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Arctic amplification: causes, manifestations, impacts
Houser, Mikoláš ; Huth, Radan (advisor) ; Krauskopf, Tomáš (referee)
The Arctic amplification is a byproduct of the climate change, manifested by faster warming in the Arctic region compared to other parts of the planet. This paper summarises the basic understanding of the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon (mainly snow-ice albedo and temperature feedback) and the potential impacts of Arctic amplification for atmospheric circulation at mid-latitudes. The research is completed by a correlation analysis describing the relationship between Arctic amplification and the North Atlantic Oscillation. Based on the literature it is suggested that Arctic amplification may influence various factors of the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation (e.g., phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation, jet stream, circumpolar vortex), but natural variability of the climate makes it difficult to unravel this relationship. Recent climate model outputs seems more likely to show a smaller influence of Arctic amplification compared to the internal variability of the climate system. This is demonstrated by the results of the correlation analysis, which show very little statistical connection of the observed variables and large statistical uncertainty in the results.
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Nakládání s potravinovým odpadem
Voznicová, Eliška
This bachelor’s thesis focuses on food waste management, which is closely related to global climate change, overpopulation and food waste. The aim of this thesis is to complete legislative regulations related to this topic and to define how food waste is categorized and at that stage, food is discarded. This thesis also deals with selected processing and mentions sustainable food consumption and food labelling. The research used a mapping method to verify whether gastronomic establishments comply with legal regulations and have designated special containers for food waste and waste collection companies. Another method used was an interview with a freegan and subsequently with a gastronomic establishment employee. The mapping research revealed that an unsuitable time was chosen for the mapping. The main finding from the interviews was that some gastronomic establishments are open to new trends in reducing food waste. Despite increasing demands for legislative regulations on food waste disposal, the main takeaway from the interviews was that it is possible to consume only discarded food.
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Knowledge and attitudes of secondary school pupils on global climate change
Lacinová, Ludmila ; Rynda, Ivan (advisor) ; Pospíšilová, Tereza (referee)
These days, the global climate change is not only a very frequently discussed topic, but above all a threat to the entire planet. In 2009 Johan Rockström published the concept of the nine planetary boundaries that humans ought not to breach if they wish to preserve a safe space for human activities and avoid dangers of global significance. Nevertheless, three of these boundaries have already been breached and are currently in a critical state. The climate change is one of them and its breach is very serious. That is why this master's thesis is dealing with this important issue, which needs to be tackled on the global as well as the individual level since everyone's contribution, though small on the global scale, is necessary and it is vital that all take part in solving this global problem. The thesis is therefore focusing more specifically on the individual level, namely, the knowledge and the attitudes of high school students as regards the global climate change. The master's thesis is divided into four parts - the theoretical, the methodological, the empirical, and the discussion part. The crucial part of this master's thesis is the empirical part, which includes quantitative research in the form of a questionnaire survey among the pupils at selected secondary schools with different...
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Postauditing in the EIA process
Kohoutová, Michaela ; Braniš, Martin (advisor) ; Lipský, Zdeněk (referee)
Environmental impact assessment (EIA), its key principles and aspects, these are themes discussed worldwide. EIA is useful as an environmental prevention tool but its effectiveness is seen in many cases in a bad light. The causes of the inconsistency between an opinion and the subsequent actual state are manifold and as we can see in the academic literature, it is becoming increasingly necessary to examine the need for monitoring and post-project analysis. Measures for reducing environment risks through monitoring and post-analysis, together with EIA opinions and assessments of its accuracy, are becoming important themes mentioned in the scientific journals. This work comprises a consideration of the choice of adequate methods and initial questions whose correctness is crucial for a successful prediction. Effectiveness of the EIA process depends on an appropriate methodology, existence of data in EIA documentation and other aspects, which are often discussed in the scientific literature. The object of this work is to define the environmental impact assessment (project analysis) in relation to the actual state of the territory (post-project analysis), to describe the advent and the historical aspects of environmental impact assessment in the Czech Republic and abroad, and to compare the correctness and...
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Snow drought and driving factors affecting snowpack inter-annual variability in the Sumava Mts
Bek, Dominik ; Jeníček, Michal (advisor) ; Hotový, Ondřej (referee)
The bachelor thesis deals with the problems associated with the snow drought that is defined as below-average accumulation of snow. The main goal of the work was 1) to evaluate the current stage of in the research focused on the snow drought as well as 2) to analyze the winter snow conditions in the period 2015-2020. Data obtained by measurements carried out at the weather stations operated (1) by the Department of the physical geography and geoecology of the Faculty of Sciences of the Charles University and (2) by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute in the Bohemian Forest region (Sumava) have been applied. Special attention has been paid to the identification of meteorological causes affecting the inter- annual variability in snow storages. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the research review dealing with the snow drought and its various types as well as with ongoing and future changes in snowpack. The results data analysis is presented in the second part. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to calculate the strength of the relationship between the snow and climatic variables and between the snow characteristics themselves. The results have revealed that the air temperature represents the most dominant factor affecting the inter-annual...
