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The Environmental Displacement Dataset (EnDis) quantifies human movement in response to sudden-onset natural hazards, including floods, storms, wildfires, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.

The most widely used process for hydrogen production is steam methane reforming. It can be carried out using a membrane reactor in which simultaneous hydrogen production and purification occur. Mathematical modeling of these reactors plays a key role in the selection of the design and operating parameters that yield high performance for the reactor. This review study discusses, synthesizes, and compares different mathematical modeling studies on the packed bed membrane reactors for hydrogen production from methane found in the literature. Different approaches used in these modeling studies for the hydrogen permeation steps, reaction kinetic expressions, phases involved (pseudo-homogeneous and heterogeneous), and spatial dimensions (one, two, and three dimensional) are given.

Climate-controlled changes in eustatic sea level (ESL) are linked to transfers of water between ocean and land, thus offering a rare insight into the past hydrological cycle. In this study, we examine the timing and phase of Milankovitch-scale ESL cycles in the peak Cretaceous greenhouse, the early Turonian (-93-94 million years, Myr, ago). A high-resolution astronomical framework established for the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (central Europe) suggests a -400-kyr pace and a distinct asymmetry of interpreted ESL cycles. The rising limbs of ESL change constitute only 20-30 % of the cycle, and are encased entirely within the falling phase of the 405-kyr eccentricity. The intervening ESL falls (<= 6 m in magnitude) are more protracted, starting within 70 kyr prior to the eccentricity minima and culminating -60 kyr after the 405-kyr eccentricity maxima. Despite similarities to the sawtooth shape of -100-kyr glacioeustatic oscillations of the Late Pleistocene, the time scales and phasing are unparalleled in the Pleistocene icehouse. A similar, 405-kyr pace is found in ice-volume variations of the early Miocene, but the timing of glacioeustatic change relative to eccentricity forcing is incompatible with the phase of greenhouse sea-level oscillations. The phasing points to major differences in the geographic location and insolation sensitivity of the key hydrological reservoirs under icehouse and greenhouse regimes. The inferred structure of greenhouse eustasy points to low- or middle-latitude water storage, likely aquifers, that charge (expand) with rising seasonality variations and discharge (contract) with declining seasonality amplitudes on the 405-kyr scale. The net volume of water transferred on these time scales is within 2.2 x 106 km3, equivalent to <= 10 % of the present-day storage in the uppermost 2 km of continental crust. Potential additive interference with steric eustasy, proportionally relevant during greenhouse regimes, could reduce the volumes required for continental storage.

Abstract In the current transition to a smarter and more efficient transportation system, battery electric vehicle mileage and the time required for charging are still two main constraints that need to be overcome to enable a larger penetration of electric vehicles. Moreover, the few charging stations available are a consequence of the “supply and demand” problem. Consequently, wireless dynamic recharging can be a complementary solution to address the problems of light-duty electric mobility and an added-value towards autonomous vehicles. Consequently, this paper presents an innovative approach based on real world mobility patterns collected for a sample in the city of Lisbon, Portugal, to assess users’ electric vehicle feasibility by assessing different recharging scenarios, comparing stationary and dynamic recharging scenarios. The results indicate that at least 15 % more drivers would be eligible to own an electric vehicle if wireless charging was available. Moreover, wireless charging reduces the range of battery used, with stationary charging requiring circa 3.2 times more battery range. The developed approach confirms that wireless dynamic recharging can significantly change the framework of current electric mobility limitations, reducing range anxiety issues, contributing to redesign electric vehicle battery capacity and overcome barriers in stationary charging deployment and availability.

