DIE ERDE – Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin
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Health heat stress in the Porto Metropolitan Area – a matter of temperature or inadequate adaptation?
Get PDFThe aim of this contribution is to understand the negative outcomes for human health during hot weather in a Mediterranean urban environment. Examining seasonal variations of thermal comfort in Porto, by Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET), and comparing expected and observed daily mortality (all causes) and morbidity (all causes, respiratory and circulatory diseases), suggests that in southern Europe, people’s adaptation techniques for reducing heat stress and associated health risks need to be developed much further. Research already done in Porto shows that social and economic vulnerability must be included alongside with individual characteristics, like age, gender or genetics, when defining the thresholds above which negative health impacts begin to become severe. Findings from Porto show that a climate risk map is needed for every metropolitan area, with sufficient detail to give locally appropriate temperature thresholds taking into account both the local climate and the socio-economic conditions of every sector of the urban environment
Stellungnahme zur Replik von Winfried Schröder (Vechta) auf meine Kritik an der im Handbuch der Umweltwissenschaften veröffentlichten „Landschaftsökologischen Raumgliederung Deutschlands“
Get PDFMy critical observation “Down-to-earth is imperative” concerning the “Landschaftsökologische Raumgliederung Deutschlands” (landscape-ecological regionalisation of Germany; Schröder et al. 2006), published in this journal in 2009 (Weller 2009), received a reply by Winfried Schröder (Schröder 2011, 2012) in which he underlines the scientificity of the method applied in his regionalisation approach and stresses its superiority compared to a more observational empiricism. The reply closes with the remarks that the critic “has not understood the statistical method which underlies the landscape-ecological regionalisation” and that his “alternative approach does not satisfy fundamental criteria of scientific work”. I have not postulated an “alternative approach” at all; I have simply contrasted Schröder’s regionalisation with a number of facts which everybody who has ever dealt with landscapes in situ can observe. Numerous examples are able to show that the regionalisation published by Schröder has in fact very little to do with the actual conditions in the field. Unfortunately, Schröder’s reply does not consider this evidence, not with a single sentence. The missing plausibility test does not seem to be a problem for the authors of this regionalisation. This is not a unique case, but an especially striking example for the kind of uncritical data analysis frequently applied in science disciplines today where the real objects get out of sight. The findings resulting from such an approach are very much in danger of being totally inadequate as a basis for practical applications – which is, after all, explicitly sought by their authors. It was my objective to point out this danger. If there had been any need for another proof of the topicality of the observation of “down-to-earth is imperative”, the distance to reality of this reply is ample evidence for this
Effects of changing water availability on land use in irrigated mountain oases of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, northern Oman
Get PDFIn Oman, during the last three decades, agricultural water use and groundwater extraction has dramatically increased to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and major changes in lifestyle. This has triggered agricultural land-use changes which have been poorly investigated. In view of this our study aimed at analysing patterns of shortterm land-use changes (2007-2009) in the five irrigated mountain oases of Ash Sharayjah, Al’Ayn, Al’Aqr, Qasha’ and Masayrat ar Ruwajah situated in the northern Oman Hajar mountains of Al Jabal Al Akhdar where competitive uses of irrigation water are particularly apparent. Comprehensive GIS-based field surveys were conducted over three years to record changes in terrace use in these five oases where farmers have traditionally adapted to rain-derived variations of irrigation water supply, e.g. by leaving agricultural terraces of annual crops uncultivated in drought years. Results show that the area occupied with field crops decreased in the dry years of 2008 and 2009 for all oases. In Ash Sharayjah, terrace areas grown with field crops declined from 4.7 ha (32.4 % of total terrace area) in 2007 to 3.1 ha (21.6 %) in 2008 and 3.0 ha (20.5 %) in 2009. Similarly, the area proportion of field crops shrunk in Al’Ayn, Qasha’ and Masayrat from 35.2, 36.3 and 49.6 % in 2007 to 19.8, 8.5 and 41.3 % in 2009, respectively. In Al’Aqr, the area of field crops slightly increased from 0.3 ha (17.0 %) in 2007 to 0.7 (39.1 %) in 2008, and decreased to 0.5 ha (28.8 %) in 2009. During the same period annual dry matter yields of the cash crop garlic in Ash Sharayjah increased from 16.3 t ha-1 in 2007 to 19.8 t ha-1 in 2008 and 18.3 t ha-1 in 2009, while the same crop yielded only 0.4, 1.6 and 1.1 t ha-1 in Masayrat. In 2009, the total estimated agricultural area of the new town of Sayh Qatanah above the five oases was around 13.5 ha. Our results suggest that scarcity of irrigation water as a result of low precipitation and increased irrigation and home water consumption in the new urban settlements above the five oases have led to major shifts in the land-use pattern and increasingly threaten the centuries-long tradition and drought-resilience of agriculture in the oases of the studied watershed
