Winter Solstice Research Articles

Comparison of the Ionospheric Dynamo Current of Mars Above InSight and Zhurong Landing Sites: A Modeling Study

AbstractPrevious observational studies suggest that the surface time‐varying magnetic field of Mars originates in large part from the dynamo currents in the Martian ionosphere. However, whether there are significant differences in the strength, configuration, diurnal, and seasonal variations of the dynamo currents above different regions need to be further studied. In this study, using the ionospheric parameters from Mars Climate Database version 5.3 (MCD v5.3) and 7 years of MAVEN magnetic field measurements, we compare the ionospheric dynamo currents above the landing sites of InSight (4.50°N, 135.62°E) and Zhurong (25.07°N, 109.90°E) and the resulting surface magnetic variations at the two landing sites by conducting a modeling study. We find that the average dynamo current as well as its diurnal magnetic field amplitude on the Martian surface is significantly stronger at InSight than that at Zhurong due to the stronger background magnetic field strength and more perpendicular angle between magnetic field and neutral wind vectors in the dynamo region, though the conductivities is always weaker over InSight landing site. The seasonal variation of the current intensity (represented by differences between northern winter and summer solstices) is prominent over InSight than that over Zhurong because the heliospheric distance effect‐resulted conductivity difference is the dominate factor for the seasonal variations over InSight while both the heliospheric distance and solar zenith angle (SZA) contribute to the current intensity at different Ls over Zhurong. The two factors partially offset each other and lead to a smaller seasonal variation. The role of crustal field, as well as the latitude effects on dynamo currents is also discussed. This study provides an attempt to promote the understanding of the solar wind‐induced magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐surface coupling process.

МИФОЭПИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ АДЫГСКОГО НОВОГО ГОДА

The article considers the traditional spring holiday “Alternation of heads of years” (Ilesyshye zablek1ygu) on March 21–23 among the Adygs (Circassians) people, dedicated to Shyuzeresh the patron saint of abundance and horsemen. The aim of the work is to study the mythoepic basis of the traditional holidays associated with the spring and winter solstices. Based on this goal, the tasks of identifying representations of sacred processes designed to create favorable conditions for the preparation and start of spring field work and seasonal agricultural completion of the year are solved. The relevance of the research topic is due to the insufficient knowledge of the calendar holidays of the Adygs, in this case, associated with the vernal equinox and winter solstice. The theoretical basis of the mythological rituals requires in-depth study, since the process of reanimation of folk festivals is one of the important components of the self-identification of the Adyghe. Travel essays by missionaries, the research activities of the Adyghe enlighteners of the 19th century Sultan Khan Giray, Shora Nogmov, Adil Giray Keshev, folklorists Askarbiy Shortanov, Mukhtar Meretukov, Adam Gutov, Aslan Tsipinov and other scholars served as the methodological basis of this work and determined the basic principles of research: the comparative-historical, historical-typological, and comparative analyses. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that it describes for the first time the rituals of the spring festival, symbolizing the onset of the Adyghe New Year, and the time of spring plowing, which began on the third day after the onset of the holiday “Alternating heads of Years”, as well as the winter solstice holiday. The result of the study was the conclusion that the worldview and worldview of the ancient Adyghe was at a high level for its time and evolved along with the process of progressive development of the Adyghe society. It is established that a historical and cultural excursion into the past about the existence of the New Year among the Adyghe (Circassians) and the winter solstice holiday makes it possible to know the depth of the processes of the mythoepic consciousness of the people. The theoretical and practical value of the work is seen in the possibility of using the results of the research in theoretical disciplines and practical research on folklore, epic studies, the study of the mythoepical basis of the Adyghe worldview, as well as in the educational process of educational institutions.

