The seasonal cycle of N_2O

We have carried out an empirical study of the seasonal cycle of nitrous oxide (N_2O) using the data archived by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA-CMDL) Global Cooperative Air Sampling Network from 1977 to 2000. In order to isolate the seasonal cycle, we first detrended the data using least square polynomial fits. The remaining variability was averaged to extract the seasonal cycle, which has an amplitude of about 0.8 ppbv. The statistical significance of the seasonal signal was established using the multitaper method and Welch's method for power spectrum analysis

Enhanced UV penetration due to ozone cross-section changes induced by doubling

Models predict that CO_2 doubling in the atmosphere cools the stratosphere by as much as 10°C. We argue that this effect alone, through the temperature dependence of the ozone spectrum, can result in an increase of a few percent in UV-B (280–320 nm) penetration at the Earth's surface. The increase in Erythema-weighted UV radiation is about 1%. Future spectral observations of UV at the surface could distinguish this effect from any result of changes in ozone abundance

Understanding the antecedents of consumer brand engagement by managing brand communities on social media

As social media provide companies with opportunities to create touch-points by enabling consumers to interact with brands in new ways, a key issue for organizations is how to use brand communities to engage customers and enhance their relationships with brands. Brand community interactivity is one of the latest developments to engage consumers in online brand communities. The objective of brand communities is not only to attract potential customers, but also to retain loyal consumers and gain advocates. Thus, brands and companies’ social media activity should be appropriately organized and managed for high-level consumer brand engagement (CBE), which is a comprehensive construct that allow companies to examine the bond between their brands and consumers. The essence of this CBE bond is related to the involvement of consumers, as it increases the touch-points between them and the brand. This study examined perceived interactivity as a driving factor in the context of a brand community on social media with the purpose of encouraging consumer community engagement, community satisfaction, and consumer brand engagement (CBE). Two second-order constructs were operationalized in the research model. Communication, responsiveness, and control were treated as reflective factors to create the second-order construct “perceived interactivity,” while the other second-order construct “CBE” comprised cognitive processing, affection, and activation as reflective indicators. The results, based on data collected from 328 social media users who are followers of a smartphone brand’s Facebook page, indicated that perceived interactivity is likely to significantly affect consumer community engagement and community satisfaction, which in turn foster brand engagement. Successful social media marketing practices for companies should take responsibility for transforming consumer community engagement into CBE, as it is imperative for organizations building brand communities to enhance their consumer community satisfaction through proper community management to achieve high CBE