The stratosphere ozone layer is slowly recovering and the recovery will be complete in most parts of the atmosphere in the coming decades, according to the latest bulletin by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The bulletin with the updated status of the ozone layer by WMO-Global Atmosphere Watch bulletin returned …
This work aims to identify the geographic distribution of photovoltaic (PV) energy potential considering the effect of temperature on PV system performance. A simple framework is developed that uses the JIS C 8907 Japanese industrial standard to evaluate the effects of irradiation and temperature on PV potential. The global distributions …
Modernization should not lead to destruction. It must improve the quality of life, said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at a function on International Day for the preservation of Ozone Layer. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister underlined the need to work without ozone-depleting substances. In case the ozone layer …
London: There will be an unexpected sight high in the skies over the British county of Norfolk nextmonth: A huge balloon attached to the ground by a giant hosepipe. It isn’t obvious, but it is the first small step in an experiment which aims to re-create the cooling effect of …
Land use and land cover changes affect the partitioning of latent and sensible heat, which impacts the broader climate system. Increased latent heat flux to the atmosphere has a local cooling influence known as ‘evaporative cooling’, but this energy will be released back to the atmosphere wherever the water condenses. …
Europe has been at the forefront in the use of solar energy. Experiences of Spain in particular should offer vluable lessons on introducing policy changes for India.
AFFORESTATION, a key climate change reduction strategy recommended by the United Nations, will not have much effect on global temperatures. Instead, if carried out in high altitudes, it may lead to climate warming, according to a study carried out by scientists in Canada. The scientists assessed the impact of replanting …
Whether salt crystals, spores or sulphates: aerosols have an influence on the yield and performance of solar thermal power plants that should not be underestimated.
Afforestation, the conversion of croplands or marginal lands into forests, results in the sequestration of carbon. As a result, afforestation is considered one of the key climate-change mitigation strategies available to governments by the United Nations. However, forests are also less reflective than croplands, and the absorption of incoming solar …
Sunspot cycles -- those 11-year patterns when dark dots appear on the solar surface -- may be delayed or even go into "hibernation" for a while, a U.S. scientist said on Wednesday. But contrary to some media reports, this does not mean a new Ice Age is coming, Frank Hill …
A U.N. plan to upgrade "space weather" forecasts can help the world cope with solar storms that might wreak up to $2 trillion in damage if the sun repeated a giant flare of 1859, experts said. The sun is entering a more active phase due to peak in 2013 on …
The Rajasthan State will promote setting up of solar power projects. The total capacity under this category will be distributed equally between SPV and solar concentrating thermal power plants. Rajasthan has come up with an new Solar Energy Policy, named as, Rajasthan Solar Policy 2011. The State of Rajasthan receives …
It is no mean task to find a moneylender for a financially risky project. More so, if it is a high-investment, low-return project under the ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The fact that government did not plan finance for a mission that aims to address the challenges of climate …
A novel explanation for the long-term temperature record in Antarctic ice cores invokes local solar radiation as the driving agent. This proposal will prompt palaeoclimate scientists to pause and to go back to basics.
INTENSE heatwaves in July last year scorched much of Europe and several other countries in the Northern Hemisphere. It took many lives, destroyed crops and ignited forest fires. Scientists say climate change will not just influence the average climate but also extremes such as heatwaves. Taking cue a group of …
Distributions and climate impacts of biomass-burning aerosols were simulated by a global aerosol climate model, SPRINTARS, which was fully coupled to a general circulation model. The model included calculations of the direct, semi-direct and indirect effects of aerosols.
At present, use of SWH is rather limited and scattered in Indian Himalayas. Most of the existing systems are in commercial and institutional buildings (hotels, resorts, hospitals, defense establishments, etc); in general the use of solar water heaters in the domestic sector is very scarce. Northern Himalayan region constituting the …
Estimates of Earth's climate sensitivity are uncertain, largely because of uncertainty in the long-term cloud feedback. I estimated the magnitude of the cloud feedback in response to short-term climate variations by analyzing the top-of-atmosphere radiation budget from March 2000 to February 2010. Over this period, the short-term cloud feedback had …
This new World Bank report focuses on problems and barriers that developers are facing in the solar power sector in India. It analyses the risk perception of domestic and international developers and shows how these could be mitigated. The World Bank initiated a study to understand the barriers faced by …
The Ozone Secretariat has released a report of the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, titled "Environmental Effects of Ozone Depletion and its Interactions with Climate Change: 2010 Assessment." The report outlines the interactions between climate change and the ozone layer, including changes in atmospheric conditions that affect the chemical production and …