Climate Model Simulations of the Effects of Orbital Parameters on Glacier Equilibrium Line Altitude

AbstractThe effects of obliquity and precession on conditions favorable for Northern Hemisphere glaciation are explored using an energy balance and mass balance model of equilibrium line altitude (ELA), the height on a glacier where accumulation and ablation are in balance annually. Climate forcing for the ELA model is obtained from idealized single‐forcing orbital simulations with two atm‐ocean general circulation models, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) CM2.1 and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Earth System Model version 1.2. Over Scandinavia and Baffin Island, the respective locations in which the Scandinavian and Laurentide ice sheets are thought to have originated, low obliquity and perihelion at the boreal winter solstice are associated with lower ELA values, as would be expected from the orbital theory of the ice ages. Linear reconstructions of ELA variations over the past 800 kyr indicate that precession dominated ELA variations in Scandinavia and Baffin Island in the GFDL model, and in Scandinavia in the NCAR model. Obliquity and precession played equal roles in Baffin Island in the NCAR model. A decomposition of the ELA responses finds that the effects of ablation on ELA are much larger than the effects of precipitation. Overall, the findings of this study point to precession being a more important factor in glacial inception than obliquity, which contrasts with previous findings in which obliquity had a slightly larger effect on positive degree days (PDDs), a simple metric for ablation. This is likely due to differences in seasonality of melt from the ELA model and PDDs.

The Modification of converting the basin liner to the reflector for vertical multiple-effect diffusion solar still coupled with basin still

ABSTRACT Vertical multiple-effect diffusion solar still (VMEDS) coupled with basin still (VMBS) consists of a triangular basin still and VMEDS. Distillation can be repeated by utilising the latent heat of condensation in VMEDS. The primary thermal input to VMEDS is direct solar radiation and latent heat of vapour evaporated from the basin liner and condensed on p1. However, VMEDS can hardly use the latent heat of vapour as a heat source during the winter season. To solve the problem, the conversion of the basin liner to a reflector is proposed and its effect was verified theoretically. The results show that thermal input to VMEDS can be increased by converting the basin liner to the reflector, and this can compensate for the disappearance of distillation in a basin still in winter. It was also predicted that the overall daily amount of distillate can be greater for modified VMBS than for conventional VMBS on the winter solstice.

Comprehensive observations and geostatistics of slope streaks within the Olympus Mons aureole

Slope streaks (SS) are enigmatic linear features characterized by relatively low-albedo features that appear and fade on high-albedo slopes on Mars. Despite numerous hypotheses proposed to explain their formation, the primary mechanism behind SS remains elusive. Here, we examine 702 SS features using 32 multitemporal Context Imager (CTX) images and mesoscale modeling data obtained from a site (centered at 31.230°N, 216.281°E) in the Olympus Mons Aureole region. Our investigation revealed several key findings that shed light on the dynamics of SS formation and fading. We discovered a significant preference for SS formation on south-facing (equator-facing) slopes compared to north-facing slopes, with SS being over seven times more likely to occur on the former. Furthermore, SS formation was found to be seasonal with significantly enhanced by a factor of ∼6 near the equinoxes (from solar longitude Ls 337°-42° and 136°-227°) compared to other times of the year. Our analysis also revealed a correlation between the rates of SS formation and fading, with scree slopes exhibited the fastest-fading SS also experiencing the highest rates of newly-formed SS. Additionally, we measured the median starting and stopping slopes of SS to be 23.4° and 14.9°, respectively, significantly below the angle of repose of sand. These low slopes suggest the necessity for an energetic trigger mechanism to initiate SS formation. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the principal distinction between the material inside and outside of a SS lies in the reduced abundance of dust within the streak. Notably, this site demonstrates the highest rates of SS formation (a 29.6% increase in new SS per Mars year) and fading (a 12% fading of SS per Mars year) ever quantified. These elevated rates may be attributed to the site's topography, which facilitates calm surficial nighttime winds throughout the year, leading to widespread dust deposition. Daytime downhill winds near the ridgelines of S-facing slopes may then trigger movement of newly deposited dust aggregates or alternatively, a Knudsen pump phenomenon could serve as a potential trigger for SS. We propose that SS is inhibited during the northern summer solstice season due to the relatively clear aphelion atmosphere, which limits dust deposition. Similarly, the lack of triggering activity during the winter solstice is likely due to more moderate daytime winds. Overall, our findings are consistent with the wind-triggered dry avalanche hypothesis as a plausible explanation for SS formation.

