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Understanding the association between education and wellbeing: an exploration of the Gallup World Poll
(Springer, 2024-10) Wilson Fadiji, Angelina; Lomas, Tim
Antecedents of wellbeing across different socio-cultural contexts is a question that psychologists and other social scientist continue to grapple with. Although evidence supporting higher educational levels as being beneficial for wellbeing is significant, there are still contradictory findings, necessitating further exploration into this relationship. Moreover, current evidence seems to focus mostly on data derived from Western samples and have adopted limited measures of wellbeing. The present study explores the relationship between schooling and a subset of 31 wellbeing-related categories in the Gallup World Poll conducted over three years (2020–2022), encompassing 386,654 individuals in 142 countries. The findings indicate that overall participants with higher levels of education fare better than those with lower levels of education. However, disaggregation and comparison across key social indicators, specifically, country/region of residence, sex and age showed that there were instances where higher levels of education were less beneficial for wellbeing. While acknowledging the importance of education for wellbeing, our findings suggest the need to consider how unique socio-cultural factors might further complicate the benefits of education. We also suggest that governments might need to consider what policies are necessary to make the benefits of education more apparent and ubiquitous.
Response of the global ITCZ to ENSO and how the ITCZ determined from maximum precipitation compares with the surface tropical wind convergence
(Elsevier, 2025-07) Ramotubei, Teke Solomon; Landman, Willem Adolf; Mateyisi, Mohau J.; Nangombe, Shingirai S.; Beraki, Asmerom Fissehatsion
Shifts in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) may lead to amplification of climate extremes such as droughts and flooding. Its spatio-temporal variations respond to well-established oscillation processes like the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This research establishes the global and regional response of the ITCZ position to ENSO. It also explores the alignment between the ITCZ as determined from two methods: the surface tropical wind convergence, and maximum precipitation. The ERA5 reanalysis data, 1990–2020, are used in this study. Each longitude is scanned for latitude of maximum precipitation, during each El Niño/La Niña/Neutral year, within the 20°N/S latitude range to identify the ITCZ position. An overlay of surface tropical wind convergence and the ITCZ position is employed for comparison of the two methods. The study concludes that the position established by the maximum precipitation aligns with the surface tropical wind convergence over the global oceanic areas. On seasonal average, the La Niña ITCZ position is consistently southward of its El Niño position over Africa and Central Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, the extreme cases of El Niño/La Niña leads to further north/south shifting of the ITCZ position from its normal El Niño/La Niña positions. The continental and Atlantic Ocean ITCZ is more persistent and shows a minimal fluctuation, in comparison to Oceanic ITCZ, during the El Niño/La Niña. Cross-wavelet analysis was explored as an African case study and it shows common high-power features between the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and ITCZ signals over a four-year periodicity, mirroring the ENSO periodicity albeit with slowly varying time lag across the years. The cross-correlation of the two signals is strongest in Austral summer (DJF), corresponding to the peak of ENSO. This study contributes to the understanding of the overall description of the global and regional (with Australia and South America as new additions) ITCZ along with its response to the ENSO phases using the latest ERA reanalysis data. The global/regional spatio-temporal ITCZ shifts open an opportunity for improved interpretation of seasonal forecasts of hydroclimatic events, especially under climate change conditions that reflect a possibility of an increase in the frequency of ENSO events in the future.
