Sokoine University of Agriculture
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Towards using dendrochchronological proxy for reconstructing climate in tropical regions
No full textThe document is available in print formThere has been a controversial discussion on the use of dendrochronology as a proxy for reconstructing climate in the tropics. It is argued that the lack of seasonality in tropical regions constrains tree species growth formation and the resulting tree rings. Using Content Analysis eCA), and Relational Analysis in particular, and dendrochronology-laboratory practices at the University of Minnesota, the paper reviews the discussion on the use of tropical tree species in tree rings studies. The results show that tree species in Pordocarpaceae family and Pterocarpus angolensis growing in Tanzania and other parts of the tropics depict annually resolved tree rings so they may be useful proxy tropical tree species for reconstructing past climate. The challenges for practicing dendrochronology in the tropics relates to the diversity of rings formation and tree rings patterns in different species, and the lack of instrumental climatic records. We argue that tropical tree rings studies robustness may benefit from other climate proxies such as charcoal, stalagmites, pollens and spores, and fossil leaves
Long-Term Solar Activity and Its Implications to the Heliosphere, Geomagnetic Activity, and the Earth’s Climate
No full textThis article is available at http://www.edpsciences.org/The Sun’s long-term magnetic variability is the primary driver of space climate. This variability is manifested not only in the longobserved
and dramatic change of magnetic fields on the solar surface, but also in the changing solar radiative output across all
wavelengths. The Sun’s magnetic variability also modulates the particulate and magnetic fluxes in the heliosphere, which determine
the interplanetary conditions and impose significant electromagnetic forces and effects upon planetary atmospheres. All these effects
due to the changing solar magnetic fields are also relevant for planetary climates, including the climate of the Earth. The
ultimate cause of solar variability, at time scales much shorter than stellar evolutionary time scales, i.e., at decadal to centennial
and, maybe, even millennial or longer scales, has its origin in the solar dynamo mechanism. Therefore, in order to better understand
the origin of space climate, one must analyze different proxies of solar magnetic variability and develop models of the solar dynamo
mechanism that correctly produce the observed properties of the magnetic fields. This Preface summarizes the most important
findings of the papers of this Special Issue, most of which were presented in the Space Climate-4 Symposium organized in
2011 in Goa, India
A gendered analysis of climate variability and change impacts and adaptations in semi arid area farming systems and natural resources management
No full textResearch ReportClimate change and climate variability is increasingly threatening the livelihoods of many
Tanzanians especially those living in semi-arid rural areas. The most affected are those; with
low incomes, less food, poor access to health services, unstable energy supplies, and living in
fragile natural ecosystems. Generally, women and men contribute differently to climate
change; likewise, they are affected differently and react differently to its impact. The overall
objective of the study was to assess the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods' and how
households in semi-arid areas of Tanzania adapt based on gender. The study was conducted in
Iramba and Meatu Districts. The study adopted a Sustainable livelihood Approach (SLA)
developed by DFID (1992) in the analysis of climate change impacts and households'
adaptation. Data was collected using qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and
key informant interviews, informal interviews and observations. Findings from the study show
that, climate change impacts affect almost everybody in the studied communities; however,
differences by gender exist. These findings thus suggest that adaptation to climate change
impacts vary across genders due to differences in roles and responsibilities, power relations
and access to and control over resources.Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation' (CCIAM) Programme in Tanzani
Exploring opportunities for climate change adaptation in semi arid areas of Tanzania: A case of Nzega District in Tabora region
No full textClimate change and associated impacts are now widely acknowledged by most communities,
institutions and organizations in the World to be affecting people’s livelihoods. The University of Dar es
Salaam in Tanzania through the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) implemented a three years
research program to study the implications of climate change on natural and social systems in three