Influence of pruning times on the phenology of the Sauvignon Blanc vine

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of pruning times on the phenology of the Sauvignon Blanc vine in the 2022/2023 cycle. The treatments were four pruning times based on the winter solstice (T1 33 days before the solstice, T2, T3 and T4, two, 33 and 63 days after, respectively), evaluating phenology: beginning and end of budding (B and FB ), beginning and end of flowering (IF and FF), beginning and end of maturation (IM and FM); percentage of bud sprouting and duration of phenological sub-periods. The treatments demonstrated that they did not influence the phenological stages, presenting similar results or differences of just one or two days in relation to the control. The percentage of bud sprouting was lower for T4. The duration of the total cycle was varied by one day for early pruning. It is possible to extend the pruning period and stagger the activity.

The Temple of Apollo in Didyma

The Temple of Apollo in Didyma, located on the Aegean coast of southwestern Turkey, is not aligned towards the cardinal directions: GPS measurements and satellite imagery indicate that the azimuth of the temple is 55.117°. Lack of prominent geological features in the surrounding landscape raise the idea of a probable celestial orientation. Various orientation studies have suggested bright stars of Gemini, sunrise direction during the summer solstice or the heliacal rising direction of Cygnus and Lyra during the winter solstice as potential vantage directions, and we propose that the temple is aligned towards the heliacal rising direction of Castor (a Geminorum). During the Hellenistic period Castor’s heliacal rise also coincided with the summer solstice, and we believe this alignment serves calendrical and symbolic purposes. We rest our case on astronomical computations, classical texts, archaeological evidence and the unique architectural plan of the temple.

JINGLE BELLS IN THE HISTORICAL WAYS OF CAROL SONGS

Carols traditionally held a central place in the celebration of the Christmas season. It is believed that the angels sang the first carol on the day of Jesus' birth on the first Christmas night. But Carols before the birth of Jesus come to our attention as we travel through history. The beginning of the carol is detailed in history as it was part of the Winter Solstice celebration. There was also a time when carols were written and sung for all four seasons. May carols, Harvest carols etc. were celebrated. Thus in the beginning, Christmas carols were more secular rather than sacred and religious. The secularization didn’t destroy the significance of this carols, it only took the celebration back to its roots and reminded us of the social significance of early secular carols. However, it is a fact that the tradition of singing carols at Christmas only continued later. Many carols today have little to do with Christmas. Are they good signs that carols are becoming secular like in the early days? In the world of music, many songs have been composed about Sacrifice, Love and Peace. How Christmas carols have lasted so long, remaining in people’s minds for centuries and millennia? A study in search of the roots of the Christmas Carols is intended here. An attempt has also been made to associate the immortal Christmas Carols to the centuries in which they were born.

Delivery of bright light therapy within the Veterans Health Administration

BackgroundBright light therapy (BLT) is efficacious for seasonal and non-seasonal depression. However, the current state of BLT use in practice is unknown, impeding efforts to identify and address utilization gaps. This study's objective was to investigate BLT delivery in a nationwide U.S. healthcare system. MethodsThis was a retrospective observational study of electronic medical records from all veterans who received outpatient mood disorder-related care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) from October 2008 through September 2020. BLT delivery was measured through the placement of light box consults. ResultsOf the 3,442,826 veterans who received outpatient mood disorder care, only 57,908 (1.68 %) received a light box consult. Consults increased by 548.44 % (99.9 % credible interval: 467.36 %, 638.74 %) over the timeframe and displayed a robust yearly cycle that peaked on either December 21st or December 22nd. Past mental health treatment for a mood disorder was associated with a higher probability of a consult (relative risk = 4.79, 99.9 % CI: 4.21, 5.60). There was low representation related to veteran age, gender, race, and ethnicity. LimitationsNo information on patients who declined light boxes or actual light box use following consult placement. ConclusionsOutpatient BLT delivery for mood disorders in the VHA remains low, despite significant growth over the past decade. It also displays a strong seasonal rhythm that peaks on the winter solstice, suggesting a limited focus on seasonal depression and a suboptimal reactive approach to changing sunlight. Overall, there exists ample opportunity for novel implementation efforts aimed at increasing utilization of BLT.

