Jonathan Morduch
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305197
- eISBN:
- 9780199783519
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305191.003.0022
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This essay focuses on the design of insurance products for poor customers. Several promising innovations are described: credit life insurance, health insurance partnerships, and weather insurance. ...
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This essay focuses on the design of insurance products for poor customers. Several promising innovations are described: credit life insurance, health insurance partnerships, and weather insurance. Each was created to serve populations that were previously unserved, and workable institutional solutions are emerging. The next step must be to shift from the question of what creates workable institutions to the question of how to refine designs to best serve low-income populations. In doing so, current approaches must be reassessed in order to most improve clients’ lives and to avoid doing unintended harm.Less
This essay focuses on the design of insurance products for poor customers. Several promising innovations are described: credit life insurance, health insurance partnerships, and weather insurance. Each was created to serve populations that were previously unserved, and workable institutional solutions are emerging. The next step must be to shift from the question of what creates workable institutions to the question of how to refine designs to best serve low-income populations. In doing so, current approaches must be reassessed in order to most improve clients’ lives and to avoid doing unintended harm.
R.S. Sharma
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195687859
- eISBN:
- 9780199080366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195687859.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
In ancient times, humans lived on wild produce and hunting birds and animals. However, in the industrial age, the relation of humans with plants and animals has undergone a fundamental change, and ...
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In ancient times, humans lived on wild produce and hunting birds and animals. However, in the industrial age, the relation of humans with plants and animals has undergone a fundamental change, and now many living organisms are preserved through human efforts. The environment has a direct bearing on human efforts. One cannot think of human advance in ancient times without the exploitation of natural resources. The location and size of settlements were conditioned by environmental factors, with soil and climatic conditions which determine the selection of sites. Although rivers were preferred sites for settlement, people settled near lakes and tanks. Rainfall helped human society in pursuing agriculture and founding settlements, but heavy rains during the tropical monsoon deterred people from regular work. A background of ecology and environment may help the study of ancient India, and may be especially useful in the study of the prehistory.Less
In ancient times, humans lived on wild produce and hunting birds and animals. However, in the industrial age, the relation of humans with plants and animals has undergone a fundamental change, and now many living organisms are preserved through human efforts. The environment has a direct bearing on human efforts. One cannot think of human advance in ancient times without the exploitation of natural resources. The location and size of settlements were conditioned by environmental factors, with soil and climatic conditions which determine the selection of sites. Although rivers were preferred sites for settlement, people settled near lakes and tanks. Rainfall helped human society in pursuing agriculture and founding settlements, but heavy rains during the tropical monsoon deterred people from regular work. A background of ecology and environment may help the study of ancient India, and may be especially useful in the study of the prehistory.
Amilcare Porporato and Ignacio Rodríguez-Iturbe
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198566540
- eISBN:
- 9780191718038
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198566540.003.0003
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Probability / Statistics
This chapter describes work on a stochastic soil moisture model that has been used to investigate the relationship between the hydrologic and vegetation dynamics ecohydrology in water-controlled ...
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This chapter describes work on a stochastic soil moisture model that has been used to investigate the relationship between the hydrologic and vegetation dynamics ecohydrology in water-controlled ecosystems. Such systems are complex evolving structures whose characteristics and dynamic properties depend on many links between climate, soil, and vegetation. After a discussion of the soil water balance and a brief account of rainfall modeling, infiltration, and runoff, evapotranspiration and drainage are sketched. The probabilistic modeling of the soil moisture process and of long-term water balance are discussed, followed by minimalist modeling of soil moisture dynamics. The chapter concludes with a brief account of plant water stress, with an application to the Kalahari precipitation gradient.Less
This chapter describes work on a stochastic soil moisture model that has been used to investigate the relationship between the hydrologic and vegetation dynamics ecohydrology in water-controlled ecosystems. Such systems are complex evolving structures whose characteristics and dynamic properties depend on many links between climate, soil, and vegetation. After a discussion of the soil water balance and a brief account of rainfall modeling, infiltration, and runoff, evapotranspiration and drainage are sketched. The probabilistic modeling of the soil moisture process and of long-term water balance are discussed, followed by minimalist modeling of soil moisture dynamics. The chapter concludes with a brief account of plant water stress, with an application to the Kalahari precipitation gradient.
