3^rd World Congress on Climate Change and Global Warming October 16-17, 2017 Dubai, UAE

Biography:

Stanley D Brunn has wide ranging research interests in human/environmental intersections including political, social, religion, language, urbanization, cyberspace, geographic futures, innovative cartography and creativity. He has published 20 books and written more than 100 articles and chapters over 50 years.

Abstract:

In an increasing global and interdependent world, the visual is assuming greater importance in public opinion and policy decisions than traditional words or text. This perspective is apparent in global audiences observing political conflicts, pandemic diseases, refugee migrations, natural and human-induced disasters, Google, the WWW and social media are playing key roles in informing leaders and citizens worldwide. Global environmental news reports and commentators regularly inform local, regional and global media audiences using photographs about major earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, disease outbreaks and anomalous weather events on all continents. Underlying many of the reports are ongoing and unexpected changes in weather and climate. Scientists, government policy groups, and NGOs are among those alerting local and global audiences about these changes and their impacts. Books, articles, conferences and legislation are products of these ongoing discussions and presentations. The geopolitics of the visual is an important dimension in understanding environmental change. Another professional group informing wide groups of informed citizens and leaders are newspaper cartoonists. Their task is to capture the essence of a problem or situation in a single frame or drawing that can be understood in less than five seconds. Their use of familiar images, few or no words are critical in capturing their message and informing viewers. I examined the content (subject matter, themes and images) of 607 international and national cartoons about climate change from 2010-2017 to illustrate both how they graphically depict under problems, assess the current state of the environment and look at resolving persistent problems. A skillful political and environmental cartoonist is able to assess a tangled and complex problem easily and assess how to move forward.

Biography:

Stanley D Brunn has wide ranging research interests in human/environmental intersections including political, social, religion, language, urbanization, cyberspace, geographic futures, innovative cartography and creativity. He has published 20 books and written more than 100 articles and chapters over 50 years.

Abstract:

In an increasing global and interdependent world, the visual is assuming greater importance in public opinion and policy decisions than traditional words or text. This perspective is apparent in global audiences observing political conflicts, pandemic diseases, refugee migrations, natural and human-induced disasters, Google, the WWW and social media are playing key roles in informing leaders and citizens worldwide. Global environmental news reports and commentators regularly inform local, regional and global media audiences using photographs about major earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, disease outbreaks and anomalous weather events on all continents. Underlying many of the reports are ongoing and unexpected changes in weather and climate. Scientists, government policy groups, and NGOs are among those alerting local and global audiences about these changes and their impacts. Books, articles, conferences and legislation are products of these ongoing discussions and presentations. The geopolitics of the visual is an important dimension in understanding environmental change. Another professional group informing wide groups of informed citizens and leaders are newspaper cartoonists. Their task is to capture the essence of a problem or situation in a single frame or drawing that can be understood in less than five seconds. Their use of familiar images, few or no words are critical in capturing their message and informing viewers. I examined the content (subject matter, themes and images) of 607 international and national cartoons about climate change from 2010-2017 to illustrate both how they graphically depict under problems, assess the current state of the environment and look at resolving persistent problems. A skillful political and environmental cartoonist is able to assess a tangled and complex problem easily and assess how to move forward.

Biography:

Sarath Premalal Nissanka is a Professor in Crop Science at the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya. He has graduated with a PhD in Agronomy from the University of Guelph, Canada. He has his expertise on agronomy, crop physiology and climate change and its impacts on agriculture and forest ecosystems. 

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The climate projections for Sri Lanka indicate a further warming trend and rainfall variability to become more pronounced in the future. Implications of climate change will be more severe on the rice farming since it requires more water and cultivating areas already exposed to upper limit of maximum temperature. Therefore, this study was initiated to quantitatively assess the impact of climate change on productivity of rice varieties by means of crop-climate modeling and to identify adaptation measures.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A leading representative rice farming district (Kurunegala) was used. Yield performances of commonly growing rice cultivars (Bg-300, Bg-357, Bg-358, At-308) were assessed using systematically calibrated DSSAT version 4.5 model for baseline (1980-2010), downscaled 20 Global Climate Models (GCMs, CMIP5-RCP8.5) for mid-century (2040-2069) and for climate sensitivities (AgMIP-C3MP) across three locations of Rajangane, Nikawaratiya and Btalagoda in the district. Randomly selected 104 farmer survey data collected for the two growing seasons (major [October-February] and minor [April-September]) was used for the simulation.

Findings: Cultivation seasons of minor and major showed diverse yield performances with diverse sensitivities to climate. Overall, major cultivation season reported that comparatively lower reduction in rice yields compared to minor season for the actually observed climate over baseline period. According to 20 GCMs of CIMP5- RCP 8.5 climate predictions for the study sites showed the yield drop of up to 16% in major season and it was up to 30% during minor season. Out of three sites Rjangane reported the lowest reduction (10%) in major season compared to Nikaweratriya (19%) and Batalagoda (18%). In Contrast, Batalagoda showed the lowest drop (24%) relatively to Rajnagane (30%) and Nikaweratiya (33%) in minor season.

