scholarly journals NINE SLOUGHS: PROFILING THE CLIMATE HISTORY OF THE YUAN AND MING DYNASTIES, 1260–1644†

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Brook
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Climate Anomalies ◽  
Imperial Period ◽  
State And Society ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

I have written this essay to address what I regard as a pressing need among China historians for a stronger model of climate change and its impact on state and society during the imperial period. We have all become acutely conscious of climate change as an element of our own world, yet few of us have considered the impact of climate, particularly climate change, on our subjects of study. China is not without its climate historians, and yet the collective research is still in an early phase. Aware of this problem for some time, I published preliminary findings in the form of a chronological profile of climate anomalies through the Yuan and Ming dynasties in 2010. Burying my findings in a textbook has meant that the periodization offered there has captured the interest of some students but gone largely ignored by scholars in the field. Since then I have done further research and have revised some of those findings, and would now like to offer a fuller presentation of methods and findings.

Holocene Vegetation and Climate History of the Northern Bighorn Basin, Southern Montana

2002 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Lyford ◽  
Julio L. Betancourt ◽  
Stephen T. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Bighorn Basin ◽  
Downward Movement ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Juniperus Osteosperma ◽  
Rocky Mountain Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
Vegetation And Climate

AbstractRecords of Holocene vegetation and climate change at low elevations (<2000 m) are rare in the central Rocky Mountain region. We developed a record of Holocene vegetation and climate change from 55 14C-dated woodrat middens at two low-elevation sites (1275 to 1590 m), currently vegetated by Juniperus osteosperma woodlands, in the northern Bighorn Basin. Macrofossil and pollen analyses show that the early Holocene was cooler than today, with warming and drying in the middle Holocene. During the Holocene, boreal (Juniperus communis, J. horizontalis) and montane species (J. scopulorum) were replaced by a Great Basin species (J. osteosperma). J. osteosperma colonized the east side of the Pryor Mountains 4700 14C yr B.P. Downward movement of lower treeline indicates wetter conditions between 4400 and 2700 14C yr B.P. Increased aridity after 2700 14C yr B.P. initiated expansion of J. osteosperma from the east to west side of the Pryor Mountains.

Effects of Ottoman Rice Plantations in South-eastern European Landscape: Climate Change, Hydrology and Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Özlem Sert
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Times ◽  
Large Scale Land ◽  
Rice Plantations

&lt;p&gt;Humid weather conditions of the sixteenth century enabled the introduction of aqua crops to Southeastern European landscapes. The Ottoman government employed a group of experts for the cultivation of rice to implement and rehabilitate rice production. Rice plantations, as an anthropogenic intrusion in the region between Tigris to the Danube, had a fundamental social and environmental impact. Organization of human resources on a large scale; land reclamations, deforestation, and kilometres-long irrigation work changed the landscape, produced seasonal miasma and aquatic pests. Ottoman rice plantations transformed the Southeastern European socio-ecological landscapes in early modern times. Historical data about the Ottoman rice plantations open new insights for improving our knowledge about climate history, the history of riverbeds and the history of malaria in this landscape. The study presents a monography of the plantations with historical drawings and maps, showing the farms on river beds, delineates the responsiveness of the rice harvest to precipitation and temperature changes and maps the triggered aquatic pests due to climate change and deforestation. The presentation aims at opening a historical perspective to today's questions on climate change, hydrology and vector caused diseases.&lt;/p&gt;

The Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Andreyev
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Russian Orthodox ◽  
Russian Orthodox Church ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
State And Society ◽  
History Of ◽  
War Aims ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second World

After a long period of scholarly neglect, owing partly to political reasons, the Second World War is now being studied as an integral part of the history of the Soviet Union. This chapter considers the war’s far reaching effects on state and society, taking a multi-faceted, comparative view. Beginning with German and Soviet war aims, the chapter goes on to highlight recent historiography, which has revealed much about the experience of the individual Soviet soldier and has emphasized that by concentrating on military set-pieces, such as the battle of Stalingrad, we risk distorting our understanding of the war. Also discussed are controversial subjects such as collaboration and partisan warfare, and the impact of the war on the Russian Orthodox Church and on Russian national identity.