Verification of operational Niño3.4 SST forecasts produced in South Africa since the 2015 El Niño event
(Elsevier, 2025-07) Landman, Willem Adolf; Barnston, Anthony G.; willem.landman@up.ac.za
The production of operational seasonal forecasts in South Africa began in the early 1990s, as South African modellers published numerous papers describing the research and development supporting these forecast systems. While this effort focused largely on seasonal rainfall and temperature predictability over southern Africa, work has also gone into predictions of global sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), including predictions for the central Pacific Ocean, and particularly the ENSO-related Niño3.4 region. Here we present verification statistics of archived real-time Niño3.4 SST forecasts from multi-model forecasting systems developed respectively at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and at the University of Pretoria, both based in South Africa. These forecasting systems used forecasts produced by fully-coupled ocean-atmosphere models administered in the USA, and also by statistical models developed locally. Archived Niño3.4 SST forecast data are available continuously from 2015. The verification presented here covers a 9-year period beginning with forecasts for the 2015/16 El Niño event and ending with the 2023/24 El Niño event. In general, Niño3.4 forecast skill is limited during the boreal spring months and optimized during the boreal winter period when forecast variance is also largest. During boreal winter, probabilistic forecasts are able to discriminate between the El Niño, neutral and La Niña ENSO phases. Predictability of El Niño events is found to be highest of the three phases, with the lowest predictability for ENSO-neutral. Moreover, probability forecasts for El Niño and La Niña events are found to be mostly under-confident for high probability forecasts, and probabilities for neutral events are overestimated. A potential improvement in the probabilistic forecasts may be achieved by designing the climatological frequencies of the three forecast ENSO categories to match the observational definition based on ± 0.5 °C cutoffs.
Evaluating contaminant pathways in an altered vadose zone : a multidisciplinary approach in open-pit quarry environments
(Springer, 2025-06) Van Wyk, Yazeed; Bodin, Jacques; Witthuser, Kai; Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice; Dippenaar, Matthys Alois; Butler, Mike; matthys.dippenaar@up.ac.za
The closure of mining operations presents significant environmental challenges for groundwater protection and sustainable closure planning. Fractured and altered aquifers, which supply drinking water to nearly half the world’s population, are vulnerable to disruptions caused by mining. This study investigates groundwater flow and contaminant dynamics in an altered vadose zone and fractured rock environment at a quarry situated 20 km east of Pretoria, South Africa. The primary objective is to develop effective monitoring strategies for groundwater protection post-mine closure. The heterogeneous geological structures, including a network of fractures and a diabase sill, generate distinct water types and flow dynamics, with active groundwater circulation despite seasonal fluctuations. Field investigations and tracer analyses revealed seasonal variations in transport parameters. Blasting activities modified fracture characteristics, creating new pathways and increasing connectivity between fracture networks, complicating contaminant migration. Tracer tests analysed with the MDMi and MDP-2RNE analytical models identified variations in Péclet numbers and mean transit times, with higher transport velocities and lower retardation factors during the wet season. The MDMi model was more sensitive to fracture connectivity changes, while the MDP-2RNE model highlighted seasonal differences in flow velocities and dispersion. These findings highlight the challenges of parameterisation and the necessity for seasonal calibration in modelling contaminant transport. A conceptual site model (CSM) illustrates how mining has transformed groundwater flow patterns and contaminant transport mechanisms, providing critical insights into sustainable groundwater management and mine closure planning. This research highlights the importance of targeted monitoring strategies to protect groundwater in altered vadose zone environments post-mine closure.
A novel integrated computational approach for agroecological similarity
(Elsevier, 2025-06) Tonle, Franck B.N.; Tonnang, Henri E.Z.; Ndadji, Milliam M.Z.; Tchendji, Maurice T.; Nzeukou, Armand; Niassy, Saliou
Assessing agroecological similarity is crucial for shaping sustainable agricultural practices and resource allocation, especially in regions undergoing rapid environmental changes. Current evaluation methods face challenges such as managing large datasets, adjusting for temporal variations across locations, and the need for accessible, comprehensive analytical tools. Addressing these challenges, this paper presents the Agroecology Fourier-based Similarity Assessment (AFSA), an innovative computational approach that applies principles of the Fourier transform to systematically evaluate similarities among agroecological sites. To enhance usability, AFSA is complemented by webafsa, a user-friendly web application designed for researchers and policymakers, emphasizing ease of use and broad applicability. The implementation of AFSA and webafsa aims to improve land suitability assessments, enhance decision-making for resource allocation, and support better adaptation strategies for sustainable agriculture. By offering both a sophisticated computational methodology and an accessible decision-support tool, this study paves the way for more informed and environmentally considerate agricultural practices.