agro ecolocilal zones in Tanzania. The present paper presents finding obtained from one of the zones
studied namely semi arid central and western part. The study was conducted in two villages namely
Upungwe and Mbogwe located in Nzega District, Tabora region. A sample size of 99 people; that is,
10% of the total number of households was used for household interviews. A total of 40 people
strategically selected were involved in focus group discussion, 20 from each village. Findings show
that different ethnic groups have moved into villages in response to climate change impacts in their
areas of origin. Climate change impacts in particular increased pests associated with temper rise and
resulted in loss on various crop yields ranging from 46 to 80%. Most crops affected are in the order
cotton, rice, cassava, sweet potatoes, groundnuts and maize, respectively. Different adaptation options
were also reported but the most important was found to be different forms of linkages such as ruralurban
reported to be more viable by 39 to 68% of respondents while 48 to 62% reported such linkages
to be viable on adaptation. To strengthen adaptation rural-urban, urban-rural and rural-rural linkages
needs to be facilitated so that products and information can flow from all ends.PITRO-UDSM progra
Teaching Global Climate Change
No full textThis article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ns.2013.51A018Although there is strong consensus among scientists that global climate change is real and dangerous, and there is increasing belief of this among the general public, there still remains a significant gap between scientific opinion and that of the public. The academic environmental community, therefore, has a clear opportunity and responsibility to teach the facts of global cli- mate change, particularly to non-environmental majors, those people who are the voters of the future. The article presents several ideas along these lines, and calls for a revitalized effort to teach climate change to undergraduate stu- dents
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION INFORMATION TOOLKIT FOR FARMING COMMUNITIES IN TANZANIA
No full textClimate change is happening and will continue to be the real challenge for mankind
survival and sustainable development. The impacts associated with climate change are
already experienced in many systems and sectors essential for human livelihood in the
most vulnerable communities. On the other hand, the impacts of climate change pose a
direct threat to people‘s survival and different ecosystems, particularly in developing
countries. It is expected that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will
increase causing severe socio-economic consequences particularly to the least
developing countries due to low adaptive capacity. In Tanzania, we have witnessed
incidences of severe and recurrent droughts hitting many parts of our country leading to
food insecurity, massive deaths of livestock, dwindling of water resources and
destruction of human settlements and infrastructure due to floods. All of these had
consequences to communities retarding their efforts to alleviate poverty. Farming
communities are among the vulnerable groups that have been suffering seriously as a
result of climate change due to the fact that their activities are climate sensitive.
In this regard, adaptation to the impacts of climate change is absolutely important in
order to enable the farming communities to cope with the changing climate. Appropriate
adaptation measures are important in strengthening the resilience of these communities
in their local setting. For this to be effective, it is therefore imperative that communities
are assisted with information that will enable them to understand climate change, its
associated impacts and measures which can be employed in addressing the impacts of
climate change through participatory climate change adaptation planning approach.
Cognizant of the fact that information on climate change is of paramount importance in
assisting farmers to plan for adaptation actions, the Vice President’s Office in
consultation with stakeholders prepared this climate change adaptation information
toolkit for farming communities in Tanzania. The toolkit is the first resource to the
farming communities for the purpose of learning about what climate change is, what are
the expected impacts to farming communities, and more importantly, it provides some
preliminary ideas on options for adaptation that farming communities can apply to start
dealing with the threats of climate change. It is a starting point for developing targeted
information and resource materials to farming communities. Generally, this toolkit
provides basic understanding on climate change, how it affects farming communities
and equips them with ideas or tools to address climate change impacts. It is designed
in the form of a resource book that will be made available directly to local farming
communities, Extension Officers as well as other experts.