Off-design performance evaluation of thermally integrated pumped thermal electricity storage systems with solar energy

Pumped thermal electricity storage that integrates with low-grade heat source (thermally integrated PTES, TI-PTES) have gained widespread attention due to the superior performance compared to traditional PTES systems. In this work, a TI-PTES system integrated with solar energy is constructed. R1233zd(E) is employed as the working fluid in the system. Select solar data from four typical days (Vernal Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice) throughout the year in Chuxiong City, Yunnan Province, which has abundant solar resources. Design conditions for the system are determined by a multi-objective optimization approach, and based on this, the off-design performance of both the charge and discharge processes are studied. The off-design models for the main components of the system are established. In the charge process, the weather conditions from 10:00 to 15:00 on a typical day are selected for a 6-hour charge period, and a parameter analysis of the system is conducted under different weather conditions. In the discharge process, the off-design performance of the system under different load levels is analyzed for two operating modes: constant pressure mode and variable pressure mode. The results indicate that in the charge process, the values of the compressor power under off-design conditions (Wcomp,off), the mass flow rates of the heat pump system (mRHP), and thermal energy storage system (mts) of Winter Solstice are the highest from 11:00 to 15:00 compared to the other 3 days. In the discharge process, the power-to-power efficiency (ηPTP) and Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS) of the Vernal Equinox and Autumn Equinox reach their maximum (74.47 %) and minimum (0.247 $·kWh−1) values at an 80 % load level under variable pressure mode. Under constant pressure mode, the power-to-power efficiency and LCOS of the Vernal Equinox and Autumn Equinox reach their maximum (74.34 %) and minimum (0.232 $·kWh−1) values at 70 % and 40 % load levels. Comparing the off-design performance between the variable pressure mode and constant pressure mode in the discharge process, the variable pressure operation mode is recommended for load levels between 78 % and 85 %, while the constant pressure operation mode is recommended for load levels between 40 % and 78 %, as well as between 85 % and 120 %. The obtained results can serve as a reference for the off-design performance analysis of TI-PTES.

Characteristics of IDL and Es layers and the impact of increasing solar activity on their descent at the Arabian Peninsula

Intermediate descending layers (IDLs) are often referred to enhanced plasma regions that are developed near lower-F/upper-E layers in the ionosphere. These layers often move down to the lower E-layers and merge with sporadic-E (Es) layers within a time span of several minutes to hours. The current study is focused on the investigation of the variability of IDL and Es layers’ diurnally and seasonally at a low-mid latitude region (Sharjah: 25.28oN, 55.46oE) close to the northern crest of equatorial ionization anomaly. We have used the very well-known technique of height-time-intensity (HTI) based on raw ionosonde data. It seems conclusive from our data that the diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal tides impact Es layer indirectly through the formation of IDLs in the upper-E region and their subsequent descent in the lower-E region. Also, the presence of descending IDL and Es layers follow a triannual pattern; the first one is a single layer diurnal pattern of descending early morning IDL during winter solstice and continued to be visible until spring equinox. The second one is the semidiurnal pattern prevails in autumnal equinox and the third one is a terdiurnal pattern in summer solstice. An important observation is the demonstration of the presence of terdiurnal tides being more prominent during lower solar activity period compared to higher solar activity.