scholarly journals Connecting the world through local Indigenous Knowledge

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Margaret Sraku-Lartey
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses upon the importance and value of local Indigenous Knowledge and how it is being threatened in today’s modern world rather than being leveraged to catalyze development. The author specifically calls out three types of Indigenous Knowledge: (1) medicinal knowledge related to human health, i.e., herbal medicine; (2) sacred groves – geographic areas set aside to preserve plants and animals and that can help to mitigate the impact of climate change; and (3) living libraries – communities of people who are also holders of cultural wisdom and history and who are custodians of all knowledge relating to the history of their own community. The author makes a call to action, requesting that scientists, librarians, publishers, and others in the information community collaborate and move forward together to save and build upon global Indigenous Knowledge.

scholarly journals Ecoutopia from Fiction to Fact: An Interview with Heather Alberro

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-47
Author(s):  
Heather Alberro
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
New York ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Stephen Hawking ◽  
Ecological Consideration ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
Paris Climate Agreement ◽  
The Impact

Human is at the heart of the story of climate change in the Anthropocene where, according to Dipesh Chakrabarty (2012), human behaviors have influenced the environment and created a distinct geological epoch. Current climate change issues are largely human induced. This implies that the human species is now part of the natural history of the planet.  In November 2016, Stephen Hawking warned that humanity has 1000 years to leave the earth due to climate change, but in his most recent BBC documentary aired on June 15, 2017 called Expedition New Earth, he suggested humans have just 100 years left before doomsday. In spite of such warnings and writings, Donald Trump withdrew America from the Paris Climate Agreement on June 2017, on the same day, satellite images showed that a huge mass of ice in an area of ​​five thousand square kilometres was breaking away from the Antarctic continent under the impact of rising temperature. It seems that Trump’s act is beyond ecological consideration as he believes the agreement could “cost America as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025”. Projections of climate change, however, have shown horrible scenarios involving a central economic metropolis such as New York losing much of its lands because of rising sea levels. The inhabitants of such areas will have to uproot their communities and cultures to move to less vulnerable lands. Thus, it is important to examine how ecoutopian literature is responding to the conditions of the human being in this epoch. In the following interview, Heather Alberro has answered to some questions on climate change, the conditions of human being in the Anthropocene, and the role of literature and culture in relation to environmental issues.

Protecting Quaternary palaeoenvironmental sites in south-east Arabia: a database approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenta Sayama ◽  
Ash Parton ◽  
Heather Viles
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Imminent Threat ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

&lt;p&gt;Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archives are essential for our understanding of past climate changes and humanity&amp;#8217;s response to them. In the age of anthropogenic climate change, these sites are not only important scientifically, but also educationally to teach people about the impact of climate change, and the role it played in shaping past communities.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The landscape of the Arabian Peninsula is highly reactive to even subtle changes in climate and recent research has shown that palaeoenvironmental archives in south-east Arabia (i.e., dunes, fluvial/alluvial and palaeolake deposits, etc.) are crucial for our understanding of the role of climate change in the late-Pleistocene dispersal of early human populations out of Africa. The importance of archaeological sites in this region is increasingly recognised, with many sites benefitting from extensive research and conservation. Similarly, the rich geological history of the region has either been catalogued or protected with integration into national tourism strategies. Despite the the budding initiative of geoheritage conservation in Arabia, however, the protection of Quaternary palaeoenvironmental sites has been entirely disregarded.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the lack of a protection framework and the continuous economic development of the region, many of these archives are under imminent threat or already destroyed. At present, no assessment has been conducted to examine the possible extent of such loss. Here we propose that a system must be established for scientists to record and highlight the potential threat of destruction of these irreplaceable archives. &amp;#160;Also, to protect these sites effectively, we must develop a conservation strategy with an understanding of the factors that differentiate them from geoheritage sites that already enjoy protection.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the first time, this study has compiled a database of Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archives in south-east Arabia. A total of ~300 sites in the entire region have been assessed for their risk status, with ~100 sites in the UAE assessed additionally for their scientific and educational values. Preliminary results indicate that more than 10% of sites, mostly in urban or coastal settings, have been destroyed or are under imminent threat.&amp;#160; Furthermore, the prevailing prioritisation of conventional aesthetic values in geoheritage conservation has been identified as a major obstacle in promoting the conservation of these sites.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Ethiopia: the Victory of the Sidama in the Longer Than a Century’s Struggle for the Self-determination