Wolfgang Cramer, Alberte Bondeau, Sibyll Schaphoff, Wolfgang Lucht, Ben Smith, and Stephen Sitch
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198567066
- eISBN:
- 9780191717888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567066.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
This chapter quantifies the relative roles of carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, rainfall, and deforestation on the future extent and condition of tropical rainforests, and examines the magnitude of ...
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This chapter quantifies the relative roles of carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, rainfall, and deforestation on the future extent and condition of tropical rainforests, and examines the magnitude of their feedbacks on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. A dynamic global vegetation model is applied using multiple scenarios of tropical deforestation (extrapolated from two estimates of current rates) and multiple scenarios of changing climate (derived from four independent off-line general circulation model simulations). Results show that deforestation is likely to produce large losses of carbon, despite the uncertainty concerning exact deforestation rates. Estimates of additional carbon emissions during the 21st century, for all climate and deforestation scenarios, range from 101 to 367 Gt C, resulting in CO2 concentration increases above background values by between 29 and 129 ppm. Notwithstanding this range of uncertainty, continued tropical deforestation will most certainly play a very large role in the build-up of future greenhouse gas concentrations.Less
This chapter quantifies the relative roles of carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, rainfall, and deforestation on the future extent and condition of tropical rainforests, and examines the magnitude of their feedbacks on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. A dynamic global vegetation model is applied using multiple scenarios of tropical deforestation (extrapolated from two estimates of current rates) and multiple scenarios of changing climate (derived from four independent off-line general circulation model simulations). Results show that deforestation is likely to produce large losses of carbon, despite the uncertainty concerning exact deforestation rates. Estimates of additional carbon emissions during the 21st century, for all climate and deforestation scenarios, range from 101 to 367 Gt C, resulting in CO2 concentration increases above background values by between 29 and 129 ppm. Notwithstanding this range of uncertainty, continued tropical deforestation will most certainly play a very large role in the build-up of future greenhouse gas concentrations.
A. S. Morrison
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199547371
- eISBN:
- 9780191720710
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547371.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter covers the technical but essential subject of artificial irrigation and the control of water. In a land where rainfall is scarce, controlling canals and water distribution is one of the ...
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This chapter covers the technical but essential subject of artificial irrigation and the control of water. In a land where rainfall is scarce, controlling canals and water distribution is one of the keys to State power, and by and large the Russians were ineffective at doing so. On the face of it, with their vast expansion of irrigation in Punjab, the British were much more successful, but they too had difficulty controlling pre-existing networks.Less
This chapter covers the technical but essential subject of artificial irrigation and the control of water. In a land where rainfall is scarce, controlling canals and water distribution is one of the keys to State power, and by and large the Russians were ineffective at doing so. On the face of it, with their vast expansion of irrigation in Punjab, the British were much more successful, but they too had difficulty controlling pre-existing networks.
Bryan Shorrocks
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198570660
- eISBN:
- 9780191717680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570660.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This chapter introduces savannahs and looks at their distribution worldwide. It examines the general climatic and physical conditions that produce them. It briefly looks at the Llanos of the Orinoco ...
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This chapter introduces savannahs and looks at their distribution worldwide. It examines the general climatic and physical conditions that produce them. It briefly looks at the Llanos of the Orinoco basin of Venezuela and Columbia, and the cerrado of Brazil. It also looks briefly at the savannahs of northern Australia where eucalyptus and kangaroos replace the acacias, and ungulates of Africa. The chapter concludes with a geographical survey of the major savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, from the arid savannahs that border the desert regions in the north and south, through the dry savannah and woodland savannahs that run from northern Kenya to northern Botswana, to the forest savannahs that surround the central lowland rainforest of the Congo basin. The influence of temperature and rainfall on the savannahs of Africa are briefly considered, and the action of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone described.Less
This chapter introduces savannahs and looks at their distribution worldwide. It examines the general climatic and physical conditions that produce them. It briefly looks at the Llanos of the Orinoco basin of Venezuela and Columbia, and the cerrado of Brazil. It also looks briefly at the savannahs of northern Australia where eucalyptus and kangaroos replace the acacias, and ungulates of Africa. The chapter concludes with a geographical survey of the major savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, from the arid savannahs that border the desert regions in the north and south, through the dry savannah and woodland savannahs that run from northern Kenya to northern Botswana, to the forest savannahs that surround the central lowland rainforest of the Congo basin. The influence of temperature and rainfall on the savannahs of Africa are briefly considered, and the action of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone described.