Reassessing supplier reputation in international trade coordination – a German and Australian perspective of global organic food networks
Get PDFUncertainties are especially high among importing firms and for products with sensitive and ‘critical’ quality characteristics in a societal context, such as food. While much recent literature on this issue has focused on the implementation of standards and certification systems, I argue that reputation also plays an important role for trading firms in mitigating uncertainties across large distances. Reputation may or may not reflect reality and is based on public (e.g. media) and networked (from individuals) information. This article draws on Convention Theory in a case study based on qualitative interviews among organic food importers to Germany and Australia. I first show that the degree of their public exposure implies specific risks and strongly influences importers’ coordination strategy. I then go on to examine how, in these firms’ supplier relations and risk management, not only the reputation of (potential) suppliers counts, but also the reputation of supplier countries and institutional systems such as standards and certification bodies. Intensive involvement and first-hand experience with certifiers and suppliers in exporting countries can, in some cases, cause firms to challenge their existing beliefs. I conclude that a good reputation is still essential for (improving) market access, even when basic prerequisites such as legally mandatory certification are fulfilled
The impact of mobile phones on knowledge access and transfer of small-scale horticultural farmers in Tanzania
Get PDFAgriculture is the main economic activity in Tanzania and the country´s largest employer, providing livelihood for at least 80 % of the economically active population. Many studies have identified key challenges facing the sector for Africa in general – among these lack of access to knowledge. For agricultural producers, access to knowledge is important for an improved productivity and competitiveness. The fast diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) such as mobile phones across Africa in the last years has resulted in an improved access and transfer of agricultural knowledge. Studies have shown that rural actors like farmers in remote areas even use mobile phones for their farming business. Based on qualitative interviews in the Mwanza Region in northwestern Tanzania, this study aims to identify and categorise the different types of knowledge which are transferred via mobile phones. Our results show that mobile phones enlarge the ability of farmers to access business-relevant knowledge at an increasing spatial scale. However, the effects of the use depend on the type of knowledge and other factors. The results add to existing studies by deepening the understanding of the benefits of ICT on knowledge access and transfer for the context of rural small-scale framers in Tanzania
Past and future evolution of nighttime urban cooling by suburban cold air drainage in Aachen
Get PDFIn urban areas situated downstream of rural areas, cold air drainage flow contributes to reduced nighttime temperatures and reduced pollutant concentrations. In this study, the impact of historical, present and possible future land-use changes upon evening cooling by suburban cold air drainage flow is analysed by using the numerical cold air drainage model KLAM_21 of the German Weather Service (DWD). In order to do this, land-use patterns of the year 1810 and 1910 are reconstructed. Furthermore, potential land-use scenarios are developed, considering both a scenario with beneficial cold air drainage characteristics and a second adverse scenario. Past, present and future land-use data are used as model input. To validate model results in the present land-use situation, empirical data from field measurements are used to compare modelled and effective cold air drainage flow characteristics. Model data for 14 reference areas – including suburban and inner city sites – are compared with regard to the cooling rate 3 h after sunset. The results show distinctive effects of accumulated long-term urban land-use changes on the suburban cold air drainage flow. In the city centre, for example, the modelled mean cooling rate decreases from 3.6 K in 1810 to 2.8 K in 1910 and to 2.4 K in 2010. In contrast to this, appropriate measures to stop or even reverse the trend of decreasing cooling rates are shown. Intensified urban cooling by nocturnal cold air drainage can contribute to mitigating probable future global warming effects
Intermediaries in agro-food networks in Turkey: How middlemen respond to transforming food market structures
Get PDFTraditional wholesale intermediaries in the fresh fruit and vegetable segment tend to get expendable in markets with an increasing demand for traceability and for the fulfilment of quality and hygiene standards. The demand for these specifications is usually induced by transnational retail corporations that enter new market environments. This is also the case for Turkey, where since 2010 trade with fresh fruit and vegetable products can be conducted outside wholesale markets. Dualistic structures in accordance with socio-economic realities have emerged and the reactions of intermediaries towards these transformations vary between strategies of resilience and reworking. Therefore completely new purchasing channels emerge, whereby at the same time long-established trading patterns remain important to supply all groups of the society. This article is based on interviews conducted in Turkey