@article{OeztuerkBozzolanHolcombeetal.2022, author = {{\"O}zt{\"u}rk, Ugur and Bozzolan, Elisa and Holcombe, Elizabeth A. and Shukla, Roopam and Pianosi, Francesca and Wagener, Thorsten}, title = {How climate change and unplanned urban sprawl bring more landslides}, series = {Nature : the international weekly journal of science}, volume = {608}, journal = {Nature : the international weekly journal of science}, number = {7922}, publisher = {Nature portfolio}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {0028-0836}, doi = {10.1038/d41586-022-02141-9}, pages = {262 -- 265}, year = {2022}, abstract = {More settlements will suffer as heavy rains and unregulated construction destabilize slopes in the tropics, models show.}, language = {en} } @article{ButerHeckmannFilisettietal.2022, author = {Buter, Anuschka and Heckmann, Tobias and Filisetti, Lorenzo and Savi, Sara and Mao, Luca and Gems, Bernhard and Comiti, Francesco}, title = {Effects of catchment characteristics and hydro-meteorological scenarios on sediment connectivity in glacierised catchments}, series = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, volume = {402}, journal = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0169-555X}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108128}, pages = {17}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In the past decade, sediment connectivity has become a widely recognized characteristic of a geomorphic system. However, the quantification of functional connectivity (i.e. connectivity which arises due to the actual occurrence of sediment transport processes) and its variation over space and time is still a challenge. In this context, this study assesses the effects of expected future phenomena in the context of climate change (i.e. glacier retreat, permafrost degradation or meteorological extreme events) on sediment transport dynamics in a glacierised Alpine basin. The study area is the Sulden river basin (drainage area 130 km(2)) in the Italian Alps, which is composed of two geomorphologically diverse sub-basins. Based on graph theory, we evaluated the spatio-temporal variations in functional connectivity in these two sub-basins. The graph-object, obtained by manually mapping sediment transport processes between landforms, was adapted to 6 different hydro-meteorological scenarios, which derive from combining base, heatwave and rainstorm conditions with snowmelt and glacier-melt periods. For each scenario and each sub-basin, the sediment transport network and related catchment characteristics were analysed. To compare the effects of the scenarios on functional connectivity, we introduced a connectivity degree, calculated based on the area of the landforms involved in sediment cascades. Results indicate that the area of the basin connected to its outlet in terms of sediment transport might feature a six-fold increase in case of rainstorm conditions compared to "average " meteorological conditions assumed for the base scenario. Furthermore, markedly different effects of climate change on sediment connectivity are expected between the two sub-catchments due to their contrasting morphological and lithological characteristics, in terms of relative importance of rainfall triggered colluvial processes vs temperature-driven proglacial fluvial dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{VerweijNeyThompson2022, author = {Verweij, Marco and Ney, Steven and Thompson, Michael}, title = {Cultural Theory's contributions to climate science}, series = {European journal for philosophy of science}, volume = {12}, journal = {European journal for philosophy of science}, number = {2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1879-4912}, doi = {10.1007/s13194-022-00464-y}, pages = {13}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In his article, 'Social constructionism and climate science denial', Hansson claims to present empirical evidence that the cultural theory developed by Dame Mary Douglas, Aaron Wildavsky and ourselves (among others) leads to (climate) science denial. In this reply, we show that there is no validity to these claims. First, we show that Hansson's empirical evidence that cultural theory has led to climate science denial falls apart under closer inspection. Contrary to Hansson's claims, cultural theory has made significant contributions to understanding and addressing climate change. Second, we discuss various features of Douglas' cultural theory that differentiate it from other constructivist approaches and make it compatible with the scientific method. Thus, we also demonstrate that cultural theory cannot be accused of epistemic relativism.}, language = {en} } @article{Vogel2022, author = {Vogel, Johannes}, title = {Drivers of phenological changes in southern Europe}, series = {International Journal of Biometeorology}, volume = {66}, journal = {International Journal of Biometeorology}, number = {9}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0020-7128}, doi = {10.1007/s00484-022-02331-0}, pages = {1903 -- 1914}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The life cycle of plants is largely determined by climate, which renders phenological responses to climate change a highly suitable bioindicator of climate change. Yet, it remains unclear, which are the key drivers of phenological patterns at certain life stages. Furthermore, the varying responses of species belonging to different plant functional types are not fully understood. In this study, the role of temperature and precipitation as environmental drivers of phenological changes in southern Europe is assessed. The trends of the phenophases leaf unfolding, flowering, fruiting, and senescence are quantified, and the corresponding main environmental drivers are identified. A clear trend towards an earlier onset of leaf unfolding, flowering, and fruiting is detected, while there is no clear pattern for senescence. In general, the advancement of leaf unfolding, flowering and fruiting is smaller for deciduous broadleaf trees in comparison to deciduous shrubs and crops. Many broadleaf trees are photoperiod-sensitive; therefore, their comparatively small phenological advancements are likely the effect of photoperiod counterbalancing the impact of increasing temperatures. While temperature is identified as the main driver of phenological changes, precipitation also plays a crucial role in determining the onset of leaf unfolding and flowering. Phenological phases advance under dry conditions, which can be linked to the lack of transpirational cooling leading to rising temperatures, which subsequently accelerate plant growth.}, language = {en} }