Bryan Shorrocks
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198570660
- eISBN:
- 9780191717680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570660.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
The various forms of African savannah vegetation are an expression of the interactions of climate, soils, herbivores, fire, and human activities. This chapter examines each of these causes. A brief ...
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The various forms of African savannah vegetation are an expression of the interactions of climate, soils, herbivores, fire, and human activities. This chapter examines each of these causes. A brief description of the common grasses and trees is given, along with a consideration of aspects of their phenology. One geographical area is examined in more detail — the Serengeti grassland/woodland savannah of northern Tanzania. The effects of soil and particularly rainfall upon green biomass, and grass and tree species composition are examined.Less
The various forms of African savannah vegetation are an expression of the interactions of climate, soils, herbivores, fire, and human activities. This chapter examines each of these causes. A brief description of the common grasses and trees is given, along with a consideration of aspects of their phenology. One geographical area is examined in more detail — the Serengeti grassland/woodland savannah of northern Tanzania. The effects of soil and particularly rainfall upon green biomass, and grass and tree species composition are examined.
Grady L. Webster and Robert M. Rhode
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520098305
- eISBN:
- 9780520915930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520098305.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
This chapter discusses the climate and topography of the Maquipucuna region. The climate of the region is equatorial and wet, with an annual rainfall of 3,230mm at an elevation of 1,630m. Because of ...
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This chapter discusses the climate and topography of the Maquipucuna region. The climate of the region is equatorial and wet, with an annual rainfall of 3,230mm at an elevation of 1,630m. Because of the considerable elevational range in the reserve, the mean annual temperature varies from about 18° C near 1,200m to c. 10°C near the top of Cerro Montecristi. The topography of the Cerro Sosa, which occupies most of the reserve, is steep and dissected, although the main ridge slopes more gradually from the northwestern end at c. 1,700m elevation to the southeastern end in the vicinity of Cerro Montecristi (nearly 2,800 m).Less
This chapter discusses the climate and topography of the Maquipucuna region. The climate of the region is equatorial and wet, with an annual rainfall of 3,230mm at an elevation of 1,630m. Because of the considerable elevational range in the reserve, the mean annual temperature varies from about 18° C near 1,200m to c. 10°C near the top of Cerro Montecristi. The topography of the Cerro Sosa, which occupies most of the reserve, is steep and dissected, although the main ridge slopes more gradually from the northwestern end at c. 1,700m elevation to the southeastern end in the vicinity of Cerro Montecristi (nearly 2,800 m).
Monte Ransome Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199285303
- eISBN:
- 9780191603143
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199285306.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Did Aristotle consider the properties of the elements to be teleologically explicable? According to some commentators, he did not, but considered these to operate according to material, moving, or ...
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Did Aristotle consider the properties of the elements to be teleologically explicable? According to some commentators, he did not, but considered these to operate according to material, moving, or mechanical causes. According to others, he did, and this is evidence of his commitment to an “overall” or “global” teleology. Both of the positions are wrong. Aristotle did consider each of the elements teleologically explicable, but he considered the beneficiaries of their properties and motions to be the elements themselves. This is relatively clear in the case of ether, the element that composes the heavenly bodies: it has a simple motion in a circle, which is a manifestation of the intelligence of the extra-terrestrial bodies. But the other elements are included in a cycle of transmutation that guarantees their perpetual existence. This is a benefit to them according to the axiom: it is better to exist than not exist. Thus, rainfall is a necessary and cyclical process (happening completely independently of the needs of living things), but it is also somehow benefits the elements that are transformed in the process, for in so doing they complete cycles that resemble or imitate the eternal cycles of the heavenly bodies.Less
Did Aristotle consider the properties of the elements to be teleologically explicable? According to some commentators, he did not, but considered these to operate according to material, moving, or mechanical causes. According to others, he did, and this is evidence of his commitment to an “overall” or “global” teleology. Both of the positions are wrong. Aristotle did consider each of the elements teleologically explicable, but he considered the beneficiaries of their properties and motions to be the elements themselves. This is relatively clear in the case of ether, the element that composes the heavenly bodies: it has a simple motion in a circle, which is a manifestation of the intelligence of the extra-terrestrial bodies. But the other elements are included in a cycle of transmutation that guarantees their perpetual existence. This is a benefit to them according to the axiom: it is better to exist than not exist. Thus, rainfall is a necessary and cyclical process (happening completely independently of the needs of living things), but it is also somehow benefits the elements that are transformed in the process, for in so doing they complete cycles that resemble or imitate the eternal cycles of the heavenly bodies.