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-65
Author(s):  
Roza Ismagilova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Self Determination ◽  
Ethnic Communities ◽  
Ethnic Stratification ◽  
Ethnic Federalism ◽  
Imperial Period ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
A Chain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

For the first time in the history of domestic Ethiopian studies, the article analyzes in detail the successful struggle of one of the Ethiopian peoples’, the Sidama, for self-determination. On the 20th of November, 2019 a truly historic event took place in Ethiopia: one of the country’s many ethnic communities, the Sidama, achieved self-government. At a referendum about 98% voted in favor of the creation of the Sidama state. This provoked a chain reaction in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region: already 13 ethnic communities – Wolaita, Gamo, Gurage, Kaffa and others – are demanding the creation of their own states. Centrifugal processes in the country have become noticeably more active. The present paper is divided in four sections. The first section, “Who are the Sidama?”, offers a detailed description of the Sidama and emphasizes the vitality of traditional social and cultural institutions, including ethnic stratification and the continued presence of castes of artisans. At the same time, it is noted that globalization and urbanization are introducing significant changes in the life of the Sidama. The second section, “The Sidama under ethnic federalism”, analyzes the positive and negative aspects of ethnic federalism and the reasons for the discontent of the Sidama, as well as the causes of Sidama’s grievances and conflicts over power and resources with other ethnic communities, which ultimately led to their struggle for self-government. The third section, “The Sidama’s struggle for self-government”, provides a detailed account of the Sidama’s struggle against the policy of Amharization during the imperial period, the discrimination in Derg rule (1974–1991) and, since 1991, during the period of ethnic federalism. The fourth section, “Referendum”, is devoted to a detailed description of this important event in the life of the Sidama and their victory: the difficulties and obstacles to organizing the referendum, the attitude of the federal government, the referendum itself and victory. Finally, in the fifth section, “The impact of the creation of the Sidama state on the situation in the region”, the author analyzes the Constitution of the new state. The creation of the new 10th state on the ethnic basis means the strengthening of ethnic federalism in Ethiopia. It is important to stress that the author has conducted several e-mail interviews with Sidama scholars and journalists – active participants in the Sidama movement for self-determination – on the topic of post-referendum events.

Flash drought as a new normal in a warming climate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Yuan ◽  
Yumiao Wang ◽  
Miao Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Climate Anomalies ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Conventional droughts are creeping climate anomalies that take months or years to fully develop, causing devastating impact silently. In contrast, flash droughts have been considered as a type of drought with more rapid onset, develop and terminate at a shorter time scale. There has been a hot debate on the definition of flash drought, and whether it is necessary to investigate the impact of flash drought given the duration is usually shorter than conventional drought. We clarify that flash drought is not a monster, while it has complete onset and recovery processes as conventional drought. Flash drought expands the conventional drought from seasonal-to-decadal scales to sub-seasonal scale, where synoptic land-atmospheric coupling might become critical for its onset. Focusing on a once-in-a-century flash drought in late summer of 2019, we analyze the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate model data and show that climate change caused by anthropogenic activities (e.g., emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, land use change, etc) has increased the likelihood of such drought onset speed by 42&amp;#177;19%. A further analysis based on CMIP6 multi-model ensemble simulations over the global land areas shows that there was no significant trend in frequency during 1850-1970, but flash drought became more frequency in the recent 40 years. All these results suggest that climate change accelerates the drought development speed, and flash drought might become as a new normal in a warming climate. The eco-hydrological impact of this &amp;#8220;new normal&amp;#8221; will also be discussed by investigating FLUXNET in-situ observations and MODIS satellite retrievals.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Climate anomalies associated to the occurrence of rockfalls at high-elevation in the Italian Alps