The Correlation between Ionospheric Electron Density Variations Derived from Swarm Satellite Observations and Seismic Activity at the Australian–Pacific Tectonic Plate Boundary

Swarm electron density (Ne) observations from the Langmuir probe (LP) can detect ionospheric disturbances at the altitude of a satellite. Along-track satellite observations provide a large number of very short observations of different places in the ionosphere, where Ne is disturbed. Moreover, different perturbations occupy various Ne signal frequencies. Therefore, such short signals are more recognizable in two dimensions, where aside from their change in time, we can observe their diversity in the frequency domain. Spectral analysis is an essential tool applied here, as it enables signal decomposition and the recognition of composite patterns of Ne disturbances that occupy different frequencies. This study shows a high-resolution application of short-term Fourier transform (STFT) to Swarm Ne observations in the Papua New Guinea region in the vicinity of earthquakes, tsunamis, and related general seismic activity. The system of tectonic plate junctions, including the Pacific–Australian boundary, is located orthogonally to Swarm track footprints. The selected wavelengths of seismically induced ionospheric disturbances detected via Swarm are compared with the three sets of three-month records of seismic activity: in the winter solstice of 2016/2017, when seismic activity was highest, and in the summer solstice and vernal equinox of 2016, which were calmer. Moreover, more Swarm data records are analyzed at the same latitudes for validation purposes, in a place where there are no tectonic plate boundaries that are orthogonal to the Swarm orbital footprint. Additional validation is supplied through Swarm Ne observations from completely different latitudes, where the Swarm orbital footprint orthogonally crosses a different subducting plate boundary. Aside from the seismic energy, the solar radio flux (F10.7), equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs), and geomagnetic ap and Dst indices are also reviewed here. Their influence on the ionospheric Ne is also found in Swarm observations. Finally, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), applied to the pairs of 3-month time series created from Swarm Ne variations, seismic energy, ap, Dst, and F10.7, summarizes the graphical inspection of mutual correlations. It points to the predominant correlation of Swarm Ne disturbances with seismicity, especially during nighttime. We show that most of the Ne disturbances at a selected wavelength of 300 km correlate more with seismicity than with geomagnetic and solar indices. Therefore, Swarm LP can be assessed as being capable of observing the lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC) from the orbit.

A PROSAIL model with a vegetation index lookup table optimized with in-situ statistics for rapeseed leaf area index estimation using diverse unmanned aerial vehicle sensors in the Yangtze River Basin

For winter rapeseed, timely monitoring of the leaf area index (LAI) near the winter solstice is critical for estimating its overwintering survival rate and yield. While unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing techniques have emerged as a promising means for crop LAI monitoring, many existing crop LAI models have only been evaluated using a single sensor system, a single cultivar, a single development stage, and/or a single site. As a result, the generalization capability of these LAI models is limited. In this study, four empirical statistical models (ESMs) and a new PROSAIL-based lookup table (LUT) method were developed to estimate the LAI of 24 winter rapeseed cultivars mainly grown in the Yangtze River Basin. The raw LUT was optimized using a vegetation index (VI) strategy after screening out inefficient parameter combinations using in-situ UAV reflectance and measured LAIs. The model transferability was evaluated across three years, six regional sites around Yangtze River Basin, different development stages, and two data sources from different sensors. An artificial neural network model in the ESMs performed best for data acquired in 2019 and 2020, but could not be used to estimate the LAI in 2018 due to the use of different sensors for data acquisition. In contrast, the optimized VI-LUT method was robust and outperformed the raw LUT for LAI retrieval with a root mean squared error of <0.7 for all data sets. These findings suggest that the optimized VI-LUT method has potential for estimating LAI at different spatial and temporal scales, especially for the situation where sensor types are difficult to be unified in multiple locations. Moreover, the genotype in these cultivars did not appear to dominate LAI generation before overwintering, but the climatic zone did. These findings have implications for the study of genotype-environment interactions in rapeseed cultivation.