Tim R. McClanahan and Joshua E. Cinner
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199754489
- eISBN:
- 9780199918843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199754489.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter briefly describes the current understanding of the recent geological history of climate and oceanography in the Indian Ocean and its implications for human-induced climate change. A ...
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This chapter briefly describes the current understanding of the recent geological history of climate and oceanography in the Indian Ocean and its implications for human-induced climate change. A series of dry and wet rainfall oscillations over the past few millenniums are associated with periods of prosperity and hardship for the people of the region. There is an emerging warming trajectory in the region reflected in a number of proxies and confirmed by various sources of environmental data. This is leading to more drought conditions in most of the region, extreme weather, and stressful temperature conditions for marine and other organisms. This trend and heterogeneity is expected to increase and the net effects will challenge the region’s ecology and human wellbeing.Less
This chapter briefly describes the current understanding of the recent geological history of climate and oceanography in the Indian Ocean and its implications for human-induced climate change. A series of dry and wet rainfall oscillations over the past few millenniums are associated with periods of prosperity and hardship for the people of the region. There is an emerging warming trajectory in the region reflected in a number of proxies and confirmed by various sources of environmental data. This is leading to more drought conditions in most of the region, extreme weather, and stressful temperature conditions for marine and other organisms. This trend and heterogeneity is expected to increase and the net effects will challenge the region’s ecology and human wellbeing.
JOHN BINNS
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269342
- eISBN:
- 9780191683626
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269342.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter describes the Palestinian desert that served as home to thousands of monks. The Palestinian desert was unique compared to other desert areas inhabited by monks, those of Egypt and Syria. ...
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This chapter describes the Palestinian desert that served as home to thousands of monks. The Palestinian desert was unique compared to other desert areas inhabited by monks, those of Egypt and Syria. Its distinctiveness is attributed to the geographical facts of it being close to Jerusalem and having varied terrain and weather conditions. This chapter describes the rainfall, soil variation, water supply, and sources of livelihood in the Palestinian desert.Less
This chapter describes the Palestinian desert that served as home to thousands of monks. The Palestinian desert was unique compared to other desert areas inhabited by monks, those of Egypt and Syria. Its distinctiveness is attributed to the geographical facts of it being close to Jerusalem and having varied terrain and weather conditions. This chapter describes the rainfall, soil variation, water supply, and sources of livelihood in the Palestinian desert.
David Ward
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- October 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198732754
- eISBN:
- 9780191796982
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198732754.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread ...
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This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly diverse environments, although it is their relative simplicity that makes them more tractable for study than more mesic environments. In these resource-poor environments, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of natural selection. This book covers a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of competition, facilitation, predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. This book features a balance of plant and animal examples, and also addresses topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. In this edition, considerable attention is also focused on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts. Too much emphasis has been placed on global warming and not global changes per se. While ultimately the world will continue to heat up as fossil fuels are burned, many people struggle to understand that it is human-induced changes in the world rather than a simple case of warming that is likely to occur. Thus, greater variations in temperature and rainfall are also consequences of the ways that we are altering our world. Among these varied effects, desertification is often among the most egregious, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions.Less
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary and applied focus. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions. Deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly diverse environments, although it is their relative simplicity that makes them more tractable for study than more mesic environments. In these resource-poor environments, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of natural selection. This book covers a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of competition, facilitation, predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. This book features a balance of plant and animal examples, and also addresses topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. In this edition, considerable attention is also focused on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts. Too much emphasis has been placed on global warming and not global changes per se. While ultimately the world will continue to heat up as fossil fuels are burned, many people struggle to understand that it is human-induced changes in the world rather than a simple case of warming that is likely to occur. Thus, greater variations in temperature and rainfall are also consequences of the ways that we are altering our world. Among these varied effects, desertification is often among the most egregious, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions.