Worldwide, the energy consumption of refrigeration systems increased by 50% in the last 20 years. Currently, active refrigeration systems are often used to maintain cold chains in industry. However, there are remarkable drawbacks in the operation of active systems such as susceptibility to blackouts in the power supply and vibrations during their operation. Therefore, to overcome the aforementioned problems, passive cold chain transport using latent thermal energy storage systems arose as a potential solution. However, these systems require long charging times due to the low thermal conductivity of most phase change materials. In that sense, this paper presents a novel design of a cold storage battery with metal foam enhanced phase change material. The peak efflux of energy and solidification time of the battery is correlated as a function of the inlet temperature and mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid with a root mean square deviation of 11.4%. The solidification time prediction allows determining the geometry which results in the maximum efflux of energy density for a given energy density. Moreover, the cold battery is placed in an insulated container to analyse its performance during transport. Results show that the tested refrigeration battery can act as a standalone refrigeration system during 15 h. However, improvements in the design of the insulated container are suggested to increase the performance of the system along the discharging cycle.

A correlation analysis based on Markowitz Portfolio Theory and data from meteorological station are used to develop a decision-making tool for the optimal spatial installation of renewable energy sources from Wind turbines and PV panels. A case study involving power generation plants and weather stations in the region of Tuscany in Italy is developed. The results show that temporal correlations of solar and wind generation profiles are characterized by correlation and anticorrelation. This feature is used for supporting deci­sion-making on investments in renewable energy at the territorial level.

Most households in sub-Saharan Africa rely on wood-based cooking fuels and their number is expected to rise. Despite this, national and subnational energy policies often neglect biomass cooking fuels. A Formative Scenario Analysis process is applied to show how the cooking fuel sector in Kilimanjaro Region (Tanzania) and Kitui County (Kenya) might evolve by 2030. In order to provide relevant knowledge for potential energy policies, this paper aims to identify the main drivers impacting the cooking fuel sector, and to assess and explore current and future demand and supply potential of biomass cooking fuels. Our results show that policies have the potential to substantially impact the future mix of cooking fuels and to foster or hamper the use of efficient cooking fuel technologies. Half of Kilimanjaro Region’s households could be supplied with biogas; in Kitui County, wood-based cooking fuels is likely to remain dominant but improving the efficiency of the technologies would reduce the demand for wood considerably. Hence, we argue that energy policies should explicitly consider biomass cooking fuels and endeavour to make this sector more sustainable and that priority should be given to increasing the sustainability of the biomass cooking fuel sector. Key leverage points to do so are improving the access to improved biomass technologies and capacity building.

Slides presented at the 102 Annual American Meteorological Society Meeting, as part of the session "Major Weather Events and Impacts of 2021" (paper 6.3 - It's Getting Hot in Here: Real-Time Climate Fingerprints Applied to the 2021 Extreme Heat Season) For more information, please reach out to Daniel Gilford at dgilford@climatecentral.org. Presentation Abstract: Extreme heat was observed and experienced across large portions of the United States in 2021, including during notable record-breaking events in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and along the East coast. The contiguous US experienced its hottest June on record, and excess heat related deaths stretched into the thousands. While more frequent and intense periods of extreme heat are expected consequences of anthropogenic climate change, rapidly and continuously assessing the degree to which human emissions of greenhouse gases increase the likelihood of a specific event remains a challenging technical process. In this study we introduce the Realtime Climate attribution framework and illustrate its application through an analysis of observed 2021 extreme heat events. The framework implements one model-based and two observation-based approaches to produce three distinct attribution assessments, including best estimates and uncertainties. The framework is designed to be flexible across a range of variables and scales, computationally lightweight, and adaptable for impact studies. Using a suite of global climate models, observed global mean temperatures, and local observed daily temperatures, we quantify the extent to which human-driven climate change made 2021 maximum and minimum daily temperature extremes more likely across the United States. Results confirm the continued and growing influence of human-driven climate change in local weather extremes. For instance, we find that the record-breaking high temperatures in June near Phoenix, AZ, were at least 3.25 times more likely because of human activity. Through this framework, we are building the capacity to produce attribution estimates while an event is unfolding. Furthermore, the ability to estimate attribution levels continuously will enhance studies of extreme heat impacts on human health, along with other socioeconomic or influences.