicators and indicators of rapid response of fire departments. The most significant factors influencing these indicators were identified. They included the average air temperature, the area covered by forest, the presence of mountain ranges, and population density. These indicators should be taken into account when determining the number and technical equipment of fire departments to increase the efficiency of their functioning.

Kontribusi Kepemimpinan dan Faktor Iklim Kerja Terhadap Motivasi Kerja Tutor PKBM

The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of leadership and work climate factors on the work motivation of tutors at the Community Learning Activity Center in Surakarta. This research uses quantitative methods. The research population was all PKBM tutors in Surakarta. The sampling technique used purposive sampling with a total sample of 15 tutors. Validation of the instrument uses the product moment correlation technique. Instrument reliability uses Cronbach's Alpha. The data analysis technique uses multiple linear regression. The research results show that: (1). Leadership contributes positively and significantly to increasing the work motivation of PKBM tutors in Surakarta (sig. 0.041). (2). The work climate contributes positively and significantly to increasing the work motivation of PKBM tutors in Surakarta (0.024). (3). Leadership and work climate contribute positively and significantly to increasing the work motivation of PKBM tutors in Surakarta (sig. 0.000).

Biodiversity and Spatiotemporal Variations of Mecoptera in Thailand: Influences of Elevation and Climatic Factors.

Ecological analyses of the small and lesser-known insect order Mecoptera in Thailand are presented. Specimens were collected monthly over a period of 12 consecutive months, using both Malaise and pan traps, from 29 sampling sites located in 18 national parks throughout Thailand. A total of 21 species in four genera were identified from 797 specimens, including Panorpa (1 species), Neopanorpa (18 species), Bittacus (1 species), and Terrobittacus (1 species), with the latter genus representing a new genus record to Thailand. Neopanorpa harmandi, N. siamensis, N. byersi, and N. malaisei were the most abundant species, representing 27.4%, 11.3%, 10.3% and 8.8% of the total specimens, respectively. The species with the highest frequency, as indicated by the high percentage of species occurrence (%SO), was N. siamensis (51%), followed by N. byersi (34%), N. harmandi (34%), N. spatulata (27%), and N. inchoata (27%). Eleven species (52%) exhibited specific regional occurrences. N. tuberosa and N. siamensis had the widest distribution, being found in almost all regions except for western and southern regions for the first and second species, respectively. The seasonal species richness of Mecoptera was high during the rainy season in the northern, northeastern, central, eastern, and western regions, with the highest richness observed in July (15 species), followed by the hot (10 species) and cold seasons (7 species), while there was no significant difference in species richness between seasons in the southern region. Multiple regression models revealed a negative association between species richness and abundance of Mecoptera with both elevation and temperature, and a positive association between rainfall and species evenness. It is predicted that climatic changes will have a detrimental effect on the mecopteran community. The results of this study enhance the understanding of the ecological aspects of Mecoptera, offering crucial insights into its biodiversity and distribution, which are vital for conservation and forest management.