M. Dinesh Kumar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198065364
- eISBN:
- 9780199081219
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198065364.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter evaluates the potentials of, and pitfalls in, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging in water-scarce regions of India. It analyses macro and micro level hydrological and ...
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This chapter evaluates the potentials of, and pitfalls in, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging in water-scarce regions of India. It analyses macro and micro level hydrological and geo-hydrological data including rainfall magnitudes and variability, and runoff. The findings suggest that rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging projects have an extremely limited potential in water-scarce regions of India from the point of view of basin level hydrological impacts and economic viability. This chapter describes the case study of the Narmada River Basin to illustrate the relative importance of blue and green water in managing basin water economies.Less
This chapter evaluates the potentials of, and pitfalls in, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging in water-scarce regions of India. It analyses macro and micro level hydrological and geo-hydrological data including rainfall magnitudes and variability, and runoff. The findings suggest that rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging projects have an extremely limited potential in water-scarce regions of India from the point of view of basin level hydrological impacts and economic viability. This chapter describes the case study of the Narmada River Basin to illustrate the relative importance of blue and green water in managing basin water economies.
M. Dinesh Kumar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198065364
- eISBN:
- 9780199081219
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198065364.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter examines the changes in the interaction between surface water and groundwater in Narmada River Basin. It analyses the historical flows, long-term trends in rainfall in the basin, and ...
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This chapter examines the changes in the interaction between surface water and groundwater in Narmada River Basin. It analyses the historical flows, long-term trends in rainfall in the basin, and changes in rainfall–runoff relationships between different time periods. It investigates whether change in groundwater draft had caused changes in groundwater–surface water interactions, particularly when groundwater outflows into the surface streams contributing to river flows.Less
This chapter examines the changes in the interaction between surface water and groundwater in Narmada River Basin. It analyses the historical flows, long-term trends in rainfall in the basin, and changes in rainfall–runoff relationships between different time periods. It investigates whether change in groundwater draft had caused changes in groundwater–surface water interactions, particularly when groundwater outflows into the surface streams contributing to river flows.
Wolf H. Berger
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520247789
- eISBN:
- 9780520942547
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520247789.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter focuses on the processes shaping coastal landscapes and the factors that contribute to the formation of beaches. It begins by discussing waves, where they come from, how they change ...
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This chapter focuses on the processes shaping coastal landscapes and the factors that contribute to the formation of beaches. It begins by discussing waves, where they come from, how they change through the seasons, and how they move sand or beach materials. The chapter then talks about the nature of cliffs and the process of cliff erosion. It also describes the geological and climatic factors for beach formation, such as river flows, rainfall, and floods.Less
This chapter focuses on the processes shaping coastal landscapes and the factors that contribute to the formation of beaches. It begins by discussing waves, where they come from, how they change through the seasons, and how they move sand or beach materials. The chapter then talks about the nature of cliffs and the process of cliff erosion. It also describes the geological and climatic factors for beach formation, such as river flows, rainfall, and floods.
Steve Selvin
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198833444
- eISBN:
- 9780191872280
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198833444.003.0032
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Probability / Statistics, Applied Mathematics
As the term smoothing suggests, data are made more similar to represent a clearer and more accessible picture of the relationships within the collected data.
As the term smoothing suggests, data are made more similar to represent a clearer and more accessible picture of the relationships within the collected data.
James Rodger Fleming
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198862734
- eISBN:
- 9780191895340
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198862734.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Geophysics, Atmospheric and Environmental Physics
This book, based on the life and work of Joanne (Gerould) Simpson (1923–2010), charts the history of women in meteorology and the history of tropical meteorology in the context of her long and ...
