Climate variation

BackgroundAfrican rice, Oryza glaberrima, is an invaluable resource for rice cultivation and for the improvement of biotic and abiotic resistance properties. Since its domestication in the inner Niger delta ca. 2500 years BP, African rice has colonized a variety of ecologically and climatically diverse regions. However, little is known about the genetic basis of quantitative traits and adaptive variation of agricultural interest for this species.ResultsUsing a reference set of 163 fully re-sequenced accessions, we report the results of a Genome Wide Association Study carried out for African rice. We investigated a diverse panel of traits, including flowering date, panicle architecture and resistance to Rice yellow mottle virus. For this, we devised a pipeline using complementary statistical association methods. First, using flowering time as a target trait, we demonstrated that we could successfully retrieve known genes from the rice flowering pathway, and identified new genomic reg...

The fact that the climate on the earth is a highly complex dynamical system is well-known. In the last few decades great deal of effort has been focused on understanding how climate phenomena in one geographical region affects the climate of other regions. Complex networks are a powerful framework for identifying climate interdependencies. To further exploit the knowledge of the links uncovered via the network analysis (for, e.g., improvements in prediction), a good understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying these links is required. Here we focus on understanding the role of atmospheric variability, and construct climate networks representing internal and forced variability using the output of an ensemble of AGCM runs. A main strength of our work is that we construct the networks using MIOP (mutual information computed from ordinal patterns), which allows the separation of intraseasonal, intraannual and interannual timescales. This gives further insight to the analysis of climatological data. The connectivity of these networks allows us to assess the influence of two main indices, NINO3.4 -one of the indices used to describe ENSO (El Niño-Southern oscillation) -and of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), by calculating the networks from time series where these indices were linearly removed. A main result of our analysis is that the connectivity of the forced variability network is heavily affected by "El Niño": removing the NINO3.4 index yields a general loss of connectivity; even teleconnections between regions far away from the equatorial Pacific Ocean are lost, suggesting that these regions are not directly linked, but rather, are indirectly interconnected via El Niño, particularly at interannual timescales. On the contrary, on the internal variability network -independent of sea surface temperature (SST) forcing -the links connect-ing the Labrador Sea with the rest of the world are found to be significantly affected by NAO, with a maximum at intraannual timescales. While the strongest non-local links found are those forced by the ocean, the presence of teleconnections due to internal atmospheric variability is also shown.

This research was conducted to study the effects of climate variables such as rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity on cowpea yield, and evaluated in Gombe State, Nigeria, during the period of 2009 to 2018 (one decade). The ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study, utilizing secondary data obtained from meteorological and agronomic data collected from the Metrological Office and agronomic data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Gombe State. Both data were collected and analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Simple Linear regression. The study found that there is a negative relationship between rainfall, relative humidity and area of land/ha, while a positive relationship existed for temperature and cowpea yield over the period under study decade. The study revealed that all the parameters-rainfall temperature, relative humidity contributes 61% to climate variation in the study area. The study among others recommended that cowpea farmers should adopt new measures such as early planting, use of resistant varieties, contour farming to conserve water and supplementary irrigation to cope with the negative effects of climate change on cowpea yield and increases cowpea production in Gombe State, Nigeria.

This research was conducted to study the effects of climate variables such as rainfall, temperature, and
relative humidity on cowpea yield, and evaluated in Gombe State, Nigeria, during the period of 2009 to
2018 (one decade). The ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study, utilizing secondary
data obtained from meteorological and agronomic data collected from the Metrological Office and
agronomic data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Gombe State. Both data were collected and analysed
using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Simple Linear
regression. The study found that there is a negative relationship between rainfall, relative humidity and
area of land/ha, while a positive relationship existed for temperature and cowpea yield over the period
under study decade. The study revealed that all the parameters-rainfall temperature, relative humidity
contributes 61% to climate variation in the study area. The study among others recommended that
cowpea farmers should adopt new measures such as early planting, use of resistant varieties, contour
farming to conserve water and supplementary irrigation to cope with the negative effects of climate
change on cowpea yield and increases cowpea production in Gombe State, Nigeria.

There is interest in knowing historical spatio-temporal patterns of landslide activity. However, this is challenging to reconstruct because it is difficult to obtain detailed records for past landslide activity. Here, we deal with hydro-geomorphological signatures, such as storms, downpours, floods, snowmelt and mass movement, to detect annual slope instability events (ASIEs) over historical times. In order to obtain ASIEs for each year, a monthly Instability Density Index (IDI) was used and then monthly values were summed up to obtain a yearly value. Classes of monthly IDI varying between 0 (no instability) and 4 (highest instability) were determined from historical documents. We present an application for the Calore River Basin, Southern Italy, using data from a 313-year long series (1701-2013 CE). After 1880 CE the information becomes more valuable with directly observed landslide frequency. By this cataloguing, 129 ASIEs were obtained. Their evolution shows slight instability during the 18th century. Uneven and greater slope instability occurred instead across the 19th century, when an important phase of deforestation coincided with intensification of agricultural activities. Slope instability events continued during the 20th century but their causes are mainly related to anthropisation and the effects of recent climate change. It was determined that stormy autumns until the 19th century and successive winter-times with enhanced snowmelt, may have driven the reactivation of widespread instability events. We also found that mountainous and hilly terrains have an acute sensitivity to climate change.

The influence of the ocean circulation on the climate of Ireland is more subtle than it first appears. Temperatures in Ireland are warmer than similar Pacific maritime climates. It is heat ‐ carried primarily in the Atlantic overturning circulation ‐ released over the Atlantic that provides this additional warmth. We investigate variations in Irish climate using long‐term station‐based time series. The Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) explains over 90% of the pronounced decadal temperature and summer precipitation variation. Understanding the impact of these ocean variations when interpreting long climate records, particularly in the context of a changing climate, is crucial.

