Media attention for climate change around the world: A comparative analysis of newspaper coverage in 27 countries

Climate change is a global phenomenon, and its outcomes affect societies around the world. So far, however, studies on media representations of climate change have mostly concentrated on Western societies. This paper goes beyond this limited geographical scope by presenting a comparative analysis of issue attention in 27 countries. The sample includes, among others, countries that have committed themselves to greenhouse gas emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol such as Germany as well as countries that are strongly affected by the consequences of climate change like India. In a first step, it describes the development of media attention for climate change in these countries from 1996 to 2010. Second, it compares the amount of media attention and explores whether it corresponds with indicators measuring the relevance of climate change and climate policies for a country. The analyses show that climate change coverage has increased in all countries. Still, overall media attention levels, as well as the extent of growth over time, differ strongly between countries. Media attention is especially high in carbon dependent countries with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.     

Evolution of current loops in space

Ampere's law requires that every magnetic field have an associated current. The analysis of magnetic fields in this paper begins with that current in a circular loop and calculates the forces that make the loop evolve. A circular current generates a dipole field; and a second-order, ordinary differential equation represents the evolving magetic field. The theory describes cases where the conductor shrinks as the loop increases in size. The temperature of the conducting ions and electrons then decreases. The theory also describes cases where the conductor grows as the loop grows. Then the conducting particles heat up.Analysis shows that the magnetic clouds in the solar wind belong to the first type. In the provisional model adopted, the Klein-Burlaga clouds at one astronomical unit have a toroidal shape, centered on the sun, with a conductor radius of .125 au, and temperature (same for conducting electrons and protons) of 10⁵ K. After 26 days the toroid has a radius of 7.1 au, the conductor radius is .025 au, and the temperature is 2600 K.     

A tilted transversely isotropic slowness surface approximation

The relation between vertical and horizontal slownesses, better known as the dispersion relation, for transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI) requires solving a quartic polynomial equation, which does not admit a practical explicit solution to be used, for example, in downward continuation. Using a combination of the perturbation theory with respect to the anelliptic parameter and Shanks transform to improve the accuracy of the expansion, we develop an explicit formula for the vertical slowness that is highly accurate for all practical purposes. It also reveals some insights into the anisotropy parameter dependency of the dispersion relation including the low impact that the anelliptic parameter has on the vertical placement of reflectors for a small tilt in the symmetry angle.     

A Cosmic Prevalence of Nanobacteria?

The data on the far-ultraviolet extinction of starlight in our galaxy and in external galaxies is interpreted in terms of the widespread occurrence of organic particles of optical refractive index 1.4 and radii less than or equal to 20~nm. Such particles are candidates for nanobacteria such as recently been found in abundance on the Earth.     

Mass-Stripping Analysis of an Interstellar Cloud by a Supernova Shock

The interaction of supernova shocks and interstellar clouds is an important astrophysical phenomenon since it can result in stellar and planetary formation. Our experiments attempt to simulate this mass-loading as it occurs when a shock passes through interstellar clouds. We drive a strong shock using the Omega laser (∼5kJ)into a foam-filled cylinder with an embedded Al sphere(diameterD=120 μm) simulating an interstellar cloud. The density ratio between Al and foamis∼9. We have previously reported on the interaction between shock and cloud, the ensuing Kelvin-Helmholtz and Widnall instabilities, and the rapid stripping of all mass from the cloud. We now present a theory that explains the rapid mass-stripping. The theory combines (1) the integral momentum equations for a viscous boundary layer, (2) the equations for a potential flow past a sphere, (3) Spalding's law of the wall for turbulent boundary layers, and (4) the skin friction coefficient for a turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate. The theory gives as its final result the mass stripped from a sphere in a turbulent high Reynolds number flow, and it agrees very well with our experimental observations.     

