ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic aerosols mask the climate warming caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs). In the absence of observational constraints, large uncertainties plague the estimates of this masking effect. Here we used the abrupt reduction in anthropogenic emissions observed during the COVID-19 societal slow-down to characterize the aerosol masking effect over South Asia. During this period, the aerosol loading decreased substantially and our observations reveal that the magnitude of this aerosol demasking corresponds to nearly three-fourths of the CO2-induced radiative forcing over South Asia. Concurrent measurements over the northern Indian Ocean unveiled a ~7% increase in the earth's surface-reaching solar radiation (surface brightening). Aerosol-induced atmospheric solar heating decreased by ~0.4 K d-1. Our results reveal that under clear sky conditions, anthropogenic emissions over South Asia lead to nearly 1.4 W m-2 heating at the top of the atmosphere during the period March-May. A complete phase-out of today's fossil fuel combustion to zero-emission renewables would result in rapid aerosol demasking, while the GHGs linger on.
ABSTRACT
Social determinants of malnutrition play a significant role in dictating the course of malnutrition outcomes in any population. Sustained efforts to optimize these determinants are indispensable to sustainable changes in the status of nutrition of the affected population. Despite the efforts undertaken, such a high prevalence of child malnutrition in India defies logic. Multiple causes of child mortality exist. Malnutrition accounts for 69% of these under five deaths in India losing up to US$3.5 trillion loss per year, globally. Understanding the social determinants of malnutrition and its impact on child health is crucial to formulate sound and equity-based policies and interventions yielding fruitful outcomes. The situation has further worsened due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The paper emphasizes gaining cognizance of the grim and longstanding issues of malnutrition, its social determinants, and existing interventions to curb the issue. © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted nearly all aspects of life throughout the world during 2020. It had a particularly severe impact on air transportation with U.S. demand initially dropping by over 90%. In this paper, we investigate the impact on the performance of the U.S. domestic air transportation system. We analyze both the changes in the volume and characteristics of flight operations and also changes in system performance metrics. We also discuss various adjustments made by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) both to take advantage of reduced system congestions and also to cope with COVID-19 infections among controllers. © ATM 2021. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
As efforts advance around the globe, the US falls behind.
ABSTRACT
India is the fastest-growing retail market and M-commerce is growing exponentially. However, Covid-19 pandemic has created global disruptions in all spheres and India is no exception. There is a noticeable shift in consumers buying through smartphones leading to increase in online grocery shopping per se and due to fear of vulnerability to pandemic in a physical store. Constructs of perceived equity, perceived usefulness, perceived value and vulnerability to disease have been considered to understand the influence and impact of these aspects on consumer buying intention through smartphones (M-commerce). Descriptive and quantitative research approach was adopted to test the theories of this investigation and a survey was conducted PAN India and data collected through a structured questionnaire from 204 respondents. Data so collected was analysed through factor analysis for identifying key aspects and structural equation modelling (SEM) for developing the model. Findings revealed that vulnerability to disease and perceived equity had the most significant influence on consumer online grocery purchase intention followed by perceived value. The insights can be utilized by various brands to align their M-commerce strategies to consumer preference in the new normal of sustainable business. © 2021 Ecological Society of India. All rights reserved.