BackgroundAfrican rice, Oryza glaberrima, is an invaluable resource for rice cultivation and for the improvement of biotic and abiotic resistance properties. Since its domestication in the inner Niger delta ca. 2500 years BP, African rice has colonized a variety of ecologically and climatically diverse regions. However, little is known about the genetic basis of quantitative traits and adaptive variation of agricultural interest for this species.ResultsUsing a reference set of 163 fully re-sequenced accessions, we report the results of a Genome Wide Association Study carried out for African rice. We investigated a diverse panel of traits, including flowering date, panicle architecture and resistance to Rice yellow mottle virus. For this, we devised a pipeline using complementary statistical association methods. First, using flowering time as a target trait, we demonstrated that we could successfully retrieve known genes from the rice flowering pathway, and identified new genomic reg...

The Pontocaspian (Black Sea-Caspian Sea) region has a very dynamic history of basin development and biotic evolution. The region is the remnant of a once vast Paratethys Sea. It contains some of the best Eurasian geological records of tectonic, climatic and paleoenvironmental change. The Pliocene-Quaternary co-evolution of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea is dominated by major changes in water (lake and sea) levels resulting in a pulsating system of connected and isolated basins. Understanding the history of the region, including the drivers of lake level and faunal evolution, is hampered by indistinct stratigraphic nomenclature and contradicting time constraints for regional sedimentary successions. In this paper we review and update the late Pliocene to Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the Pontocaspian domain, focusing on the Black Sea Basin, Caspian Basin, Marmara Sea and the terrestrial environments surrounding these large, mostly endorheic lakesea systems. orogenic belt that progressively formed by ongoing tectonic collision of the Eurasian plate with the African-Arabian and Indian plates (Rögl, 1999; Popov et al., 2006). In Oligo-Miocene times, the Paratethys Sea covered large parts of Europe and Asia, stretching from southern Germany in the west to western China in the east. A complex combination of Mio-Pliocene tectonic uplift, glacio-eustatic sea level fluctuations, and sedimentation by major deltaic systems, progressively filled the

The origin of Man and the Earth is traditionally associated with landscape and climatological changes. We suggest that along with the above factors, regional tectonic-geodynamic factors played a dominant role in the character of dispersal. The African-Levantine-Caucasian region is one of the most geologically complex regions of the world, where collisional and spreading geodynamics processes converge. For the first time, it is determined an essential influence of the Akchagylian hydrospheric maximum (about 200 m above the mean sea level) limited the early dispersal of hominins from Africa to Eurasia. We propose that the Levantine Corridor emerged after the end of the Akchagylian transgression and landscape forming in the Eastern Mediterranean. The movements between the Dead Sea Transform and the boundary of the Mesozoic Terrane Belt carbonate platform formed this corridor location. Further landscape evolution was largely determined by the geodynamic behavior of the deep mantle rotating structure occurring below the central part of the region under study. All the mentioned events around and in the Levantine Corridor have been studied in detail based on the combined geodynamic, paleogeographic, and paleomagnetic analyses performed in northern Israel (Carmel uplift and Galilee plateau). Careful studies of the Evron quarry geological section indicate that it is unique for dating the marine and continental archaeological sequences and sheds light on the early dispersal of hominins along the Levantine Corridor. For a thorough analysis of the well-studied anthropological site of 'Ubeidiya (located some km SW of the Sea of Galilee), we used the following principal methodologies: paleogeographic research combined with examination of hydrospheric disturbances, analysis of cyclic stratigraphy, generalization of detailed paleomagnetic stratigraphy, biostratigraphic correlation, lithological-facies analysis, event stratigraphy, and structural-tectonic studies. Methods of comparative analysis of several anthropological sites surrounding the site of 'Ubeidiya were also employed. Comprehensive paleomagnetic mapping and profiling have been applied to a few areas in the northern part of the Levantine corridor. It can reveal some essential tectonic-structural peculiarities of the sites disposed of this strip. Paleogeographic and tectonic-geodynamic data analyses indicate that the Calabrian age of the ‘Ubeidiya site is discussable. The constructed palinspastic reconstruction map (3.6–2.0 Ma) unmasked important tectonic-magmatic features of the area under study. Based on the combined multifactor analysis, we propose that the age of this site can be significantly increased. The new suggested age (Lower Matuyama - Gelasian) may require a revision of the entire global process of dispersal of primitive man from Africa to the north.

Introduction ______________________________________________________________________ 1.1. Climate change and soybean yield variation _______________________________________________ 1.2. Soybean production in Japan and climate influence _________________________________________ Chapter 5 __________________________________________________________________ General discussion and conclusion __________________________________________________ 5.1. Soybean yield classification for Japan ___________________________________________________ 5.2. Predictor variables for yield in Japan ____________________________________________________ 5.3. Seasonal and periodic variability in solar radiation estimation model __________________________ 5.4. Predictor variables for soybean yield in Asia ______________________________________________ 5.5. Yield reduction from field experiment ___________________________________________________ 5.6. Future yield prediction _______________________________________________________________ 5.7. Conclusion _________________________________________________________________________ Acknowledgement ___________________________________________________________ References ________________________________________________________________ List of symbols and abbreviations ______________________________________________ List of publications __________________________________________________________

Vit Klemeš (1932-2010) wrote: “The unsatisfactory state of hydrology is … the result of the dichotomy between the theoretical recognition of hydrology as a science in its own right and the practical impossibility of studying it as a primary discipline, but only as an appendage of hydraulic engineering, geography, geology, etc. …” (1986) and “… the consequence of the fact that, in the absence of hydrology as a full-fledged science, engineers themselves had to supply the hydrological inputs they needed and they did so by constructing simple empirical models from the data - after all, it was not their business to do 'scientific hydrology'”(1999). These were last century articles; the recent publication, “Joint Editorial – On the Future of Journal Publications in Hydrology” in five international hydrological journals shows the presence of a similar situation now. Two topics considered in the presentation are Logic and Ontology, to present Hydrology in a wider multi-disciplinary ...

