Indoor characterization at production sccale: 200 kWp of CPV solar simulator measurements

In order to complement ISFOC’s characterization capabilities, a Helios 3198 CPV Solar Simulator was installed in summer 2010. This Solar Simulator, based on a parabolic mirror and a high-intensity, small area Xenon flash lamp was developed by the Instituto de Energía Solar in Madrid [1] and is manufactured and distributed by Soldaduras Avanzadas [2]. This simulator is used not only for R&D purposes, but as a quality control tool for incoming modules that are to be installed in ISFOC’s CPV plants. In this paper we will discuss the results of recent measurements of close to 5000 modules, the entire production of modules corresponding to a small CPV power plant (200 kWp). We scrutinize the resultant data for signs of drift in the measurements, and analyze the light quality before and after, to check for changes in spectrum or spatial uniformity.

Environmental concern as a moderator of information processing: A fMRI study

The psychological processes that predict behaviour can be influenced by the approaches taken in environmental awareness messages. The persuasiveness generated by different approaches depends on the environmental concern of viewers. The study identifies brain regions active while processing positive advertisements. It also studies brain activity in subjects with high (vs low) environmental concern while processing positive ads. In addition, it relates the brain activity evoked in response to positive ads which predicts more significant attitudes toward the ads, in subjects with great environmental concern. The results indicate that positive messages activate regions linked to self-value and societal benefit in those subjects who are more concerned. We found a stronger effect in regions linked to an emotional response in viewers with greater environmental concern. The identified emotional response may precede higher attitudinal ratings

Do You See It Clearly? The Effect of Packaging and Label Format on Google Ads

The nature of e-commerce prevents the perception of the intrinsic and sensory attributes of wine. In the virtual environment, visual cues allow consumers to perceive the product, determine their attitude and form a preference. Users will choose one product or another based on the visual appeal of the advertisements they have seen. Wine marketers must consider the importance of the advertisement elements and attract the consumer's attention. Optimizing the elements included in these messages can help capture consumers' attention and achieve a higher click-through rate on the ads. The main objective of this work is to analyse the awareness that different advertisements achieve. Specifically, we use a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design where we manipulate the packaging format (single bottle vs. pack), labelling (bottle without label vs. labelled bottle) for wine ads (white and red). To analyse attention, we used an eye-tracking methodology. The main results suggest that attention is captured more quickly with an individual bottle without a label than with a particular bottle with a label in Google ads. However, ads showing packs of bottles with labels get more attention than ads using packs of bottles without labels.The University of Cadiz funded this Research, grant number PR2017-039 of Plan Propio Project and was supported by the Institute of Research and Development Social and Sustainability (INDESS)

Air temperature measurements using autonomous self-recording dataloggers in mountainous and snow covered areas

High mountain areas are poorly represented by official weather observatories. It implies that new instruments must be evaluated over snow-covered and strongly insolated environments (i.e. mid-latitude mountain areas). We analyzed uncertainty sources over snow covered areas including: 1) temperature logger accuracy and bias of two widely used temperature sensors (Tinytag and iButton); 2) radiation shield performance under various radiation, snow, and wind conditions; 3) appropriate measurement height over snow covered ground; and 4) differences in air temperature measured among nearby devices over a horizontal band. The major results showed the following. 1) Tinytag performance device (mean absolute error: MAE≈ 0.1–0.2°C in relation to the reference thermistor) was superior to the iButton (MAE≈ 0.7°C), which was subject to operating errors. 2) Multi-plate radiation shield showed the best performance under all conditions (> 90% samples has bias between ±0.5°C). The tube shield required wind (> 2.5ms⁠−1) for adequate performance, while the funnel shield required limited radiation (< 400Wm⁠−2). Snow cover causes certain overheating. 3) Air temperatures were found to stabilize at 75–100cm above the snow surface. Air temperature profile was more constant at night, showing a considerable cooling on near surface at midday. 4) Horizontal air temperature differences were larger at midday (0.5°C). These findings indicate that to minimize errors air temperature measurements over snow surfaces should be carried out using multi-plate radiation shields with high-end thermistors such as Tinytags, and be made at a minimum height above the snow covered ground.This study was funded by the research projects “El papel de la nieve en la hidrología de la peninsula ibérica y su respuesta a procesos de cambio global-HIDROIBERNIEVE-CGL2017-82216-R” and CLIMPY “Characterization of the evolution of climate and provision of information for adaptation in the Pyrenees” (FEDER-POCTEFA)