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Paranunzio ◽  
Francesco Laio ◽  
Marta Chiarle ◽  
Guido Nigrelli ◽  
Fausto Guzzetti
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Slope Failures ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Climate Anomalies ◽  
Permafrost Thaw ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Climate change is seriously affecting the cryosphere, in terms, for example of permafrost thaw, alteration of rain/snow ratio, glacier shrinkage. There is concern about the increasing number of rockfalls at high elevation in the last decades. Nevertheless, the impact of climate variables on slope instability at high elevation has not been fully explored yet. In this paper, we investigate 41 rockfalls occurred at high elevation in the Italian Alps between 1997 and 2013 in the absence of an evident trigger. We apply and improve an existing data-based, statistical approach to detect the anomalies of climate parameters (temperature and precipitation) associated to rockfall occurrences. The identified climate anomalies have been related to the spatio-temporal distribution of the events. Rockfalls occurred in association with temperature anomalies in 83 % of our case studies. Temperature represents a key factor contributing to slope failure occurrence in different ways. As expected, warmer temperatures accelerate snowmelt and permafrost thaw; however, surprisingly, negative anomalies are also often associated to slope failures. Interestingly, different regional patterns emerge from the data: higher-than-average temperatures are often associated to rockfalls in the Western Alps, while in the Eastern Alps slope failures are mainly associated to colder-than-average temperatures. The results of this study represent a first step towards the identification of the possible role of climate change in the triggering of slope failures in a mountain environment.

East Australian Rain-forests: A Case-study in Resource Harvesting and Conservation

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Whitehouse
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Late 19Th Century ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Forest Logging ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

Human interactions with rain-forest on the Australian continent have played, and will continue to play, a vital role in their distribution and survival. The presence and significance of rain-forest in Australia lies in the evolutionary history of the Australian plate since the break-up of the Gondwanan supercontinent. Its continued survival and distribution illustrates and encapsulates the history of plant evolution and biogeography in Australia.Since human arrival in Australia at least 40,000 years ago, human interactions with rain-forest have been marked by a number of phases — ranging from Aboriginal use of rain-forest resources to the impetus given by the hunt for the prized Red Cedar, and from the early European settlement on the east coast of Australia in the midto late-19th century to the wholesale clearing of rain forests for agricultural settlement and dairying in the late 19th century. In more modern times, human interactions with rain-forest have focused on adapting forest management techniques to rain-forest logging, restructuring the native forest timber industry in the face of mechanization, changing markets and resource constraints, convulsions as a result of conservationist challenges in Terania Creek and Daintree, and finally the implications of conserving rain-forests in the context of natural processes including fire, climate change, and the impact of human visitors and their recreation.The course of the controversies over rain-forest conservation in Australia has meant that rain-forest logging either has been dramatically curtailed or is in the process of generally ceasing. The protection of rainforests from logging and forestry operations in the future seems secure, given the widespread community support for rain-forest conservation. Threats to rain-forest conservation in the future are likely to be found in more subtle processes: the impact of fire regimes on the spread and contractions of rain-forests, the impacts of exotic species such as Lantana (Lantana camara) and Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), the impacts of human uses through tourism and recreation, the diminution of the viability of isolated pockets by ‘edge effects’, and the damage to the remaining stands on freehold property by conflicting land-uses.Overlying all of these potential threats is the impact of global climate change. Climate change since the Tertiary has reduced the once widespread rain-forest communities of Australia practically to the status of relicts in refugia. Will the remaining rain-forests be able to withstand the projected human-induced climate changes of the future?

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