Table Of ContentENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
C
LIMATOLOGY
N D
EW EVELOPMENTS
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ENGINEERING
AND TECHNOLOGY
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS CAUSES,
EFFECTS AND PREDICTION
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
C
LIMATOLOGY
N D
EW EVELOPMENTS
ADAM HERVEOUX
AND
ERIC SUTHLAND
EDITORS
Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
New York
Copyright © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Climatology : new developments / editors, Adam Herveoux and Eric Suthland.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: (cid:28)(cid:26)(cid:27)(cid:16)(cid:20)(cid:16)(cid:25)(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:19)(cid:16)(cid:22)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:16)(cid:24) (eBook)
1. Climatology. I. Herveoux, Adam. II. Suthland, Eric.
QC865.C59 2011
551.6--dc23
2011032586
Published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. † New York
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Chapter 1 Investigating Possible Causative Mechanisms behind
the Houston Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Anomaly 1
Michael L. Gauthier
Chapter 2 Climatology: The Effects of Heat Stress on Beef
Cattle Production 43
Laun W. Hall, Samuel Garcia and Robert J. Collier
Chapter 3 Climatology and Cosmic Rays in New Development 63
Neïla Zarrouk and Raouf Bennaceur
Chapter 4 Detection of Five-Day to One-Month Surface
Air Temperature Predictability Using Information
Theory 93
Gustavo Naumann and Walter M. Vargas
Chapter 5 Tropical Cyclone-Ocean Interaction: Climatology 107
Akiyoshi Wada
Index 153
PREFACE
This book presents topical research in the study of climatology. Topics
discussed include the investigation of possible causative mechanisms behind
the Houston cloud-to-ground lightning anomaly; the effects of heat stress on
beef cattle production; the detection of five-day to one-month surface air
temperature predictability using information theory and tropical cyclone-ocean
interaction.
Chapter 1 - Previous studies have demonstrated that, in a regional context,
the Houston cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning anomaly is a non-unique feature,
embedded within the larger-scale enhancement of CG lightning along the
Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts, and that inland cities like Dallas see far
more CG lightning on a per-event basis. Despite the fact that the Houston area
is located at the western edge of this coastal enhancement, it has been shown
that this anomaly is a persistent summer-season feature with flash densities
over and downwind of the Houston metropolitan area on the order of 1.5-2
times that of it's immediate surroundings.
Chapter 2 - Heat stress in cattle occurs when the heat load associated with
ambient air temperature solar radiation and humidity exceeds the ability of the
cow to dissipate excess heat from work and metabolism. This results in an
elevated core body temperature, above the normal physiological range. The
primary environmental factors causing the stress are temperature and humidity
(measured by the THI index), solar radiation, and wind speed. Heat stress
results in disruption of homeostasis, elevated basal metabolism and initiation
of physiological acclimation responses. Cattle experiencing heat stress have an
elevated body temperature, an increased respiration rate, and decreased feed
intake. Insulin production increases and adipose tissues are unavailable for
catabolic fuel. Many additional physiological pathways are compromised
viii Adam Herveoux and Eric Suthland
resulting in a loss of production (growth, reproduction, lactation). Reduced
production always has an economic impact. The two major beef production
entities affected by heat stress are: cow-calf operations, and feedlots. The
ability of animals to adapt to the environment is known as acclimatization and
is essential to long-term success of cow-calf operations. In contrast, feedlot
populations have a constant turnover in cattle that are often shipped from
various climates and sudden changes in environmental conditions can lead to
high rates of death loss as animals are unable to quickly alter their metabolism
to acclimate to the stress. The ability to acclimate is influenced by breed of
cattle. Traits such as hair type, skin pigment, and ability to sweat can
precondition cattle for heat resistance. Both short and long term management
can reduce the magnitude of climate related stress. In feedlots, fat steers get
preferential treatment and location. This group is the most susceptible to heat
stress and should receive top priority in hot and humid scenarios. Nutrition is
also a tool to reduce the heat load caused by metabolism (heat of
fermentation). Feedlots have no natural covering for the ground or shade for
the animals that many cow-calf operations benefit from. In beef cattle
production, market economics are the driving force for determining degree of
environmental protection. Heat stress can decrease milk production in cows
resulting in lower 205 day weaning weights, and decrease feed intake and
efficiency in a feedlot. Any loss in performance results in a reduced profit.
This loss in value provides an estimate of the size of capital expenditure that
can be justified to be put towards improvements in facilities to reduce heat
stress in future beef cattle production.
Chapter 3 - Seventeen years of monthly averaged low cloud cover data
from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) are
examined towards amplitude antipodal aa index and sunspot number. Indeed
although much evidence implying correlations between low cloud cover
variations and solar activity, the physical phenomenon explaining this is still
poorly pronounced. The authors have used in their previous study [24] Morlet
wavelets to examine the processes and structures behind the variability of solar
activity indicators and galactic cosmic rays variations. Morlet wavelets
analysis continues to prove its power in this study field. Thus the authors
invest in the present work Morlet wavelets tool to examine closely the possible
links between solar activity and climate. The purpose of this work is to
examine once for all the geomagnetic aa-index and sunspot number variations
towards low cloud cover amounts variations. One of the procedures to analyse
nonstationary series, to discern whether there is a linear relation or not
between low cloud amounts variations on a side and the geomagnetic aa-index