Conclusion: According to C3MP results two rice cultivar (Bg 300 and Bg 357) reported diverse yield performances with diverse sensitivities to climate for Batalagoda.

Biography:

Sergey Piontkovski is currently an Associate Professor, Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, Sultan Qaboos University. He is the author and co-author of 60 peer-reviewed research papers, 3 books, 8 book chapters and 50 conference presentations. His research interests have ranged from physical oceanography to marine ecology and mesoscale physical-biological interactions. His recent research studies have focused on climate-related variability of physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the Arabian Sea.

Abstract:

Shelf waters of Oman and other countries around the Gulf and the northwestern Arabian Sea are subjected to periodic algal blooms which led to huge economic losses because of their impact on fisheries, desalination plants and recreational activities. Remotely sensed and directly sampled seasonal algal blooms of the Gulf and the western Arabian Sea were analyzed with regard to seasonal and inter-annual changes of spatial-temporal characteristics of mesoscale (cyclonic and anticyclonic) eddies observed in both regions. Satellite derived (4 to 9-km spatial resolution MODIS Aqua and VIRS) daily Level-3 data for the sea surface heights, sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration were used to retrieve weekly time series of parameters and images of their spatial distribution covering 16 years (2000-2016). Data on phytoplankton taxonomy came from the sampling carried out on board research vessels (including ships of opportunity). In the Gulf of Oman and the northwestern Arabian Sea, the dinoflagellate algae Noctiluca scintillans dominated the biomass of phytoplankton during winter blooms. The location of chlorophyll-a maxima was associated with centers of cyclonic and peripheries of anticyclonic eddies which had the size of 100-200km. Both exhibited a bimodal seasonal pattern of their occurrence. In terms of eddy footprints at sea surface, positive and negative sea surface height anomalies matching the range of 10-20 cm were the most numerous. The frequency of eddy occurrence and algal blooms exhibited inter-annual variations. The relationship between atmospheric anomalies (in the form of El-Niňo Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole), eddies and algal blooms is discussed. 

Biography:

Kikuro Tomine is a Professor in National Defense Academy, Japan, studying aviation weather such as turbulence, thunder, fog, gust and artificial cloud seeding.

Abstract:

Numerical experiments of glaciogenic seeding method are conducted on a cloudy day with weak rain in summer. Released latent heat of freezing has been supposed to play a role to enhance rainfall amount in the method through stimulated convection in a cloud warmed by the released latent heat and the process is not included in the hygroscopic seeding method. Therefore, effects of the released latent heat are, also, investigated. A seeding area is settled about 72 km upwind of a catchment area of a dam. Four kinds of seeding methods are investigated. In the first case, cloud portion upper than the -8 ^oC level is seeded to estimate seeding effects with AgI. The second is a case with 1 kg dry ice seeding in the seeding area. The third is a massively seeded case with 15 kg dry ice. And the fourth is a multiply seeded case with 15 times seeding of 1 kg dry ice at 5 minute intervals tracking the seeded cloud. Accumulated rainfall amount and increasing ratio at the catchment area for 90 minutes in the four seeded and the control cases (without seeding case). The increasing ratio in the multiply seeded case is the largest. Differences of vertical velocity and atmospheric temperature distributions between the multiply seeded and the control cases at 60 minutes after the seeding, 20 minutes before the cloud reaches over the catchment area are shown. An area of 0.55 g kg^-1 snow mixing ratio, which is about 8 times larger than that in the control case, is formed over 139.3°. The snow is supported by the upward flow of 0.2 or 0.4 ms^-1. The upward flow is caused by warmed atmosphere by the released latent heat between 5 and 7 km levels.

Biography:

Geetika Pant has more than 14 years of experience in teaching and research in various environmental issues and its impact on the society. Her research work areas are on various environmental models like microbial fuel cells, bio-conservation, biodegradation by microbial analysis and stress response mechanisms in plants.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Bangalore city, Karnataka, India used to be known as “The City of Lakes”. The rapid urbanization and influx of people has made this city as “Silicon Valley of India”. This intense and rapid increase of urban sprawl has resulted in disappearance of wetlands and sharp decline in the number of water bodies. The amalgamation of physical, biological and anthropogenic activities have affected the physiochemical properties of the lakes in the city leading to drastic imbalance in the aquatic life and overall ecological quality. Therefore, there is a need for continuous assessment and monitoring of lake water qualities.

Methodology: The water samples from 12 different lakes in and around Bangalore city were collected and analyzed for various physiochemical parameters (pH, Conductivity, DO, COD, total hardness, alkalinity, phosphate, ammonium and sulfate) by following APHA (2005). The CFU and colony morphology were determined by standard microbiological techniques. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out on the scaled data for classification of lake samples based on their physiochemical parameters in R (Hierarchical cluster analysis).

Findings: The ranges of the physiochemical parameters of the 12 lake water samples were as follows: pH (7 to 10), conductivity (550 to 1830 mmho/cm), DO (0.4 to 2.0 mg/l), COD (30 to 94 mg/l), total hardness (228 to 791 mg/l), phenolphthalein alkalinity (absent in all the lake samples except for Ulsoor Lake), methyl orange alkalinity (100 to 425 mg/l). There were 4 lakes whose ammonium concentration was higher than 300 mg/l. Levels of phosphate were negligible in all the samples except 3 lakes at a range of 141 to 169 mg/l. PCA showed clustering of samples based on the physiochemical parameters into three groups with one exception (Ulsoor Lake).

