In many large shallow lakes across the globe, the surface wind field drives the hydrodynamic process directly through the momentum and energy exchange at the air–water interface. Numerous field measurements, experiments and modeling show that wind-driven hydrodynamic disturbances have profound impacts on the structure and function of lake ecosystems. In this article, we review the response of the shallow lake to the wind-driven wave and flow field, which may accelerate the sediment resuspension and nutrient cycling and, in turn, affect the concentrations of nutrients and dissolved oxygen. Furthermore, the life activities of bacterioplankton, plankton and fish in the aquatic ecosystem are closely related to these water-quality factors. Although we have a developed understanding of the physical processes and biogeochemical cycles of lakes by process-based modeling, the most basic wind-driven hydrodynamic process in some lake models is imprecise. Comprehensive results of physical parameterization, including the wind stress and wind drag coefficient, with their mathematical expressions for depicting the wind-driven force in the hydrodynamic model of lakes are synthesized. Some of these expressions are empirically determined without considering the dynamic environment, and expressions based on physical mechanisms have been widely recognized. Additionally, the adaptation standard of wind-driven force parameterizations to inland lake models under light winds is provided. This article highlights the importance of heterogeneous wind field variability and suggests future studies on the wind fields in extreme climates, which could also cause damage to deep lake ecosystems and the biodiversity effects of wind wave turbulence.

The study of the icebergs and their movements is one of many applications of scatterometer data in the study of the ecosystems of polar regions. SCATSAT-1 is the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Ku-band (13.515625 GHz) scatterometer. Using enhanced resolution Gamma0H (horizontally polarised incidence angle normalised backscattering coefficient) data of SCATSAT-1, we observed the movement of iceberg D28 and its interaction with wind, ocean currents and sea ice for one and a half years of its journey (JD 269, 2019 to JD 051, 2021). The data sets used are as follows: (1) SCATSAT-1 level-4 Gamma0H; (2) OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real-time) third-degree resolution ocean surface currents; (3) hourly wind speed data of ERA5; 4) NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center) sea ice concentration data; and (5) NSIDC Polar Path-finder Daily EASE-Grid Sea Ice Motion Vectors, Version-3. For this study, we divide the continent into five different regions/sectors. It is found that the trajectory of the iceberg is influenced by the resultant of the wind and ocean current, at different scales in these regions. Moreover, sea ice motion can also change the course of iceberg. From the on-screen digitisation of the iceberg, the average area of the iceberg is found to be approximately 1509.82 km2 with approximate dimensions of 27 km × 55.5 km. We conclude that spatial and temporal behaviours of the iceberg can be ascertained from the scatterometer data.

Sustainable energy economics in Latin America has become relevant due to the region’s dependence on the oil market and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review of the ten major economies in the region based on gross domestic product is conducted. We primarily analyze production performance of hydro, wind, and solar energies, in terms of total gigawatt hours produced, current participation levels in energy matrices, and total installed capacity. Current and future trends and legal frameworks for each technology and country are discussed. Our analyses indicate that Latin America and the Caribbean can potentially increase the usage of renewable energy sources given a plethora of natural resources, favorable geographical and climatic conditions, and existing large-scale hydro installations to counteract the inconsistency of wind and solar projects. Therefore, governments in the region must overhaul sustainable policies to increase awareness and reduce energy dependence on foreign powers.

Due to the exceptional complexity of the propulsion system (sails), square-riggers form a special group of sailing vessels. In modern pleasure and sport sailing, simple Bermuda (triangular) sailing rigging prevails, which is widely discussed in the literature, both in terms of theory and numerous experiments. The literature on the theory on square-riggers is, in turn, limited mainly to the description of good sailing practice developed over the centuries. Its important element was maximising vessel speed, but this discussion has not been documented by scientific research. This paper presents the significant parameters influencing the speed of a square-rigged sailing vessel and selects those which are the most important from the point of view of its maximisation. The paper also proposes methods and measurement systems which optimise selected parameters affecting the achievement of higher speeds. The paper describes the types of speeds of typical sailing vessels, provides a historical synthesis of sailing ships with respect to their speed, and presents a selection and description of the parameters affecting the speed of modern square-rigged vessels. The paper ends with a proposed method and measurement system for experimental research aiming at rigging optimisation in a square-rigged sailing vessel from the point of view of maximising its speed.