It is my sincere hope that you will find this Toolkit useful to guide adaptation awareness,
planning, management and implementation of climate change adaptation measures for
the farming communities. I urge you to use this Toolkit in undertaking planning,
management and implementation of climate change adaptation actions, as it will
contribute towards improving people’s livelihood and sustainable development in the
country.Japan through the United Nations Development Programm
Some remarks on the individual contribution to climate change
No full textThis article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajcc.2013.23020Climate change is one of the most important challenges of the 21st Century. As greenhouse gas concentration of the atmosphere has reached the 400ppm threshold of a 2°C global warming on 9 May 2013 and irreversible tipping points of the climatic system at some point of time have got even more likely, the question of the individual contribution to climate change becomes more and more virulent. For a long time, the absorption capacity of the environment has been regarded as limitless, and based on this perception, the economic entities used the environment for hundreds of years without constraints. Today, with progress of scientific knowledge, we are now aware of the possible negative impacts of climate change to environmental, economic and social systems on Earth. This awareness, however, did not lead to a significant change of individual behavior, because the perceived individual contribution to both the anthropogenic cause of climate change and its mitigation is still regarded as marginal. To encounter this misperception or “diffusion of environmental responsibility”, this article presents an alternative calculation of the individual contribution to climate change taking the incremental approach to a tipping point or a 2°C global warming threshold into account
Water Balance Modeling in a Semi-Arid Environment with Limited in situ Data Using Remote Sensing in Lake Manyara, East African Rift, Tanzania
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to estimate the water balance in a semi-arid environment with limited in situ data using a remote sensing approach. We focus on the Lake Manyara catchment, located within the East African Rift of northern Tanzania. We use a distributed conceptual hydrological model driven by remote sensing data to study the spatial and temporal variability of water balance parameters within the catchment. Satellite gravimetry GRACE data is used to verify the trends of the inferred lake level changes. The results show that the lake undergoes high spatial and temporal variations, characteristic of a semi-arid climate with high evaporation and low rainfall. We observe that the Lake Manyara water balance and GRACE equivalent water depth show comparable trends; a decrease after 2002 followed by a sharp increase in 2006–2007. Our modeling confirms the importance of the 2006–2007 Indian Ocean Dipole fluctuation in replenishing the groundwater reservoirs of East Africa. We thus demonstrate that water balance modeling can be performed successfully using remote sensing data even in complex climatic settings. Despite the small size of Lake Manyara, GRACE data showed great potential for hydrological research on smaller un-gauged lakes and catchments in similar semi-arid environments worldwide. The water balance information can be used for further analysis of lake variations in relation to soil erosion, climate and land cover/land use change as well as different lake management and conservation scenarios.German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD
Extension agrometeorology as the answer to stakeholder realities: response farming and the consequences of climate change
No full textExtension agrometeorology is applied in agrometeorological extension work to
advice and serve farmers. In agrometeorology, response farming has been developed decades
ago. Climate change complicates response farming, but does not alter it. This paper reports
on new operationalization of that response farming in new educational commitments in
agroclimatology. It is explained how “Science Field Shops” are an example in Indonesia.
This was based on a thorough analysis of what climate change means for farmers in Asia.
For Africa, we report on eying the training of agrometeorological extension trainers
(“product intermediaries”) in West Africa, based on a thorough analysis of what climate
change means for farmers in Africa. We also compare experience with reaching farmers in South Africa and farmer communities in Zambia, as new forms of supporting response
farming, all under conditions of a changing climate. The paper, for the first time, connects
results from four different programs the senior author is taking part in. There is first and
foremost the need for training material to make it possible for the product intermediaries to
participate in training extension intermediaries. This should, particularly, bring new
knowledge to farmers. With what is presently available and with new approaches, climate
extension should be developed and tested with farmers in ways that improve farmer
preparedness and decision making
Detecting and Responding to Climate Change
No full textThis article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v65i0.20088Detecting and responding to climate change are two interrelated aspects of an important activity that
Bert Bolin strongly promoted: the communication between scientists, the public and policy makers. The
demonstration of a statistically significant anthropogenic contribution to the observed global warming greatly
increased the public acceptance of the reality of climate change However, the separation between humaninduced
climate change and natural climate variability on the regional scales of greatest relevance for human
living conditions remains a more difficult task. This applies to the prediction of both the anthropogenic signal
and the natural variability noise. Climate mitigation and adaptation policies must therefore necessarily
be designed as the response to uncertain risks. Unfortunately, the political response to climate change has
stagnated in recent years through the preoccupation with the global financial crisis. Climate scientists can help
overcome the current climate policy impasse through the creation of a new generation of simple, actor-based,
system-dynamic models that demonstrate the close connection between the stabilisation of the global financial
system and effective climate policies. Examples are given of alternative stabilisation policies that can lead
either to major recessions and unemployment or to stable economic growth supported by an accelerated
decarbonisation of the economy