Explaining risk perception of microplastics: Results from a representative survey in Germany

Plastic pollution through small particles, so-called microplastics, is acknowledged as an environmental problem of global dimension by both politicians, and the public. An increasing number of environmental studies investigate the exposure and effects of microplastics. Although there are many open questions, current scientific evidence does not confirm a high risk for the environment. At the same time, the issue receives great public attention, which in turn motivates various political and policy actions. So far, little research has examined the underlying social dimensions, i.e., the factors explaining individual risk perception of microplastics. This paper studies the perception of risks associated with microplastics concerning the environment and human health using data from a representative online survey conducted in Germany (n = 1027). We particularly examine the role of socio-demographics, individual awareness, knowledge factors, and the media’s influence on risk perception. Our results show that a majority of the respondents rates the risks through microplastics very high for both the environment and human health. Regression analyses demonstrate that environmental awareness and knowledge of media narratives are the strongest predictors for this risk perception. Our study illustrates the incongruence between scientific knowledge, media framing, and the public opinion concerning the risk posed by microplastics.     

储层地震物理模拟的震源指向性及介质非均质性影响分析

随着地震物理模拟的研究目标由地质构造发展为不同类型的油气储层,明确震源指向性及介质非均质性对实验结果的影响,对提高物理模拟数据的可信性及准确性具有重要意义.利用激光测振新方法对震源指向性进行了实验测试,得到了更加精确的指向性结果,形成了模拟数据振幅补偿方法.制作了具有不同尺度特征的非均质样品,在50 kHz至1000 kHz超声频段下对纵波速度及能量进行了测试,明确了不同的波长/介质尺度比(λ/a)范围内纵波速度及干扰波与有效波能量比的变化特征.结果表明,在地震物理模拟超声频段下射线速度向散射速度的转折点出现在λ/a≈2处;散射速度向等效介质速度的转折点出现在λ/a≈100处.当满足λ/a>200条件时,干扰波与有效波能量比小于5%时,可认为满足储层模拟的等效介质条件.     

The evolution of charged particles in a model of contracting cloud

The evolution of the charged particles are followed during contraction of a model of an interstellar cloud, with initial density number of n = 10 cm^–3. The contraction is followed up to density increase by five orders of magnitude. Special care is given to the details of the negative ions. In addition, we have tested the ambipolar diffusion according to the results of the ion density.The results predict the importance of atomic ions in the diffuse regions. H⁺ and C⁺ are distinctly enhanced in the beginning of contraction but decrease as contraction proceeds. Molecular ions enhance as contraction proceeds and becomes important in dense regions. The most enhanced molecular ions are HCO⁺, O₂ ⁺, C₂H₃ ⁺, H₃O⁺ and SO⁺, H₃ ⁺ is less abundant. The atomic ions (except metalic ions) decrease noticeably as density increases. In general the negative ions are of negligible fractional abundances. It has also been found that the time of ambipolar diffusion is shorter than the dynamical time, hence the magnetic field should be weakened in the central core as the central density increases to n = 10⁴ cm^–3.     

Determination of stellar positions with a cross-correlation procedure

A technique of cross-correlation for the determination of stellar positions is proposed. It is a technique suitable for the recording of stellar positions on transit instruments, photoelectric astrolabes, and also on the meridian circles with reversed observing method. An advantage of this process is that there is no hypothesis required for the modelling image profile, and for the noise. It is closer to unbiased estimation. Results by this new method on a transit instrument are presented. For the brighter stars, there is no great difference in accuracy between the median position and the cross-correlation value according to the results.     

Far infrared mapping of three Galactic star forming regions: W3(OH), S209 & S187

Three Galactic star forming regions associated with W3(OH), S209 and S187 have been simultaneously mapped in two trans-IRAS far infrared (FIR) bands centered at ≈140 and 200μm using the TIFR 100 cm balloon borne FIR telescope. These maps show extended FIR emission with structures. The HIRES processed IRAS maps of these regions at 12, 25, 60 & 100 ìm have also been presented for comparison. Point-like sources have been extracted from the longest waveband TIFR maps and searched for associations in the other five bands. The diffuse emission from these regions have been quantified, which turns out to be a significant fraction of the total emission. The spatial distribution of cold dust (T < 30 K) for two of these sources (W3(OH) & S209), has been determined reliably from the maps in TIFR bands. The dust temperature and optical depth maps show complex morphology. In general the dust around S209 has been found to be warmer than that in W3(OH) region.