Tropical Cyclone Losses in the USA and the Impact of Climate Change: A Trend Analysis Based on a New Dataset

Economic losses caused by tropical cyclones have increased dramatically. It can be assumed that most losses are due to increased prosperity and a greater tendency for people to settle in exposed areas, but also that the growing incidence of severe cyclones is due to climate change. This paper aims to isolate the socio-economic effects and ascertain the potential impact of climate change on this trend. Storm losses for the period 1950-2005 have been adjusted to 2005 socio-economic values so that any remaining trend cannot be ascribed to socio-economic developments. In the period 1971-2005, losses excluding socio-economic effects show an annual increase of 4% per annum.Climate change, tropical cyclones, loss trends

Silicate-analogous borosulfates featuring promising luminescence and frequency-doubling (SHG) properties based on a rich crystal chemistry

Our contribution adresses important features of the emerging compound class of silicate-analogous borosulfates, i.e. their rich crystal chemistry, their exciting optical properties and of course their syntheses – the chemistry behind. Silicate-analogous materials comprise tetrahedral anionic basic building units lacking an inversion centre enhancing the chance of non-centrosymmetric surroundings of metal ions promoting excellent optical properties. Since the very first characterization of crystalline borosulfates in 2012 over sixty members have been found. Therein, the reaction of boric and sulfuric acid yields supertetrahedral BX4 (X=SO4) moieties giving rise to a rich crystal chemistry from non-condensed [B(SO4)4]5– anions via band (see Fig.) and layer structures to anionic frameworks [B(SO4)2]– – which can be understood by principles well known from silicates (see Fig.). The selective synthesis of borosulfates can be challenging but we meanwhile found some basic principles helping to selectively synthesize new compounds as phase-pure samples. Great impact is ascribed to the nature of the boron source, the metal (salt) employed and the amount of oleum added. On one hand, borosulfates feature a low coordination strength which is beneficial for the luminescence and UV-Vis properties of compounds containing lanthanide and transition metal ions, such as Ce3+ (see Fig.), Eu3+, Tb3+ or Co2+ and Ni2+. On the other hand, borosulfates frequently adopt non-centrosysmmetric structures yielding optical properties like SHG (second harmonic generation) which – in combination with large band-gaps – makes them highly promising materials for frequency doubling in the high energy regime. Also ionic conductivity was observed recently

Trends in extreme weather events in Europe: implications for national and European Union adaptation strategies

This report, based on a comprehensive collection of scientific data from the last 20 years, provides a rallying call for Europe’s policy makers to come together to devise common strategies to help mitigate the physical, human and economic costs of the rising number of extreme weather events in Europe, such as extreme heat and cold, extremes of precipitation, storms, winds and surges, and drought. Highlights refer to the nature of the evidence for climate-driven changes in extreme weather in the past, the potential impact of further climate change in altering the pattern of these extremes, and possible adaptation strategies for dealing with extreme weather impacts. It first provides information on extreme weather events and trends in recent decades as well as related impacts upon society. It is followed by an introduction to the scientific background on global warming and weather extremes, and the projections of future trends of meteorological extreme events that emerge from climate models under various scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, approaches to adaptation are introduced and recommendations provided. Readers wishing to obtain full source details for the figures, tables and references are recommended to consult the full report, which also includes more detailed analyses of the climatic conditions in various sub-regions of the EU

Ba3Ga3N5 - A Novel Host Lattice for Eu2+ - Doped Luminescent Materials with Unexpected Nitridogallate Substructure

The alkaline earth nitridogallate Ba3Ga3N5 was synthesized from the elements in a sodium flux at 760°C utilizing weld shut tantalum ampules. The crystal structure was solved and refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Ba3Ga3N5 (space group C2/c (No. 15), a = 16.801(3), b = 8.3301(2), c = 11.623(2) Å, β = 109.92 (3)°, Z = 8) contains a hitherto unknown structural motif in nitridogallates, namely, infinite strands made up of GaN4 tetrahedra, each sharing two edges and at least one corner with neighboring GaN4 units. There are three Ba2+ sites with coordination numbers six or eight, respectively, and one Ba2+ position exhibiting a low coordination number 4 corresponding to a distorted tetrahedron. Eu2+ - doped samples show red luminescence when excited by UV irradiation at room temperature. Luminescence investigations revealed a maximum emission intensity at 638 nm (FWHM =2123 cm−1). Ba3Ga3N5 is the first nitridogallate for which parity allowed broadband emission due to Eu2+ - doping has been found. The electronic structure of both Ba3Ga3N5 as well as isoelectronic but not isostructural Sr3Ga3N5 was investigated by DFT methods. The calculations revealed a band gap of 1.53 eV for Sr3Ga3N5 and 1.46 eV for Ba3Ga3N5

Naturgefahren und Klimawandel: die Rolle der Versicherungswirtschaft

Munich Re's Geo Risks Research unit has been researching loss events caused by natural hazards around the globe for more than 30 years and has documented them in the NatCatSERVICE database. The data clearly show a dramatic increase in natural catastrophes around the globe. As the rise in the number of natural catastrophes is largely attributable to weather-related events, with no evidence of a similar increase in geophysical events, there is some justifi cation in assuming that global warming plays a decisive role. This assumption is backed by many scientifi c studies and the IPCC. Other parts of the role of the insurance industry are to give such risks a price tag by calculation of risk adequate premiums and also supporting mitigation and adaptation by providing innovative insurance solutions. Die GeoRisikoForschung der Münchener Rück analysiert seit mehr als 30 Jahren Naturkatastrophen rund um den Globus und dokumentiert diese in der NatCatSERVICE-Datenbank. Die Daten zeigen einen deutlichen Anstieg der Naturkatastrophen, der vor allem durch wetterbedingte Ereignisse begründet ist. Für die geophysikalisch verursachten Naturkatastrophen ergeben sich keine vergleichbaren Anstiege. Daher liegt es nahe, dass der Klimawandel hierbei eine entscheidende Rolle spielt, was durch die Ergebnisse einer Vielzahl von wissenschaftlichen Studien und das IPCC gestützt wird. Weitere Rollen der Versicherungswirtschaft liegen darin, dass sie durch risikoadäquate Prämien den Risiken ein Preisschild gibt und Klimaschutz sowie Anpassungsmaßnahmen durch innovative Versicherungslösungen unterstützt.Klimawandel, Naturkatastrophen, Versicherung, Schadentrends