El IPCC (Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático) ha pronosticado cambios principalmente en las temperaturas, precipitaciones y eventos extremos. Ya se han detectado durante el siglo XX aumentos en la temperatura de la superficie del globo terrestre de 0,6°C±0,2°C. La fisiología, productividad y ciclo fenológico de las plantas depende de las condiciones climáticas. En este trabajo, se analizaron series meteorológicas de 50 años, en tres oasis productivos de Mendoza, Argentina, a través de índices climáticos y ecológicos. Se compararon estadísticamente estos índices, en dos décadas de la serie (una inicial y otra final) y se evaluó su variación en el tiempo mediante regresión lineal. El análisis comparativo de las dos décadas mostró diferentes cambios según la zona en estudio. En la zona Este mayor número de índices que podrían afectar la viticultura sufrieron variación. En la zona Norte y Sur, el número de índices climáticos y ecológicos que presentaron cambios fueron menore...

Medicago minima is a pasture legume that grows almost all over the world. In Tunisia, it occupies various climatic environments and is considered the most abundant annual Medicago plant. However, this species is unconsumed and unused by humans. This study aimed to explore the phytochemical characteristics of Medicago minima selected from different provenances in Tunisia and subsequently investigate the influence of environmental factors on their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. Therefore, a calorimetric method and DPPH tests provided the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant potential in roots, stems, leaves and seeds. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified and quantified four phenolic acids and three flavonoids in the studied organs. Roots and leaves showed the greatest phenolic compound content and had high antioxidant activity. Rutin and syringic acid (leaves) represent a characteristic for this species. For each organ, princi...

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the largest ice-free region on the continent. These valleys contain numerous water bodies that receive seasonal melt from glaciers. For forty years, research emphasis has been placed on the larger water bodies, the permanent ice-covered lakes. We present results from the first study describing the geochemistry of ponds in the higher elevations of Taylor Valley. Unlike the lakes at lower elevations, the landscape on which these ponds lie is among the oldest in Taylor Valley. These upland ponds wax and wane in size depending on the local climatic conditions, and their ionic concentrations and isotopic composition vary annually depending on the amount of meltwater generated and their hydrologic connectivity. This study evaluates the impact of changes in summer climate on the chemistry of these ponds. Although pond chemistry reflects the initial meltwater chemistry, dissolution and chemical weathering within the stream channels, and possibly permafrost fluid input, the primary control is the dilution effect of glacier melt during warmer summers. These processes lead to differences in solute concentrations and ionic ratios between ponds, despite their nearby proximity. The change in size of these ponds over time has important consequences on their geochemical behaviour and potential to provide water and solutes to the subsurface.

Natural flow regimes are of primary interest in designing environmental flows and therefore essential for water management and planning. The present study discriminated natural hydrologic variation using two different environmental classifications (REC-Segura and WFD-ecotypes) and tested their agreement with an a posteriori (hydrologic) classification in a Spanish Mediterranean basin (the Segura River, SE Spain). The REC-Segura was developed as a two-level hierarchical classification based on environmental variables that influence hydrology (climate and source-of-flow). The WFD-ecotypes were developed by the Spanish Ministry for the Environment to implement the Water Framework Directive (WFD) using hierarchical hydrologic, morphologic and physicochemical variables. The climate level in the REC-Segura broadly described the hydrologic pattern observed along the NW-SE aridity gradient of the basin. However, source-of-flow (defined by karstic geology) was only able to discriminate variation in flow regimes within one climatic category. The WFD-ecotypes, despite incorporating hydrologic variables, did not fully discriminate hydrologic variation in the basin. Ecotypes in tributary streams located in dry or semiarid climates embrace different flow regimes (both perennial and intermittent). There was little agreement between environmental and hydrologic classifications. Therefore, the authors advise against the use of environmental classifications for the assessment of environmental flows without first testing their ability to discriminate hydrologic patterns.

Medicago minima is a pasture legume that grows almost all over the world. In Tunisia, it occupies various climatic environments and is considered the most abundant annual Medicago plant. However, this species is unconsumed and unused by humans. This study aimed to explore the phytochemical characteristics of Medicago minima selected from different provenances in Tunisia and subsequently investigate the influence of environmental factors on their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. Therefore, a calorimetric method and DPPH tests provided the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant potential in roots, stems, leaves and seeds. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified and quantified four phenolic acids and three flavonoids in the studied organs. Roots and leaves showed the greatest phenolic compound content and had high antioxidant activity. Rutin and syringic acid (leaves) represent a characteristic for this species. For each organ, princi...

Having great impacts on human lives, global warming and associated sea level rise are believed to be strongly linked to anthropogenic causes. Statistical approach offers a simple and yet conceptually verifiable combination of remotely connected climate variables and indices, including sea level and surface temperature. We propose an improved statistical reconstruction model based on the empirical dynamic control system by taking into account the climate variability and deriving parameters from Monte Carlo cross-validation random experiments. For the historic data from 1880 to 2001, we yielded higher correlation results compared to those from other dynamic empirical models. The averaged root mean square errors are reduced in both reconstructed fields, namely, the global mean surface temperature (by 24-37%) and the global mean sea level (by 5-25%). Our model is also more robust as it notably diminished the unstable problem associated with varying initial values. Such results suggest that the model not only enhances significantly the global mean reconstructions of temperature and sea level but also may have a potential to improve future projections.