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This book, based on the life and work of Joanne (Gerould) Simpson (1923–2010), charts the history of women in meteorology and the history of tropical meteorology in the context of her long and productive career as pioneer scientist, project leader, and mentor. In 1943 women had no status in meteorology, tropical weather was largely aer incognita, and Joanne Gerould, a new graduate student at the University of Chicago, had just set her sights on understanding the behavior of clouds. Establishing her career in an era of overwhelming marginalization of women in science was no easy matter, and Joanne (who published under three married names and raised three children) had to fight every step of the way. Under the mentorship of Herbert Riehl, she received a PhD degree from Chicago in 1949. Later, while working at Woods Hole, she collaborated with Riehl on their revolutionary and controversial “hot tower” hypothesis that cumulonimbus clouds were the driving force in the tropical atmosphere, providing energy to power the Hadley circulation, the trade winds, and by implication, the global circulation. The mechanism of hot towers alludes to the incessant battle between buoyancy and entrainment in tropical convection, valorizing those clouds that successfully break through the trade wind inversion to soar to the top of the troposphere. The metaphor of hot towers points to the incessant battles Joanne waged between her sky-high aspirations and the dark psychological and institutional forces dragging her down. Yet she prevailed, reaching the pinnacle of personal and professional accomplishment, especially in her years at NASA, as she conditioned the atmosphere for further breakthroughs for women in science. She is best remembered as a pioneer woman scientist, the best tropical scientist of her generation.Less
This book, based on the life and work of Joanne (Gerould) Simpson (1923–2010), charts the history of women in meteorology and the history of tropical meteorology in the context of her long and productive career as pioneer scientist, project leader, and mentor. In 1943 women had no status in meteorology, tropical weather was largely aer incognita, and Joanne Gerould, a new graduate student at the University of Chicago, had just set her sights on understanding the behavior of clouds. Establishing her career in an era of overwhelming marginalization of women in science was no easy matter, and Joanne (who published under three married names and raised three children) had to fight every step of the way. Under the mentorship of Herbert Riehl, she received a PhD degree from Chicago in 1949. Later, while working at Woods Hole, she collaborated with Riehl on their revolutionary and controversial “hot tower” hypothesis that cumulonimbus clouds were the driving force in the tropical atmosphere, providing energy to power the Hadley circulation, the trade winds, and by implication, the global circulation. The mechanism of hot towers alludes to the incessant battle between buoyancy and entrainment in tropical convection, valorizing those clouds that successfully break through the trade wind inversion to soar to the top of the troposphere. The metaphor of hot towers points to the incessant battles Joanne waged between her sky-high aspirations and the dark psychological and institutional forces dragging her down. Yet she prevailed, reaching the pinnacle of personal and professional accomplishment, especially in her years at NASA, as she conditioned the atmosphere for further breakthroughs for women in science. She is best remembered as a pioneer woman scientist, the best tropical scientist of her generation.
William G. Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226901459
- eISBN:
- 9780226901473
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226901473.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
The heating of impervious surfaces generally matches and confirms the scale of urban heat island warming, and also matches the amount of heat that evaporates a light rain. The chapter examines the ...
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The heating of impervious surfaces generally matches and confirms the scale of urban heat island warming, and also matches the amount of heat that evaporates a light rain. The chapter examines the role urban vegetation plays in cooling cities and treating storm water, and discusses whether any significant energy reduction and carbon sequestration benefits can be expected. Comparing the cooling potential of a tree shows that a tree just can't transpire enough water to cool these high thermal mass surfaces. Further, trees experiencing realistic urban scenarios have an even bigger challenge as their transpiration systems shut down due to high heat. Simply painting the cement and asphalt surfaces white, on the other hand, could greatly change how much heat they absorb. Surprisingly, lawns have a higher potential than trees for cooling via transpiration, and interesting approaches combine parking lots with grass.Less
The heating of impervious surfaces generally matches and confirms the scale of urban heat island warming, and also matches the amount of heat that evaporates a light rain. The chapter examines the role urban vegetation plays in cooling cities and treating storm water, and discusses whether any significant energy reduction and carbon sequestration benefits can be expected. Comparing the cooling potential of a tree shows that a tree just can't transpire enough water to cool these high thermal mass surfaces. Further, trees experiencing realistic urban scenarios have an even bigger challenge as their transpiration systems shut down due to high heat. Simply painting the cement and asphalt surfaces white, on the other hand, could greatly change how much heat they absorb. Surprisingly, lawns have a higher potential than trees for cooling via transpiration, and interesting approaches combine parking lots with grass.