Daylight performance of the Modified Double Light Pipe (MDLP) through yearly experimental tests on a scale model of the system

This work focuses on the Modified Double Light Pipe (MDLP), a daylighting system designed to improve the performance of the Double Light Pipe (DLP).The paper shows the results of a yearly experimental activity carried out on a 1:2 scale model of the device. The dynamic metrics DA, cDA, and U0 have been calculated on a seasonal and yearly basis, and the internal illuminance trend has been determined in four representative days: winter and summer solstices, and spring and autumn equinoxes.The system is effective in delivering daylight in underground areas of buildings both on sunny and cloudy days. Particularly, under overcast sky, a good congruence between internal and external illuminances happens, and linear regression equations allow us to determine the internal illuminance as a function of the external one. Under clear sky with sun, this correlation is less precise at the corners of the room, due to the presence of direct solar radiation, while remaining accurate in the central area. The daylight autonomy is significant for target values of 50 and 100 lx, particularly in spring and summer. DA100 ranges between 0.58 and 0.83 in spring and between 0.66 and 0.83 in summer. The uniformity of daylight distribution on the horizontal work plane can be considered acceptable quite in all climatic conditions, particularly in spring and summer with U0 higher than 0.7 in 81 % (spring) and 85 % (summer) of cases. Altogether, the results can be considered satisfactory.

Optimization of the thermal-optical performance of a PCM-integrated thermochromic glazing system

Facades that employ adaptive technologies have shown great potential in enhancing building energy efficiency. This study investigates a novel phase-change material integrated thermochromic glazing (PCM-TCG), and applies it on skylights of an exhibition building in Shanghai. Thermal performance and daylighting performance of the building were analysed using Fluent and Grasshopper/Honeybee respectively and they were optimized through Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II. It was found that on summer solstice and winter solstice, the optimized solution provided an excellent trade-off between thermal and daylighting performance, reducing the total energy demand by 88% and increasing the daylighting satisfaction time by 5 hours compared to low-E glazing on summer solstice and winter solstice.

Genetic algorithm optimization of heliostat field layout for the design of a central receiver solar thermal power plant

The heliostat field layout in a central receiver solar thermal power plant has significant optical losses that can ultimately affect the overall output power of the plant. In this paper, an optimized heliostat field layout based on annual efficiency and power of 50 MW for the local coordinates of Quetta, Pakistan, is proposed. The performance of two different heliostat field layouts such as radial staggered and Fermat's spiral distribution are evaluated and different design points in a year are considered for the analysis. The field layouts are then optimized using a rejection sampling based Genetic Algorithm (GA). It considers the output power and mean overall efficiency for vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice as objective functions. The GA optimizes the heliostat field parameters, namely, security distance (DS), tower height (TH), heliostat width to length ratio (WR), and the length of heliostats (LH). The study system was developed in MATLAB for validation. It was observed that for the radial staggered layout, the number of heliostats decreased by 364 and the efficiency was improved by 8.52 % using GA optimization relative to unoptimized results field layout. The annual efficiency for Fermat's spiral configuration was improved by 14.62 % and correspondingly, the number of heliostats decreased by 434.

Solar Radiation Tracking Design Based on Photoelectric Sensor for Tracing Signal Reconstruction Algorithm

Due to the high precision, low power requirements, and maintenance-free nature, the four-quadrant photoelectric sensor (FQPS) and the laser displacement sensor are employed in the development of the two-axis solar tracker. Among them, when designing the optical path of the FQPS, a cavity-wandering optical path is introduced to control the spot size of the direct sunlight falling on the sensor. The sensor interface has five data transmission lines, of which four positive poles correspond to the four quadrants of the planar two-dimensional coordinate system. AD7793 is used as the signal collector and a differential amplifier with small clutter is integrated. A laser displacement sensor is installed in the solar radiation tracker to realize the self-correction of movement error. The main control circuit adopts DSP chip TMS320F28335 for the whole dual-axis sun tracker. In the experiment, Code Composer Studio was used for development, and SPA algorithm was used to measure the position. A number of error correction variables, such as year, month, day, time, minute, second, ΔT, time zone, longitude, latitude, etc., are added to the algorithm. After debugging the hardware and software, the sunrise and sunset times of a certain place on the solar terms such as spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice in 2022 are tested, and compared with those released by the Meteorological Bureau. The tracking signal is rebuilt using proximal gradient descent technology. The results demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio under the reconstruction algorithm is continuously enhanced and tends to stabilize with an increase in sampling rate without noise, and it exhibits good signal reconstruction performance in the presence of noise and growing noise.