Perceptions and understanding of rural agroforest farmers about climate change, the possible consequences of climate change and available adaptation options for its mitigation in the tropics have been noted to be abysmally low. This study examines the perception and adaptation strategies of agroforest farmers towards climate change mitigation in Ekiti State. The study area was stratified into two vegetation zones (rainforest and derived savannah). Pretested interview schedule were administered to eighty randomly selected agroforest farmers for collection of data in the two zones. Field observations revealed that majority of the respondents are married (96.25 %) male (93.75 %) of over 40 years old (81.25 %) with 50 % of them having more than 10 years of farming experience. The study revealed that farmers perceived that there are changes in climatic parameters (temperature, rainfall and wind intensity) with its attendant consequences on their production. Measures such as mulching, adjustment in planting period and planting of different crop were employed by respondents to mitigate the effect of climate change on their livelihood. The study also identified among others; lack of water for irrigation and lack of information on weather forecast as some of the problems militating against their adaptation to climate change.

Siepielski et al . (Reports, 3 March 2017, p. 959) claim that “precipitation drives global variation in natural selection.” This conclusion is based on a meta-analysis of the relationship between climate variables and natural selection measured in wild populations of invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates. Three aspects of this analysis cause concern: (i) lack of within-year climate variables, (ii) low and variable estimates of covariance relationships across taxa, and (iii) a lack of mechanistic explanations for the patterns observed; association is not causation.

The combined impact of Greenland sea ice, Eurasian snow, and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the out-of-phase relationship between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and Korean summer monsoon (KSM) were investigated through numerical experiments. The results revealed that Indian and Korean summer rainfalls showed nonlinear responses to ENSO and Greenland sea ice forcing when the events co-occurred. Above-normal Greenland sea ice and a concurrent La Niña showed a distinct in-phase relationship with ISM and out-of-phase relationship with KSM. Below-normal and above-normal Greenland sea ice during boreal autumn surrounded the Greenland region with anomalous low pressure and high pressure, respectively. These were associated with a barotropic +west/−east orwest/+east dipole pattern, respectively, over Eurasia during the subsequent winter and spring seasons. Furthermore, these patterns led to positive and negative snow depth anomalies, respectively, over western Eurasia and the opposite snow tendency over eastern Eurasia during the subsequent spring. This variability in Eurasian snow patterns may play a crucial role in ISM and KSM. The co-occurrence of ENSO variability also generates high-and low-pressure anomaly patterns over the Indian Ocean that may be related to unfavourable or favourable ISM, respectively, while influencing the negative or positive phases of a Pacific Japan (PJ)-like teleconnection pattern that may be related to unfavourable or favourable KSM, respectively. Therefore, coexisting ENSO forcing may play a dominant role in ISM and KSM, but Greenland sea ice forcing and Eurasian snow variation intensify the out-of-phase relationship between ISM and KSM. K E Y W O R D S ENSO, Eurasian snow, Greenland sea ice, Indian summer monsoon, Korean summer monsoon 1 | INTRODUCTION The Asian summer monsoon (ASM) can be roughly classified into two subsystems: South Asian summer monsoon (SAM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). SAM covers the Arabian Sea, Indian subcontinent, and Bay of Bengal, while EASM includes China, Korea, and Japan. Although the South Asian and East Asian regions are

El IPCC (Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático) ha pronosticado cambios principalmente en las temperaturas, precipitaciones y eventos extremos. Ya se han detectado durante el siglo XX aumentos en la temperatura de la superficie del globo terrestre de 0,6°C±0,2°C. La fisiología, productividad y ciclo fenológico de las plantas depende de las condiciones climáticas. En este trabajo, se analizaron series meteorológicas de 50 años, en tres oasis productivos de Mendoza, Argentina, a través de índices climáticos y ecológicos. Se compararon estadísticamente estos índices, en dos décadas de la serie (una inicial y otra final) y se evaluó su variación en el tiempo mediante regresión lineal. El análisis comparativo de las dos décadas mostró diferentes cambios según la zona en estudio. En la zona Este mayor número de índices que podrían afectar la viticultura sufrieron variación. En la zona Norte y Sur, el número de índices climáticos y ecológicos que presentaron cambios fueron menore...

El IPCC (Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático) ha pronosticado cambios principalmente en las temperaturas, precipitaciones y eventos extremos. Ya se han detectado durante el siglo XX aumentos en la temperatura de la superficie del globo terrestre de 0,6°C±0,2°C. La fisiología, productividad y ciclo fenológico de las plantas depende de las condiciones climáticas. En este trabajo, se analizaron series meteorológicas de 50 años, en tres oasis productivos de Mendoza, Argentina, a través de índices climáticos y ecológicos. Se compararon estadísticamente estos índices, en dos décadas de la serie (una inicial y otra final) y se evaluó su variación en el tiempo mediante regresión lineal. El análisis comparativo de las dos décadas mostró diferentes cambios según la zona en estudio. En la zona Este mayor número de índices que podrían afectar la viticultura sufrieron variación. En la zona Norte y Sur, el número de índices climáticos y ecológicos que presentaron cambios fueron menore...

Having great impacts on human lives, global warming and associated sea level rise are believed to be strongly linked to anthropogenic causes. Statistical approach offers a simple and yet conceptually verifiable combination of remotely connected climate variables and indices, including sea level and surface temperature. We propose an improved statistical reconstruction model based on the empirical dynamic control system by taking into account the climate variability and deriving parameters from Monte Carlo cross-validation random experiments. For the historic data from 1880 to 2001, we yielded higher correlation results compared to those from other dynamic empirical models. The averaged root mean square errors are reduced in both reconstructed fields, namely, the global mean surface temperature (by 24-37%) and the global mean sea level (by 5-25%). Our model is also more robust as it notably diminished the unstable problem associated with varying initial values. Such results suggest that the model not only enhances significantly the global mean reconstructions of temperature and sea level but also may have a potential to improve future projections.

