Deserts are commonly imagined as barren, defiled, worthless places, wastelands in need of development. This understanding has fueled extensive anti-desertification efforts -- a multimillion-dollar ...global campaign driven by perceptions of a looming crisis. In this book, Diana Davis argues that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that deserts and drylands -- which constitute about 41% of the earth's landmass -- are actually resilient and biodiverse environments in which a great many indigenous people have long lived sustainably. Meanwhile, contemporary arid lands development programs and anti-desertification efforts have met with little success. As Davis explains, these environments are not governed by the equilibrium ecological dynamics that apply in most other regions. Davis shows that our notion of the arid lands as wastelands derives largely from politically motivated Anglo-European colonial assumptions that these regions had been laid waste by "traditional" uses of the land. Unfortunately, such assumptions still frequently inform policy. Drawing on political ecology and environmental history, Davis traces changes in our understanding of deserts, from the benign views of the classical era to Christian associations of the desert with sinful activities to later (neo)colonial assumptions of destruction. She further explains how our thinking about deserts is problematically related to our conceptions of forests and desiccation. Davis concludes that a new understanding of the arid lands as healthy, natural, but variable ecosystems that do not necessarily need improvement or development will facilitate a more sustainable future for the world's magnificent drylands.
Cet article propose une réflexion sur la photographie, le paysage et l'Anthropocène à travers l'analyse de la série Deserto Vermelho (2016) de Bruno Veiga, un photographe brésilien qui a créé en ...images le désastre socio-environnemental de Mariana (Minas Gerais/BR) survenu le 5 novembre 2015. La catastrophe a été causée par l'effondrement du Barrage de Fundão, qui a libéré une immense vague de boue avec des déchets miniers toxiques, inondant le fleuve Rio Doce, tuant tous les poissons et laissant plusieurs villes sans eau tout au long des dizaines de kilomètres dans son parcours pour rejoindre l'océan Atlantique. Ce travail artistique contribue à la réflexion sur le temps présent et sur la tension eschatologique qui caractérise les préoccupations liées à l'Anthropocène, ainsi qu'à constituer une manière d'imagerie critique de penser la crise socio-environnementale et civilisationnelle actuelle qui nous oblige à repenser notre place par rapport à l'avenir de la vie sur la planète.
Desert regions have emerged as ideal places for GW utility‐scale photovoltaic (PV) module installations because of their ultra‐large spaces, abundance of high‐irradiance sunshine hours, and clear ...sky. However, the harsh desert climate presents challenges to the reliability and bankability of PV modules. This review provides an in‐depth understanding of the unique desert parameters impact, desert‐induced degradation modes, status, and required properties of the bill of materials (BOMs) and suggestions for the development of desert standards. The review reveals that the climatic conditions in the desert are considerably harsher than those in the moderate climate. The main degradation mechanisms caused by the desert are ultraviolet (UV)‐induced discoloration, thermomechanical flaws of interconnects, and glass abrasion (because of soiling). The development of desert modules may necessitate the use of new‐generation modules with low‐temperature coefficients, high efficiency, high bifaciality, stability under UV light, and elevated temperatures. For the desert module application, options include advanced back sheets and encapsulants that are thermally and UV stable, free of acetic acid groups, and have a low water vapor transfer rate. The degradation modes induced by desert climate are not sufficiently addressed by the present environmental and safety standards through accelerated aging tests. As a result, this article provides a summary of current standards and recommends creating a new testing proposal called the “Hot Desert Test Cycle (HDTC)” sequence that is specific to the desert climate. This comprehensive review catalyzes the PV community to explore novel designs and develop desert PV modules while adhering to localized standards.
To expedite advancements in the development of desert specific standards and address the specialized requirements of desert modules, this review presents an exhaustive examination of the impact of harsh desert parameters on performance, global degradation modes, the necessary module technology, and BOMs.
The First Side-Necked Turtle of Egypt AbdelGawad, Mohamed; Pérez-García, Adán; Hirayama, Ren ...
Diversity (Basel),
02/2023, Letnik:
15, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The Quseir Formation is an Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposit in the Kharga oasis of the Southwestern Desert (Egypt). This formation comprises a clastic sequence of bioturbated mudstone and ...sandstone intercalations, including rare scattered and fragmented vertebrate remains such as shark teeth, dinosaur remains, and turtle plates. These deposits indicate a supratidal marsh environment. A complete shell of a turtle discovered from the Quseir Formation, at the Kharga oasis, is attributed here to Bothremydini (Pleurodira, Bothremydidae), and determined as a new taxon: Khargachelys caironensis gen. et sp. nov. This form represents the only Bothremydini member currently identified in the Campanian record not only of Egypt but also of North Africa. Therefore, it helps fill the missing evolutionary gap from the Late Cretaceous pleurodires in Egypt and in North Africa.
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