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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 9
Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change
Natural Hazards Congress 2018
July 26-27, 2018
July 26-27, 2018 Melbourne, Australia
2
nd
International Conference on
Natural Hazards and Disaster Management
Geoffrey Mukwada, J Earth Sci Clim Change 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2157-7617-C2-042
Is there any relationship between the spatiotemporal variability of ozone concentration in the Pacific
Ocean and ecosystem phenology in the Drakensberg mountains?
Geoffrey Mukwada
University of the Free State, South Africa
C
limate change is posing a threat to ecosystem health in mountain regions. Mountain
environments are not only fragile because they are easily being affected by extreme climate
conditions, but they also provide signals of climatic change and its impact on ecosystem
phenology. Based on both vegetation and climate indices, this study assesses how ecosystem
phenology within the Namahadi catchment area of the Drakensberg Mountains in South
Africa has been affected by climate change. In recently published research, it had been shown
that the variability of ozone concentration in the Pacific Region was responsible for drought
occurrence across southern Africa, while it was also revealed that there are sentinel pristine
sites within the catchment fromwhich the impact of climate change can be effectively assessed.
Using climate data from CRU-TS and Landsat images, climate and vegetation indices for the pristine sites were computed and
correlation analyses undertake to determine, if there were any teleconnections between the variability concentration of ozone
in the Pacific Ocean and climate indices and vegetation phenology at the pristine sites. Based on the results, the study concludes
that it may be possible to predict drought once extreme signals of ozone concentration have attained specific thresholds in the
upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. This knowledge is important for drought monitoring and disaster preparedness in
mountain areas.
Biography
Geoffrey Mukwada is an Associate Professor in Environmental Geography and is based at the University of the Free State in South Africa. His research primarily
revolves around natural resource management, climate change and rural livelihoods. He has published more than 30 papers in accredited journals. He is the
Founding Coordinator of the Afromontane Research Unit at the University of the Free State and is the current Coordinator of the living and doing business in
Afromontane Environments theme of the ARU.
gmukwada@gmail.com