Engineered rivers in arid lands play an important role in feeding the world's growing population. Each continent has rivers that carry water over long distances to fertile soil where rainfall is scarce. Over the course of the last century rivers have been equipped with large engineering structures that generate electric power and store water for agriculture and cities. This has changed the hydrology of the rivers. In this paper we discuss how climate change, reservoir siltation and population growth pose challenges to the sustainability of engineered river systems. We use the Rio Grande in North America, where we have worked with Mexican and American colleagues, to describe our methodology and results. Similar work is needed to asses future water supply and demand in other engineered rivers around the world. Figure 2 Colorado and Rio Grande Basins Upper Rio Grande: The Rio Grande originates from springs and snow deposits on the eastern slope of continental divide in Colorado's San Juan Mountains [2]. Snowmelt provides reliable flows in the spring. The river passes through Southern Colorado and New Mexico and numerous dams and agricultural diversions before reaching the Paso del Norte (PdN) sub-basin 560 kilometers downstream. Volume of precipitation and timing of snowmelt in the headwaters region determine how much and when water reaches the main storage facility here-Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico. Since 1916 the reservoir serves as the main hydrological structure of the Rio Grande Project. In 1936 a second reservoir, Caballo, was built a short distance further downstream. Operation of the tandem reservoirs allows for year-round generation of electric power at Elephant Butte and seasonal release of irrigation water at Caballo. The PdN is home to extensive agriculture and the cities of Las Cruces, El Paso and Cd. Juárez with a current population of 3 million people. Population is expected to double by 2050. The PdN sub-basin ends 277 kilometers further downstream at Fort Quitman, Texas. At this point most river water has been diverted, over 80 percent to support thriving agriculture in New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. Near El Paso, Texas the river becomes the international border with Mexico. Upper Rio Grande water is divided under interstate agreements between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas and, under a 1906 treaty, between Mexico and the United States. The United States is obligated to transfer 60,000 acre feet/year to Mexico. In-stream flow is low during the winter months. Lower Rio Grande: 500 kilometers downstream from Fort Quitman the Rio Grande is rejuvenated by two tributaries-the Conchos in Mexico and the Pecos in New Mexico and Texas. Year-round stream flow in the Lower Rio Grande is ensured by these rivers. They are fed by snow melt at high elevations and then flow over arid plains where they are partially depleted by evaporation and withdrawals. The main storage facilities to capture Conchos and Pecos flows are Falcón and Amistad reservoirs built in the 1950s and 60s. Since 1972 the two reservoirs have been operated as a single system by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The reservoirs provide 95 percent of available surface water to the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) sub-basin downstream. The LRGV is home to intensive agriculture and the rapidly growing twin cities of Laredo-Nuevo Laredo, McAllen-Reynosa and Brownsville-Matamoros. At the end of its 3,000 km long run the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico, except in drought years. The LRGV has a current population of 3.5 million. Ground water is of poor quality, making the river the main source of drinking water, irrigation and the ecosystem. River water is shared between Mexico and the United States under a 1944 treaty. Mexico is obligated to transfer 350.000 acre-feet/year to the United States. In exchange, Mexico receives water from the Colorado in California. Conchos deliveries have exceeded the treaty obligation except during a recent drought period, causing a serious water conflict with Mexico [3, 4, 5]. Water management agencies The variability of the basin's arid climate entails the risks of both drought and flooding. To manage these risks and allocate water among claimants a complex array of water agencies has been created. Colorado, New Mexico and Texas share water under the Rio Grande Compact.

Spatially precise forecasts of the impacts of climate change on the distribution of major vegetation types are essential for the implementation of effective conservation and land use policy. However, existing studies frequently omit major sources of climate variability that can significantly increase the uncertainty of projections. In this study we demonstrate how different predictions for sea surface temperature (SST) for the first half of the twentyfirst century increase the uncertainty associated with forecasts of the future distribution of major ecosystems in South America. This is demonstrated through a numerical experiment using a coupled climate-vegetation model (CCM3-IBIS) for IPCC emission scenario A2 that incorporates the SST data from ten different models. The study reveals an increasing uncertainty in the ability to forecast future vegetation patterns, such that by 2050 the simulation is unable to robustly forecast the vegetation cover in an area equivalent to 28 % in South America (5×10 6 km 2). The future of the central and northeastern regions of Brazil is especially uncertain, with outcomes, ranging from savanna, and open shrubland to grassland. Recognizing and managing such uncertainty should be a priority for decision makers.

The Apennine provinces of Campania Region (southern Italy), Benevento, Avellino and Salerno, are known for their 'unstable towns' suffering periodic damage from landslides. Their identification and mapping are very challenging tasks, since boundary mapping under urban settlements is not always possible without time-consuming field analysis of building damage and/or expensive mid-term diffuse ground-surface deformation monitoring. To overcome this problem, an inventory of town-damaging landslides, guided by available Permanent Scatterers (PS) ground-deformation data, was prepared. It provides an updated tool suitable to guide future land planning and historical site restoration in the Apennine provinces of Campania Region. Our fourteen Map Sheets show active and local reactivation of suspended/ dormant landslides. Overall, 356 landslides were identified, amongst which 162 were identified as flows, 101 as slides, 1 as a spreads and 92 as complex landslides. To supplement our maps, a simplified distribution analysis based on major landslide morphometric characteristics was completed.

Attempts at historical reconstruction are based on limited data. We are more likely to produce accurate historical reconstructions by utilizing information from diverse sources and pooling data within the relevant research communities which will allow us to build up a moving picture of the geological, climatic, and biological evolution of our planet. We suggest that dated phylogenies of plants can contribute greatly to a better understanding of Earth history. Timing of phylogenetic splits of lowland restricted lineages on either side of the Andes could provide information on the timing of montane uplift and associated climatic changes. The timing of the arrival and diversification of organisms restricted to specific climatic regimes at a particular altitude can provide information on the age at which mountains reached a height adequate for that climate once corrected for global climate changes. As a model for study, we discuss how dated phylogenies in biome rich Colombia may contribute to an understanding of geological and climatic change in northwestern South America. Lowland wet forest restricted lineages separated from the mid-Miocene, whereas lineages primarily restricted to mid-altitude cloud forests began to diversify from the mid-to late-Miocene and the majority of high-altitude Páramo lineages began to diversify during the Pliocene. The age of diversification of altitudinally restricted lineages therefore gives an indication of the age at which particular altitudes may have been reached.