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Global Climate Change - Water Springs and Landscape Memory
Švancárová, Rebeka ; Rynda, Ivan (advisor) ; Ulčák, Zbyněk (referee)
The subject of this master thesis is the tradition of creating human - made water springs and caring for them in the research area of protected landscape areas Kysuce (in Slovakia) and Beskydy (in Czech Republic). Both areas are characterized by the occurrence of numerous natural springs of water. People from both places have been enhancing surroundings of these springs for a long time. The creation and care of these objects have become over time a form of tradition, coupled with respect for water and nature as a whole. The aim of the thesis is to identify the shift in this tradition and what it signalizes to people. It is also about bringing the context of changes in traditions with global climate change and with changes in the human relationship and management of landscape. In order to analyze this problem, the methods characteristic for the qualitative type of research were used, such as interviews and observation, which were subsequently evaluated by means of a framework analysis. The work is a kind of microetnographic study that deals with a close group of people who are carying for such water springs in mentioned research areas. Key words: water springs, landscape memory, invention of tradition, global climate change, nature protection, thick description, Beskydy, Kysuce
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Evaluation of selected cereals in conventional and organic farming - protein content and impact on greenhouse gases emissions
VEBROVÁ, Ivana
Agriculture is, after fossil fuels, the second largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for global climate change, and it is necessary to look for ways to reduce this environmental load. Cereals are the most cultivated crops in the world, so it is appropriate to examine their share of this load. The aim of the thesis was to evaluate and compare the environmental aspects of the cultivation of selected cereals (wheat, rye and barley) in the conventional and ecological farming system. The resulting environmental load was first calculated on 1 kg of grain, and then the load was recalculated to a load of 1 kg of protein contained in grain of selected cereals. Protein content in grain is one of the grain quality indicators. A simplified LCA method has been used for the environmental load calculations. This method is used for environmental impact assessments and covers the whole life cycle of the product.
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Approaching dangerous impacts of global climate change
Ač, Alexander
Current global policy efforts are focused on limiting the global rise in mean temperature to well below a 2 K\nwarming compared to the pre-industrial temperature. It is questionable if achieving such goal is still feasible.\nHere, I review published works that suggesting that to keep global warming below or at a 2 K level cannot\nbe considered as safe, as is often assumed. A large body of studies have emerged recently investigating\nthe impacts of global climate change (GCC) at a 1.5 K or 2 K warming. The impacts range from changes in\nthe hydrological cycle, increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, triggering of change\nfeedback processes at various spatio-temporal scales, affecting biological processes from the molecular to\necosystem levels, and to disrupting socio-economic conditions. In this short review, I present the latest scientific\nknowledge regarding some of the most important impacts of GCC on natural ecosystems, humanmade\nsystems, and societies.
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Postauditing in the EIA process
Kohoutová, Michaela ; Braniš, Martin (advisor) ; Lipský, Zdeněk (referee)
Environmental impact assessment (EIA), its key principles and aspects, these are themes discussed worldwide. EIA is useful as an environmental prevention tool but its effectiveness is seen in many cases in a bad light. The causes of the inconsistency between an opinion and the subsequent actual state are manifold and as we can see in the academic literature, it is becoming increasingly necessary to examine the need for monitoring and post-project analysis. Measures for reducing environment risks through monitoring and post-analysis, together with EIA opinions and assessments of its accuracy, are becoming important themes mentioned in the scientific journals. This work comprises a consideration of the choice of adequate methods and initial questions whose correctness is crucial for a successful prediction. Effectiveness of the EIA process depends on an appropriate methodology, existence of data in EIA documentation and other aspects, which are often discussed in the scientific literature. The object of this work is to define the environmental impact assessment (project analysis) in relation to the actual state of the territory (post-project analysis), to describe the advent and the historical aspects of environmental impact assessment in the Czech Republic and abroad, and to compare the correctness and...
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Formation of the Czech national interest in global climate change
Mohelníková, Tereza ; Rolenc, Jan Martin (advisor) ; Doležal, Tomáš (referee)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change described the existing evidence of global warming as unequivocal. However, global climate change is far from being a solely scientific issue. Many political debates currently focus on the topic, notably in the Czech political scene. This bachelor thesis briefly summarizes the development of the Czech environmental policy, including a chapter on climate scepticism and general public opinion on climate change in the Czech Republic. The main aim of the thesis is to assess Czech national interest in global climate change, using criteria of legitimate national interest. To this end, election programmes and other issues are analysed, such as the passing of the climate-energy scheme and the breaking of limits on brown coal mining.
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