Influence of message appeal on attention. An eye-tracking study

El presente estudio analiza la efectividad publicitaria utilizando una metodología de seguimiento ocular. La investigación analiza las diferencias en la atención según el tipo de apelación del mensaje (agradable, neutral y desagradable), evalúa el papel moderador de la preocupación por el problema medioambiental y el enfoque regulatorio. Los resultados muestran que, los estímulos textuales negativos son los que mayor atención reciben, además en participantes con baja preocupación medioambiental, los estímulos de baja elaboración captan antes la atención. En general, los participantes más preocupados por el medioambiente, se fijan más rápidamente en términos de tiempo y frecuencia en estímulos que requieren mayor grado de elaboración. El trabajo también presenta recomendaciones en materia de elaboración de campañas de difusión de energías renovables (EERR) a través de medios que utilicen publicidad digital.This study analyses advertising effectiveness using an eye-tracking methodology. The research analyses differences in attention according to the type of message appeal (pleasant, neutral and unpleasant), assesses the moderating role of environmental concern and regulatory focus. The results show that negative textual stimuli receive the most attention, and that in participants with low environmental concern, low-elaboration stimuli are more attention-grabbing. In general, participants who are more concerned about the environment focus more quickly in terms of time and frequency on stimuli that require a higher degree of elaboration. The paper also presents recommendations for the development of renewable energy (RE) media campaigns using digital advertising

Recent changes of relative humidity: regional connections with land and ocean processes

We analyzed changes in surface relative humidity (RH) at the global scale from 1979 to 2014 using both observations and the ERA-Interim dataset. We compared the variability and trends in RH with those of land evapotranspiration and ocean evaporation in moisture source areas across a range of selected regions worldwide. The sources of moisture for each particular region were identified by integrating different observational data and model outputs into a Lagrangian approach. The aim was to account for the possible role of changes in air temperature over land, in comparison to sea surface temperature (SST), but also the role of land evapotranspiration and the ocean evaporation on RH variability. The results demonstrate that the patterns of the observed trends in RH at the global scale cannot be linked to a particular individual physical mechanism. Our results also stress that the different hypotheses that may explain the decrease in RH under a global warming scenario could act together to explain recent RH trends. Albeit with uncertainty in establishing a direct causality between RH trends and the different empirical moisture sources, we found that the observed decrease in RH in some regions can be linked to lower water supply from land evapotranspiration. In contrast, the empirical relationships also suggest that RH trends in other target regions are mainly explained by the dynamic and thermodynamic mechanisms related to the moisture supply from the oceanic source regions. Overall, while this work gives insights into the connections between RH trends and oceanic and continental processes at the global scale, further investigation is still desired to assess the contribution of both dynamic and thermodynamic factors to the evolution of RH over continental regions.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. PCIN-2015-220Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2014-52135-C03-01Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. CGL2014-60849-JINEuropean Commission | Ref. n. 69046

Evaluation of long-term changes in precipitation over Bolivia based on observations and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models

Using observations and model simulations from the 5th and 6th phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5 and CMIP6, respectively), this study evaluated changes in monthly, seasonal, and annual precipitation over Bolivia from 1950 to 2019. Results demonstrate that observed precipitation is characterized by strong interannual and decadal variability. However, long-term precipitation trends were not identified on the annual scale. Similarly, changes in seasonal precipitation were almost nonsignificant (p > .05) for the study period. Spatially, albeit with its complex orography, no substantial regional variations in observed precipitation trends can be identified across Bolivia. In contrast, long-term precipitation trends, based on CMIP5 and CMIP6 models, suggest a dominance of negative trends, mainly during austral winter (JJA) (−10%) and spring (SON) (−15%). These negative trends were more pronounced in the lowlands of Bolivia (−20%). Overall, these contradictory results highlight the need for validating precipitation trend outputs from model simulations, especially in areas of complex topography like Bolivia.This work was sup-ported by the research projects CGL2017-82216-R,PCI2019-103631, and PID2019-108589RA-I00, financedby the Spanish Ministry of Science and FEDER, theCROSSDRO project financed by the AXIS (Assessment ofCross(X)-sectorial climate impacts and pathways for Sus-tainable transformation), the JPI-Climate co-funded callof the European Commission, and the LINCGLOBAL-CSIC project (INCGLO0023, RED-CLIMA)