Susan Schulten
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226740683
- eISBN:
- 9780226740706
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226740706.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
In the nineteenth century, Americans began to use maps in radically new ways. For the first time, medical men mapped diseases to understand and prevent epidemics, natural scientists mapped climate ...
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In the nineteenth century, Americans began to use maps in radically new ways. For the first time, medical men mapped diseases to understand and prevent epidemics, natural scientists mapped climate and rainfall to uncover weather patterns, educators mapped the past to foster national loyalty among students, and Northerners mapped slavery to assess the power of the South. After the Civil War, federal agencies embraced statistical and thematic mapping in order to profile the ethnic, racial, economic, moral, and physical attributes of a reunified nation. By the end of the century, Congress had authorized a national archive of maps, an explicit recognition that old maps were not relics to be discarded but unique records of the nation's past. All of these experiments involved the realization that maps were not just illustrations of data, but visual tools that were uniquely equipped to convey complex ideas and information. This book charts how maps of epidemic disease, slavery, census statistics, the environment, and the past demonstrated the analytical potential of cartography, and in the process transformed the very meaning of a map. Today, statistical and thematic maps are so ubiquitous that we take for granted that data will be arranged cartographically. Whether for urban planning, public health, marketing, or political strategy, maps have become everyday tools of social organization, governance, and economics. The world we inhabit—saturated with maps and graphic information—grew out of this sea change in spatial thought and representation in the nineteenth century.Less
In the nineteenth century, Americans began to use maps in radically new ways. For the first time, medical men mapped diseases to understand and prevent epidemics, natural scientists mapped climate and rainfall to uncover weather patterns, educators mapped the past to foster national loyalty among students, and Northerners mapped slavery to assess the power of the South. After the Civil War, federal agencies embraced statistical and thematic mapping in order to profile the ethnic, racial, economic, moral, and physical attributes of a reunified nation. By the end of the century, Congress had authorized a national archive of maps, an explicit recognition that old maps were not relics to be discarded but unique records of the nation's past. All of these experiments involved the realization that maps were not just illustrations of data, but visual tools that were uniquely equipped to convey complex ideas and information. This book charts how maps of epidemic disease, slavery, census statistics, the environment, and the past demonstrated the analytical potential of cartography, and in the process transformed the very meaning of a map. Today, statistical and thematic maps are so ubiquitous that we take for granted that data will be arranged cartographically. Whether for urban planning, public health, marketing, or political strategy, maps have become everyday tools of social organization, governance, and economics. The world we inhabit—saturated with maps and graphic information—grew out of this sea change in spatial thought and representation in the nineteenth century.
Camilla Toulmin
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- December 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198853046
- eISBN:
- 9780191946486
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198853046.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Maps, figures, and tables present data on rainfall trends and distribution in this Sahelian setting, demonstrating the high level of variability within and between years. The pattern of soils, ...
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Maps, figures, and tables present data on rainfall trends and distribution in this Sahelian setting, demonstrating the high level of variability within and between years. The pattern of soils, vegetation and water are described and how these provide the basis for the economy of village and household. Land use, crop choice, and livestock ownership are discussed alongside ownership of other productive assets, such as wells, plough-teams, and donkey-carts. Overall production of the main crop, millet, is described and its allocation to a range of purposes, with a picture of how many days of grain are available from the harvest for different households. Household income and expenditure are shown, the principal sources of income, and cash expenditure by category of purpose, such as purchase of livestock, marriage costs and payment of taxes. It is shown that size of income is partly a function of household size, but also the result of special circumstances, such as whether a marriage is in preparation, or a new ox needs to be bought.Less
Maps, figures, and tables present data on rainfall trends and distribution in this Sahelian setting, demonstrating the high level of variability within and between years. The pattern of soils, vegetation and water are described and how these provide the basis for the economy of village and household. Land use, crop choice, and livestock ownership are discussed alongside ownership of other productive assets, such as wells, plough-teams, and donkey-carts. Overall production of the main crop, millet, is described and its allocation to a range of purposes, with a picture of how many days of grain are available from the harvest for different households. Household income and expenditure are shown, the principal sources of income, and cash expenditure by category of purpose, such as purchase of livestock, marriage costs and payment of taxes. It is shown that size of income is partly a function of household size, but also the result of special circumstances, such as whether a marriage is in preparation, or a new ox needs to be bought.
