Characterization of the atmospheric depth profile using the ground-level temperature: The case of Malargüe, Argentina

We present a study of the atmospheric depth profile and the dependence with its characteristic parameters. We introduce a new model, named GAMMA, based on a parameterization that allows us to obtain the atmospheric depth profile specifying only one simple physical parameter, namely the temperature at ground. The GAMMA model consists of a multilayer representation of the atmosphere that can be adjusted conveniently via constrained fits that are built to ensure interlayer continuity for both atmospheric depth and density profiles. Our analysis uses experimental data collected at Malargüe, Argentina by meteorological radiosondes. The GAMMA model can reproduce the averaged atmospheric depth profiles in all the cases available for analysis with good accuracy. The relative differences between model predictions and averaged data are always less than approximately 0.7%.Fil: Moreno, Juan Cruz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Sciutto, Sergio Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Física; Argentin

Characterization of the atmospheric depth profile using the ground-level temperature: the case of Malargüe, Argentina

We present a study of the atmospheric depth profile and the dependence with its characteristic parameters. We introduce a new model, named GAMMA, based on a parameterization that allows us to obtain the atmospheric depth profile specifying only one simple physical parameter, namely the temperature at ground. The GAMMA model consists of a multilayer representation of the atmosphere that can be adjusted conveniently via constrained fits that are built to ensure interlayer continuity for both atmospheric depth and density profiles. Our analysis uses experimental data collected at Malargüe, Argentina by meteorological radiosondes. The GAMMA model can reproduce the averaged atmospheric depth profiles in all the cases available for analysis with good accuracy. The relative differences between model predictions and averaged data are always less than approximately 0.7%.Instituto de Física La PlataFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Maize and precolonial Africa

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.10.008 © 2019. This final, open-access version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Columbus's arrival in the New World triggered an unprecedented movement of people and crops across the Atlantic Ocean. We study a largely overlooked part of this Columbian Exchange: the effects of New World crops in Africa. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that the introduction of maize increased population density and slave exports in precolonial Africa. We find robust empirical support for these predictions. We also find little evidence to suggest maize increased economic growth or reduced conflict. Our results suggest that rather than stimulating development, the introduction of maize simply increased the supply of slaves during the slave trades.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of CanadaNational Science Foundation ["1510510"

An Energy-centric Theory of Agglomeration

This paper sets out a simple spatial model of energy exploitation to ask how the lo-cation and productivity of energy resources affects the distribution of economic activityacross geographic space. By combining elements from energy economics and economicgeography we link the productivity of energy resources to the incentives for economicactivity to agglomerate. We fnd a novel scaling law links the productivity of energyresources to population sizes, while rivers and roads effectively magnify productivity.We show how our theory's predictions concerning a single core, aggregate to predictionsover regional landscapes and city size distributions at the country level

The Intergenerational Transfer of Solar Radiation Management Capabilities and Atmospheric Carbon Stocks

Solar radiation management (SRM) technologies are considered one of the likeliest forms of geoengineering. If developed, a future generation could deploy them to limit the damages caused by the atmospheric carbon stock inherited from the current generation, despite their negative side effects. Should the current generation develop these geoengi-neering capabilities for a future generation? And how would a decision to develop SRM impact on the current generation's abatement efforts? Natural scientists, ethicists, and other scholars argue that future generations could be more sanguine about the side effects of SRM deployment than the current generation. In this paper, we add economic rigor to this important debate on the intergenerational transfer of technological capabilities and pollution stocks. We identify three conjectures that constitute potentially rational courses of action for current society, including a ban on the development of SRM. How-ever, the same premises that underpin these conjectures also allow for a novel possibility: If the development of SRM capabilities is sufficiently cheap, the current generation may for reasons of intergenerational strategy decide not just to develop SRM technologies, but also to abate more than in the absence of SRM

Strategic implications of counter-geoengineering: clash or cooperation?

Solar geoengineering has received increasing attention as an option to temporarily stabilize global temperatures. A key concern is that heterogeneous preferences over the optimal amount of cooling combined with low deployment costs may allow the country with the strongest incentive for cooling, the so-called free-driver, to impose a substantial externality on the rest of the world. We analyze whether the threat of counter-geoengineering technologies capable of negating the climatic effects of solar geoengineering can overcome the free-driver problem and tilt the game in favour of international cooperation. Our game-theoretical model of countries with asymmetric preferences allows for a rigorous analysis of the strategic interaction surrounding solar geoengineering and counter-geoengineering. We find that counter-geoengineering prevents the free-driver outcome, but not always with benign effects. The presence of counter-geoengineering leads to either a climate clash where countries engage in a non-cooperative escalation of opposing climate interventions (negative welfare effect), a moratorium treaty where countries commit to abstain from either type of climate intervention (indeterminate welfare effect), or cooperative deployment of solar geoengineering (positive welfare effect). We show that the outcome depends crucially on the degree of asymmetry in temperature preferences between countries

La experiencia del área de física con futuros ingresantes mediante las modalidades presenciales y de educación a distancia en el marco del programa de apoyo y orientación de la UNLP

El Área de Física del Programa de Apoyo y Orientación, dependiente de la Secretaría Académica de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, implementa desde 2008 cursos trimestrales de contenidos disciplinares destinados a futuros ingresantes a carreras de la UNLP. Inicialmente con una modalidad de clases presencial, y luego con una modalidad de Educación a Distancia, los cursos son diseñados y planificados por un Coordinador General del Área y dictados por docentes de cursos universitarios de Física General en aulas de distintas Facultades. Con el objetivo primario de facilitar la inserción en la vida universitaria y considerando que es el primer contacto de los estudiantes con la Universidad, se promueven las relaciones entre estudiantes, quienes serán luego futuros compañeros de trayecto planteando actividades que reflejen la dinámica colaborativa de trabajo universitario; mientras que desde la disciplina Física se trabaja sobre contenidos de Mecánica Newtoniana, presentes en las currículas de las materias de Física de diversas carreras dictadas en la UNLP. En este trabajo se delinearan las características del curso, teniendo en cuenta su propuesta pedagógica, la metodología y dinámica de trabajo, haciendo hincapié en la actualización de contenidos, y actividades desarrolladas a partir de un proceso de evaluación permanente.Secretaría de Asuntos Académico