Conclusion & Significance: The comparison of physiochemical parameters of 12 lakes with the standard values of WHO guidelines revealed that most of the parameters analyzed were greater than the acceptable limits. This poses a dangerous threat to both aquatic and human lives. The information provided through this study could aid in sustainable governance of lakes of Bangalore, a critical but severely threatened ecosystem.

Biography:

Akihiro Nakamura is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Law, Meiji University, Japan and Adjunct Researcher at University of Tasmania in Australia. He has completed his PhD in Public Policy from the University of Tasmania. His research expertise is in the field of policy instrument analysis in relation to climate change policy.

Abstract:

The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology deployment has been widely considered as a crucial tool to contribute to reducing the large amount of the global carbon dioxide emissions created by the human society. In order to encourage large-scale deployment and/or commercial uses of CCS, it is essential to consider policy mix options and the best selections, especially for making greater cost efficiency and scaling up the further facilities for CCS deployment. The need for CCS is also varied depending on country and region. Despite the fact that there are many existing discussions about best selection of policy mix associated with selecting effective policy instruments in general, to date there has been little discussion on CCS specifically, due to the lack of experience in the field of industry. In this regard, this article specifically offers a potential analytical framework for policy mix approach to the future CCS deployment in Japan. Throughout this study, we have addressed a number of key instruments, which are considered and implemented in various countries, including the European Union, Canada, the UK, the US and Norway. This study also identified existing and potential policy instruments relevant to Japan, although commercialized CCS has not yet been enacted to date. Accessing relevant literature, we have proposed two major models for policy mix options, which are “Regulatory model for enterprises” and “Public works model for the relevant authorities”. Our project further takes responsibility to conduct analyses for best policy and legal developments for this country. 

Biography:

Iman Rousta has completed his PhD from Tehran University, Iran. His PhD thesis is in Climate Change and Atmospheric Blocking. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Climatology at the Department of Geography, Yazd University. He has published more than 20 papers in reputed journals.

Abstract:

In recent years, global warming has come to the fore as one of the world’s most serious environmental problems. The interaction of the ocean and atmosphere plays an important role in shaping the climate and its variations. Meanwhile, SST fluctuations have diverse effects on climate variability. The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the effects of Black Sea SST anomalies on the temperature and precipitation of west and northwest of Iran. For this purpose, the SST of Black Sea has been obtained from the NCEP/NCAR database. After extraction of Black Sea SST, daily temperature and precipitation data of 80 stations were retrieved for the west and northwest of the Iran from IRIMO during the period of 1960 to 2010. Then, by using Pearson correlation coefficient, the relationship between temperature and precipitation in the West and northwest of Iran with the positive and negative anomalies of the SST of Black Sea were calculated. The results of this study showed that the positive anomalies of the SST of Black Sea are more affected by the temperature of the west part of study region, so that the spatial variation of the temperature during the negative anomalies of Black Sea SST in this region was higher. However, the temperature in the northwest of the study region is more associated with negative anomalies. In the case of precipitation, the situation is different, so that precipitation in the study area is more associated with negative anomalies of SST of Black Sea, which is more affected the western provinces. At the time of positive anomalies, only the provinces of Ardabil, East and West Azerbaijan are weakly influenced.

Biography:

Waqas Ahmed khan is serving as a lecturer in University of Lahore, Pakistan in the department of Environmental sciences. 

Abstract:

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is an intermediate product in the oxidation paths of non-methane hydrocarbons produced through biogenic         activities and anthropogenic sources. Formaldehyde is a flammable, colorless, strong-smelling chemical that is use to produce numerous domestic products and medical preservatives. Formaldehyde is also present naturally in the environment and produced in lesser amounts by most organisms as part of normal metabolic processes. Pakistan lacks the monitoring facilities on a larger scale to measure the atmospheric gasses on regular basis. The study presents the result of atmospheric Formaldehyde vertical column densities (VCDs) obtained from ground-based and satellite observations over Pakistan during the time period of 2014-2015. In order to explore the spatial distribution of Formaldehyde, various field campaigns were conducted by using Car MAX-DOAS instrument in which international scientists were also involved. Level 2 data product of satellite; Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) retrieved by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique was also compared with ground-based observations. Spatio-temporal distribution of Formaldehyde (HCHO) column densities over main cities and region of Pakistan are discussed. The results show that high Formaldehyde (HCHO) column densities 108 ppm exceeding permissible limit of WHO 83 ppm, were found over twin cities Rawalpindi-Islamabad of Pakistan. The highest VCDs were around 1.0×1016 to 8.5 ×1016 molecules/cm2 higher than WHO guide lines, while in Pir-Sohawa valley where there is less population and vehicular emission; HCHO VCDs were found within WHO permissible limits. Similarly, areas with major industrial activity and high population densities showed high amount of HCHO concentrations.