Increased Vegetation in Mountainous Headwaters Amplifies Water Stress During Dry Periods

The dynamics of blue and green water partitioning under vegetation and climate change, as well as their different interactions during wet and dry periods, are poorly understood in the literature. We analyzed the impact of vegetation changes on blue water generation in a central Spanish Pyrenees basin undergoing intense afforestation. We found that vegetation change is a key driver of large decreases in blue water availability. The effect of vegetation increase is amplified during dry years, and mainly during the dry season, with streamflow reductions of more than 50%. This pattern can be attributed primarily to increased plant water consumption. Our findings highlight the importance of vegetation changes in reinforcing the decrease in water resource availability. With aridity expected to rise in southern Europe over the next few decades, interactions between climate and land management practices appear to be amplifying future hydrological drought risk in the region.This work was supported by projects CGL2017-82216-R, PCI2019-103631, and PID2019-108589RA-I00 financed by the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology and FEDER; CROSSDRO project financed by AXIS (Assess-ment of Cross(X)-sectoral climate Impacts and pathways for Sustainable transformation), JPI-Climate co-funded call of the European Commission and INDECIS which is part of ERA4CS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by FORMAS (SE), DLR (DE), BMWFW (AT), IFD (DK), MINECO (ES), ANR (FR) with co-funding by the European Union (Grant 690462). Dhais Peña-Angulo received a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2017-33652 Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MEC). Miquel Tomas-Burguera received a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract (FJCI-2019-039261-I Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation). C. Azorin-Molina and S. Grainger. acknowledge funding from the Irish Environmental Protection Agency grant 2019-CCRP-MS.60. C. Juez acknowl-edges funding from the H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 programme (Marie Sklodows-ka-Curie Actions) of the European Union under REA grant agreement, number 834329-SEDILAND

Climatología sinóptica de la nubosidad a partir de datos AVHRR en la Península Ibérica y Baleares durante el semestre cálido mayo-octubre (1997-2011)

Ponencia presentada en: IX Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Almería entre el 28 y el 30 de octubre de 2014.[ES]En este estudio se presenta la primera distribución espacial de la nubosidad en función de varios tipos sinópticos para el conjunto de la Península Ibérica y las Islas Baleares durante el período cálido del año (mayo-octubre). Las máscaras de nubes diarias se obtuvieron mediante la aplicación de un algoritmo diurno y multiespectral de detección de nubes sobre tierra para una serie temporal de 15 años (1997-2011) de datos del sensor Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer HRPT . En este trabajo se procesaron un total de 2094 pases de tarde (entre las 1230 y 1720 UTC) correspondientes a los satélites NOAA-14, NOAA-16 y NOAA-18.[EN]In this study we retrieved the first spatial distribution of mid-afternoon clouds under various synoptic regimes across the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands for the warm/convective-season, from May through October. Accurate daily cloud masks were derived by applying a daytime over land multispectral convective cloud detection algorithm spanning 15-years (1997-2011) of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) HRPT data. We processed a total of 2094 afternoon overpasses (between 1230 and 1720 UTC) corresponding to the NOAA-14, NOAA-16 and NOAA- 18 spacecrafts.Esta investigación ha sido financiada por (i) el contrato de C. A-M (JCI-2011-10263); y (ii) los proyectos CGL2011-27574-C02-02, CGL2011-27536/HID financiados por la CICYT, y el FEDER; y el proyecto MEDACC ((LIFE12 ENV/ES/000536)