As no internationally agreed-upon method for determining safe speed values currently exists, collecting vast amounts of information on conventional ship behaviour could be used to train autonomous ship intelligence in determining safe speeds in different conditions. This requires speed data collected from conventional ships to resemble what can be described as safe speeds. To test this, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and environmental data – namely visibility, mean wind speed and significant wave height – were collected and merged for two study areas in Norway in the period between 27 March 2014 and 1 January 2021. Regression analyses based on 47,490 unique vessel transits were conducted and supplemented by two graphical methods for revealing relationships between variables. Contrary to the contemporary understanding of safe speed, reduced visibility did not lead to significantly reduced transit speeds. Wind and waves caused a reduction in speed in the open ocean, but not in coastal waters. Transit speeds were lower in coastal waters than in the open ocean.

China's west has long been framed as an undeveloped frontier, set apart by poverty and a resource-based economy. Since the 2000s, however, utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure has expanded rapidly in western China, promising local economic benefits tied to national low-carbon transition. This paper contends that these benefits have been precarious and unevenly distributed. I argue that utility-scale renewable energy has remade western China as a “low-carbon frontier,” a resource-rich region that generates low-carbon value for the national green economy. I highlight three features of low-carbon frontiers: they are constructed as spaces of exploitable low-carbon resources, creating an investment boom; they are enclosed through new land arrangements and infrastructure construction, rapidly and with little coordination; and they are reliant on external markets and policy decisions, entrenching dependency. These conditions make it difficult for frontier regions to capture sustained economic development benefits from the boom in the absence of persistent central state supports. I analyse these features by comparing two sets of technologies with similar, but ultimately diverging, trajectories: small and large hydropower in China's south-west, and solar and wind in the north-west.

Several studies of hurricane damage on epiphyte communities implied that epiphytes might be in danger of being blown off their host when subjected to strong wind. There is very limited knowledge about the mechanical impact that wind may have on epiphytes. Using a wind-triggered camera set-up, we observed how epiphytic tank bromeliads are affected by wind. Despite offering a relatively large area of ‘attack’ to the airflow, bromeliads moved relatively little themselves. Rather than being directly moved by wind, the bromeliads in the upper crown of tall trees moved with the sway of the branches. Only when the substrate did not move, bromeliads with long broad leaves showed considerable disturbance due to wind. Our observations underline the complexity of the system and emphasise that our current understanding of the mechanical aspects of the epiphyte–host system is still very limited.

Knowledge on cheetah population densities across their current range is limited. Therefore, new and efficient assessment tools are needed to gain more knowledge on species distribution, ecology and behaviour. Scat detection dogs have emerged as an efficient and non-invasive method to monitor elusive and vulnerable animal species, like cheetahs, due to the dog’s superior olfactory system. However, the success of locating scat using detection dogs can be significantly improved under suitable weather conditions. We examined the impact of temperature, humidity and wind speed on detection rates of scat from cheetahs during a scat detection dog survey in Northern Kenya. We found that average wind speed positively influences the scat detection rate of detection dogs working on leash. Humidity showed no significant influence. Temperature showed a strong negative correlation with humidity and thus was excluded from our model analyses. While it is likely that wind speed is especially invalid for dogs working off leash, this study did not demonstrate this. Wind speed could thus influence the success of monitoring cheetahs or other target species. Our findings help to improve the survey and thus maximise the coverage of study area and the collection of target samples of elusive and rare species.