Le bassin versant du Bandama blanc est situé dans le centre-nord de la Côte d’Ivoire et possède une grande partie
localisée en zone septentrionale ivoirienne. Les ressources hydriques de cette vaste unité morphologique représentent un
apport important pour l’agriculture et l’approvisionnement en eau potable. La grande variabilité climatique et la durée des
périodes sèches ont un impact sur la disponibilité des eaux de surface. Cette situation a accentué les pénuries d’eau potable
dans le bassin de la Loka, un sous bassin versant du Bandama blanc. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer l’impact de la
variabilité climatique sur les eaux de surface (lacs et fleuves) dans le bassin versant du Bandama blanc grâce à deux méthodes
de travail. D’une part, une analyse décennale de la pluviométrie sur 18 postes de mesures sur la période 1980-2019 (recherche
de tendance et de cycle) et l’utilisation de l’Indice Standardisé de Précipitation (SPI) sur la période (2001-2002) et celle de
(2017-2018). D’autre part, une analyse diachronique sur des images satellites Landsat (2002) et Sentinel 2 (2018) en
appliquant le NormalisedDifference Water Index (NDWI). Les résultats montrent l’occurrence d’une pluviométrie assez
abondante au Nord au détriment de la zone Sud du bassin, marquée par un déplacement des isohyètes de l’ouest à l’est dans
la décennie 2000-2009. Cette augmentation de la pluviométrie au nord du bassin versant s’explique par les facteurs
orographiques assez présents dans ladite zone. L’indice NDWI appliqué sur les images 2002 et 2018 a montré que l’inégale
répartition de la pluviométrie a de fortes répercussions sur les surfaces en eau.

We investigated two lignite quarries in northern Greece for orbital and suborbital 2 climate variability. Sections Lava and Vegora are located at the southern and northern 3 boundaries of the Ptolemais Basin, a northwest southeast elongated intramontane basin that 4 2

The thermoregulatory theory posits that yawns function to cool the brain in part due to counter-current heat exchange with the deep inhalation of ambient air. In support of this theory, previous cross-cultural research on humans has shown that self-reported contagious yawning frequency varies between seasons with distinct ambient temperature ranges. However, it remains possible that differences in yawning across seasons are a result of physiological circadian changes across the year rather than variation in ambient temperature. In an attempt to address this question, here we discuss the results of a study investigating the variation in the frequency of self-reported contagious yawning within a restricted range of a single season in one geographic location. A total of 142 pedestrians were recruited outdoors during an 18-day period over the summer in an equatorial monsoon climate in southern Florida, USA. Consistent with the thermoregulatory theory of yawning, results showed that self-reported contagious yawning frequency varied predictably across temperature gradients. This was true after statistically controlling for relative humidity, time of day, time spent outside, testing day, age of participant, and amount of sleep the night before. These findings provide further evidence suggesting a brain cooling function to yawning.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, climate change will lead to a severe food-supply problem. In the future, food production will continually decrease because of aggravated effects of climate change, causing food production to continually decrease. Food production will be unable to satisfy the demand of the global population, leading to a food-security crisis. As the world population continues to increase, the shortage of food will become increasingly severe, particularly for those located in "climate impact hotspots" of tropical, subtropical, small-island countries, and countries that are dependent on imports to meet domestic demand such as Taiwan. Numerous Taiwanese studies have suggested that agricultural and fishery productivity has declined because of climate variation, which may cause changes and instability in food quantity and quality, and increase deficiency and uncertainty in the food supply. Therefore, to discuss the risks posed by climate change to the stability of food supply and demand, this paper, taking Taiwan as a case, explored the impact of climate variation on food security and future adaptation strategies. TaiCCAT's supportive system for decision-making (TSSDA) was adopted here to assess and analyze the Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

Seasonal variations in temperature, rainfall and resource availability are ubiquitous and can exert strong pressures on population dynamics. Infectious diseases provide some of the best-studied examples of the role of seasonality in shaping population fluctuations. In this paper, we review examples from human and wildlife disease systems to illustrate the challenges inherent in understanding the mechanisms and impacts of seasonal environmental drivers. Empirical evidence points to several biologically distinct mechanisms by which seasonality can impact host-pathogen interactions, including seasonal changes in host social behaviour and contact rates, variation in encounters with infective stages in the environment, annual pulses of host births and deaths and changes in host immune defences. Mathematical models and field observations show that the strength and mechanisms of seasonality can alter the spread and persistence of infectious diseases, and that population-level responses can range from simple annual cycles to more complex multiyear fluctuations. From an applied perspective, understanding the timing and causes of seasonality offers important insights into how parasite-host systems operate, how and when parasite control measures should be applied, and how disease risks will respond to anthropogenic climate change and altered patterns of seasonality. Finally, by focusing on well-studied examples of infectious diseases, we hope to highlight general insights that are relevant to other ecological interactions.