Multi-parametric optimization volumetric porosity to minimize energy consumption in high-rise residential complexes

The physical characteristics of high-rise buildings are among the complex and influential factors that contribute to energy consumption reduction. This research introduces an algorithmic method to investigate the impact of volumetric porosity of buildings on the level of cooling and heating load consumption. The objective of this research is to elucidate the correlation between the aforementioned variables in a high-rise residential complex in Tehran city through a proposed method. This objective was accomplished through the creation of a parametric and variable “Modular Generative Model”. To this end, a parametric generative model was utilized to extract models with varying porosity percentages. These models were then influenced by the percentage of surface radiation in Tehran on two specific dates: the summer solstice and the winter solstice. The extraction process was performed algorithmically. Then, a multi-parametric simulation was conducted on these two dates, considering various parameters, in a way that can be generalized to other global climates. The correlation between the pore volume percentage and the energy consumption was calculated and tested on the aforementioned dates.In the subsequent phase, energy simulation was carried out once again to optimize energy consumption for a specific climate. This involved replacing the glass modules with porous modules in the mentioned samples and leveraging their greenhouse effect. Subsequently, the correlation between the greenhouse effect and the cooling and heating load consumption was analyzed by studying the correlation graph. Finally, in order to achieve the optimal solution, a genetic algorithm was employed to determine the optimal values of the independent variables, which would result in the minimum values of the dependent variables. The findings of this research provide a set of quantitative recommendations based on the most optimal solution, which can be utilized as form-finding rules in the initial stages of design.

Energy-Based Design: Improving Modern Brazilian Buildings Performance through Their Shading Systems, the Nova Cintra Case Study

Current research applies an energy-based design model to improve performance in existing modern buildings, in Rio de Janeiro, from the 1940’s, improving these buildings’ shading systems. This article proposes a methodology tested through a case study, the Nova Cintra building. The methodology starts by analysing the original shading system performance, regarding insolation, illuminance and air temperature. Using these results, proposes two computacional methods to improve performance: (1) a combinatorial modelling process, recombining the existing shading systems positions in the building’s north façade; and (2) a transformation process, using parametric and algorithmic–parametric modelling, to improve the existing shading systems performance. Both processes use optimization algorithms. The results of these modelling and optimization methods are compared with the results of the original system and suggests an improvement between 111.1% and 590.4% for insolation; between 360.9% and 84.4% for illuminance; and between 2.9% and 3.0% for air temperature, considering winter and summer solstices. This improvement aims at reducing the buildings’ energy consumption and foresees the production of renewable energy from solar harvesting, to mitigate climate change.

Seasonal morphology and solar activity dependence analysis of mid-latitude post-midnight enhancement using Global Ionospheric Map

In the mid-latitude ionosphere, the anomalous enhancement during nighttime is defined by an increase in electron density of the F2 region and/or total electron content. Studying this phenomenon is important because it enriches our understanding of the complex physical processes responsible for ionosphere formation. Furthermore, long-term investigations can reveal patterns and trends in ionospheric behavior, enabling more accurate predictions and improvements in ionosphere models. In this paper, we have investigated the mid-latitude post-midnight enhancement (MPE) utilizing Global Ionosphere total electron content (TEC) Maps (GIMs) during Low Solar Activity (LSA) years 2009, 2020 and High Solar Activity (HSA) year 2014. The investigation is done in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during post-midnight hours (0–6 LT) focusing on the occurrence and strength of the MPE according to its seasonal morphology, in addition to the MPE occurrence dependence on the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) and the influence of the F10.7 on the strength of MPE. The findings indicate that the MPE occurrence and strength are more frequent and stronger during the winter solstice and depend on season, longitude, latitude, and level of solar activity. The MPE occurrence rate and strength reduce when solar activity is higher. The MPE occurrence rate shows a correlation with the IMF's By and Bz components. The negative correlation between F10.7 and MPE strength emphasizes solar activity's impact on MPE.