Natural flow regimes are of primary interest in designing environmental flows and therefore essential for water management and planning. The present study discriminated natural hydrologic variation using two different environmental classifications (REC-Segura and WFD-ecotypes) and tested their agreement with an a posteriori (hydrologic) classification in a Spanish Mediterranean basin (the Segura River, SE Spain). The REC-Segura was developed as a two-level hierarchical classification based on environmental variables that influence hydrology (climate and source-of-flow). The WFD-ecotypes were developed by the Spanish Ministry for the Environment to implement the Water Framework Directive (WFD) using hierarchical hydrologic, morphologic and physicochemical variables. The climate level in the REC-Segura broadly described the hydrologic pattern observed along the NW-SE aridity gradient of the basin. However, source-of-flow (defined by karstic geology) was only able to discriminate variation in flow regimes within one climatic category. The WFD-ecotypes, despite incorporating hydrologic variables, did not fully discriminate hydrologic variation in the basin. Ecotypes in tributary streams located in dry or semiarid climates embrace different flow regimes (both perennial and intermittent). There was little agreement between environmental and hydrologic classifications. Therefore, the authors advise against the use of environmental classifications for the assessment of environmental flows without first testing their ability to discriminate hydrologic patterns.

Introduction ______________________________________________________________________ 1.1. Climate change and soybean yield variation _______________________________________________ 1.2. Soybean production in Japan and climate influence _________________________________________ Chapter 5 __________________________________________________________________ General discussion and conclusion __________________________________________________ 5.1. Soybean yield classification for Japan ___________________________________________________ 5.2. Predictor variables for yield in Japan ____________________________________________________ 5.3. Seasonal and periodic variability in solar radiation estimation model __________________________ 5.4. Predictor variables for soybean yield in Asia ______________________________________________ 5.5. Yield reduction from field experiment ___________________________________________________ 5.6. Future yield prediction _______________________________________________________________ 5.7. Conclusion _________________________________________________________________________ Acknowledgement ___________________________________________________________ References ________________________________________________________________ List of symbols and abbreviations ______________________________________________ List of publications __________________________________________________________

Thailand is under a development approach that focuses on economic expansion under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)’s umbrella encouraged by China to create many development plans and projects linked with Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and mega infrastructure construction. The current government has been relying on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development plan, the 2nd phase of SEZ in the country located in the east of Thailand. It is the main zone to help the country to boost its GDP while achieving the existing and new S-Curve industries as well as the BRI goals. The development of large-scale projects in this eastern region requires substantial resources such as labor, land, capital, and water. In the area of the province where the project is located, it has been already burdened to meet the high water demand. When a mega project was developed, It is, therefore, necessary to provide water resources to meet new water demands with the forecasts of industrial and consumption to be increased rapidly year-to-year according to the new EEC city plan. This has resulted in the development of water reservoirs and their piping systems in the East-Coast and Tonle Sap Watersheds. The water grabbing dominated by a top-down mechanism then diverts the water to the industrial areas and their association in the EEC zone. Still, a lot of farming and some cash crops, such as durian, mangosteen, longan, and rambutan, continue their traditional livelihoods in the area surrounding the watersheds. They highly demand a lot of water too. For that reason, there is a risk of causing conflicts in the use or access to water resources. In addition, there is a tendency for climate variation these days, which affected the water supply for both agriculture and domestic use in the area. Thus, the effect of drought on water supply in these two watersheds was studied to understand the impact and plan to cope with drought. The study results on drought expressed in plants between 2002 and 2018 found that in the study area the frequency of drought affecting plants was high; over 11 out of 17 years. The period of drought was consistent with the period of low precipitation. In conclusion, if there would be less precipitation in the future or an extended drought would certainly cause a severe impact on the plant, this valid information should be applied for collaborative decision-making among water users in all three sectors; consumption, agriculture, and industrial, as to prevent future conflicts and avoid water grabbing as much as possible.

Cocoa farmer faces increasing challenging environment through exposure to risks factors which have impacted negatively on their production or output. Since farmers are primary producers and often times lack capacity to control risks factor, it is important to manage this factors. This study examines the cocoa farmers’ risk preferences and crop insurance perception and isolates the drivers of decision to uptake crop insurance among cocoa farmers in Ekiti state. The sample for the study consist of 200 cocoa farmers who were household heads selected through multi-stage sampling across four Local government areas of Ekiti State who are predominantly cocoa producers. Data collected on socio-demographic characteristics, perception of crop insurance and risk preferences, were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic model. Results showed that majority of the cocoa farmers were without crop insurance, with higher enrolment in Membership of cooperative society, owned their l...

The Pontocaspian (Black Sea-Caspian Sea) region has a very dynamic history of basin development and biotic evolution. The region is the remnant of a once vast Paratethys Sea. It contains some of the best Eurasian geological records of tectonic, climatic and paleoenvironmental change. The Pliocene-Quaternary co-evolution of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea is dominated by major changes in water (lake and sea) levels resulting in a pulsating system of connected and isolated basins. Understanding the history of the region, including the drivers of lake level and faunal evolution, is hampered by indistinct stratigraphic nomenclature and contradicting time constraints for regional sedimentary successions. In this paper we review and update the late Pliocene to Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the Pontocaspian domain, focusing on the Black Sea Basin, Caspian Basin, Marmara Sea and the terrestrial environments surrounding these large, mostly endorheic lakesea systems. orogenic belt that progressively formed by ongoing tectonic collision of the Eurasian plate with the African-Arabian and Indian plates (Rögl, 1999; Popov et al., 2006). In Oligo-Miocene times, the Paratethys Sea covered large parts of Europe and Asia, stretching from southern Germany in the west to western China in the east. A complex combination of Mio-Pliocene tectonic uplift, glacio-eustatic sea level fluctuations, and sedimentation by major deltaic systems, progressively filled the

There is interest in knowing historical spatio-temporal patterns of landslide activity. However, this is challenging to reconstruct because it is difficult to obtain detailed records for past landslide activity. Here, we deal with hydro-geomorphological signatures, such as storms, downpours, floods, snowmelt and mass movement, to detect annual slope instability events (ASIEs) over historical times. In order to obtain ASIEs for each year, a monthly Instability Density Index (IDI) was used and then monthly values were summed up to obtain a yearly value. Classes of monthly IDI varying between 0 (no instability) and 4 (highest instability) were determined from historical documents. We present an application for the Calore River Basin, Southern Italy, using data from a 313-year long series (1701( -2013 CE) CE). After 1880 CE the information becomes more valuable with directly observed landslide frequency. By this cataloguing, 129 ASIEs were obtained. Their evolution shows slight instability during the 18th century. Uneven and greater slope instability occurred instead across the 19th century, when an important phase of deforestation coincided with intensification of agricultural activities. Slope instability events continued during the 20th century but their causes are mainly related to anthropisation and the effects of recent climate change. It was determined that stormy autumns until the 19th century and successive winter-times with enhanced snowmelt, may have driven the reactivation of widespread instability events. We also found that mountainous and hilly terrains have an acute sensitivity to climate change.

The Pontocaspian (Black Sea -Caspian Sea) region has a very dynamic history of basin development and biotic evolution. The region is the remnant of a once vast Paratethys Sea. It contains some of the best Eurasian geological records of tectonic, climatic and paleoenvironmental change. The Pliocene-Quaternary co-evolution of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea is dominated by major changes in water (lake and sea) levels resulting in a pulsating system of connected and isolated basins. Understanding the history of the region, including the drivers of lake level and faunal evolution, is hampered by indistinct stratigraphic nomenclature and contradicting time constraints for regional sedimentary successions. In this paper we review and update the late Pliocene to Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the Pontocaspian domain, focusing on the Black Sea Basin, Caspian Basin, Marmara Sea and the terrestrial environments surrounding these large, mostly endorheic lakesea systems.

Large energetic spin-off eddies from Loop Current intrusions into the Gulf of Mexico play a major role in water exchange between the continental shelf and the deep basin in the northern Gulf. Reef fish larvae, spawned on the outer shelf and planktonic during their early life history, are broadly dispersed by this mechanism, but may be lost to the cohort by transport away from suitable settlement habitat. In this study, satellite altimeter data-assimilative ocean model currents (HYCOM) from 2003-2015 are used to calculate kinetic energy of the mixed layer over the upper continental slope (200 m -1000 m) due to eddy interactions with the shelf and to track the dispersal of larvae spawned during core summer (June-August) season. Over the 13 year model period, dispersal into the deep basin from the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary averaged 63.5%, with a high of 90.8% and a low of 34.6%. Dispersal from the Florida Middle Grounds averaged 9.5%, with a high of 23.1% and a low of 0.6%. Temporal dispersal of larvae was associated with trends in turbulent kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy over the continental slope, and varied with the North Atlantic Oscillation Index. Between 2010 and 2011, mean kinetic energy replaced turbulent kinetic energy as the dominant dispersal mechanism.

The study investigated farmers adaptation strategies to the effect of climate variation on yam production in Ekiti State with the specific objectives of assessing the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, farmers' climate related constraints, the adaptation strategies employed by farmers, and yam farmers' level of production across the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. A three -stage multistage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty one respondents from the list of contact farmers obtained from the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). Data collected through questionnaire were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and ANOVA. Results obtained showed that farmers in the study area were mostly males with a mean age of 53.9 years. Chisquare analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between secondary occupation (χ 2 = 14.068), farm size (χ 2 = 99.597) and the level of production of yam farmers. Pearson product moment correlation indicated that there were significant and positive relationships between age (r = 0.160), adaptation strategies (r = 0.158) and level of production, while negative relationship was found between constraints (r = -0.173) and the level of yam production. ANOVA showed a significant difference in the level of production of farmers across the years; 2008, 2009 and 2010 (F= 212.7). Therefore, efforts should be geared towards developing and making available, yam setts that are tolerant to change in climate elements and weather extremes like flood and drought. This study also suggests the need for prompt weather information, increased research and development of innovation for sustainable yam cropping in the face of climate variation.

The aim of this study was to establish whether climate change affected migratory behaviour of Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), which is an important resource for small-scale fishermen of Abruzzo region (Italy). Starting at the beginning of March until the end of April, the cuttlefish in this area migrates from deep cold water towards warmer coastal waters, where they spawn. Small-scale fishing of cuttlefish is permitted in costal waters from March to September. During the study period, between March and September 2008, both cuttlefish traps and trammel nets were used in 5 sampling areas along the Abruzzo coast to test their relative efficiency in catching cuttlefish. Trapped specimens were counted, weighed and measured, their gender and sexual maturity were also determined. The data obtained from the sampling were correlated to surface water temperature to assess possible changes in migration behaviours. The obtained data show that during the first months of migration (March and April), a greater percentage of large males was caught, while females and smaller males predominated later in the year. The study also showed that surface water temperature did not reveal any significant shifts from the trend over the last 10 years. As for the efficiency of the fishing methods, traps were found to be more effective than trammel nets.

The aim of this study was to establish whether climate change affected migratory behaviour of Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), which is an important resource for small-scale fishermen of Abruzzo region (Italy). Starting at the beginning of March until the end of April, the cuttlefish in this area migrates from deep cold water towards warmer coastal waters, where they spawn. Small-scale fishing of cuttlefish is permitted in costal waters from March to September. During the study period, between March and September 2008, both cuttlefish traps and trammel nets were used in 5 sampling areas along the Abruzzo coast to test their relative efficiency in catching cuttlefish. Trapped specimens were counted, weighed and measured, their gender and sexual maturity were also determined. The data obtained from the sampling were correlated to surface water temperature to assess possible changes in migration behaviours. The obtained data show that during the first months of migration (March and April), a greater percentage of large males was caught, while females and smaller males predominated later in the year. The study also showed that surface water temperature did not reveal any significant shifts from the trend over the last 10 years. As for the efficiency of the fishing methods, traps were found to be more effective than trammel nets.