Abstract:In this study, the hourly air temperature differences between City hall (urban) and Okoafo (rural) in Lagos, Nigeria, were calculated using one year of meteorological observations, from June 2014 to May 2015. The two sites considered for this work were carefully selected to represent their climate zones. The city core, City hall, is within the Local Climate Zone (LCZ 2) (Compact midrise) while the rural location, Okoafo, falls within LCZ B (Scattered Trees) in the south-western part on the outskirt of the city. This study is one of very few to investigate urban temperature conditions in Lagos, the largest city in Africa and one of the most rapidly urbanizing megacities in the world; findings show that maximum nocturnal UHI magnitudes in Lagos can exceed 7˝C during the dry season, and during the rainy season, wet soils in the rural environment supersede regional wind speed as the dominant control over UHI magnitude.
River flooding has become a widely distributed and devastating natural disaster that has caused significant damages both economically and socially. Recently, it displaced millions of people in Nigeria and submerged several square kilometres of landed area in general and farmlands in particular. Although, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) predicted the occurrence of the flood disaster and advised the relocation of residence from the floodplain to the high ground, but spatial information pertaining to the areal extent vulnerable to the hazard was not made available. This study attempted to assess the spatial impact of the October 2012 flooding of the Niger-Benue basin on the surrounding areas using the moderate resolution imaging Spectroradiometre (MODIS) data of NASA Terra satellite and developed a geospatial methodology for detecting and extracting the flood risk areas and the vulnerable population to flooding within the basin. The integration of remotely sensed data and other spatial and non-spatial data within the GIS platform was able to produce series of thematic maps which was used to generate a geospatial database for flood risk analysis and assessment. The result of the analysis effectively demonstrated the contribution of geospatial methods in mitigating and monitoring the effect of flooding along the Niger-Benue basin. It was therefore, suggested that government agencies and policy makers should adopt this powerful technique for reliable and well synthesized information which is a vital component of flood risk assessment and planning.
The threat to human, fauna and flora life posed by pollution due to gas flaring cannot be over-emphasized. Gas flared often resulted in some environmental degradation, one of such influence is soil pollution and poor crop yield. This study examined the effect of gas flaring on soil and cassava productivity in Ebedei, Ukwuani LGA, Delta State. For the purpose of data collection, five (5) experimental sites were systematically selected around the flare site in Ebedei and a control site at Obiaruku. Soil samples were collected at surface 0 -10 cm and 10 -20 cm at distance of 50 m, 100 m, 150 m, 200 m and 250 m apart respectively away from the bund wall of the flare. The data generated were analysed using multiple regression and paired t-test analyses. The study revealed that the soils found in Ebedei have high composition of sand and soil temperature and are acidic. The soil electrical conductivity, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Potassium and Sodium were very low. More so, the yield of cassava increases with a corresponding increase in distances from flare site. The first hypothesis revealed that there is significant variation in soil nutrients as distance increases from gas flare sites. This is evident from F value of 234.99 which is greater than the critical table value of 4.39. Furthermore, as flare distance increases, so also the organic carbon, electrical conductivity and Nitrogen increase. The second hypothesis revealed that there is a significant difference in cassava yield at gas-flared area and the non-flared area which is evident at t (6.032) is greater than the critical table (1.895) at P < 0.05. It is therefore recommended that Government and FEPA should enact environmental Policies and revisit and review existing environmental and oil drilling laws in Nigeria with a view of updating them to international and environmental friendly standards.
The Urban Heat Islands (UHI) effect is a microclimatic phenomenon that especially affects urban areas. It is associated with significant temperature increases in the local microclimate, and may amplify heat waves. Due to their intensity, UHI causes not only thermal discomfort, but also reductions in the levels of life quality. This paper reviews the important role of green infrastructure as a means through which the intensity of UHI may be reduced, along with their negative impact on human comfort and wellbeing. Apart from a comprehensive review of the available literature, the paper reports on an analysis of case studies in a set of 14 cities in 13 countries representing various geographical regions and climate zones. The results obtained suggest that whereas UHI is a common phenomenon, green infrastructure in urban areas may under some conditions ameliorate their impacts. In addition, the study revealed that the scope and impacts of UHI are not uniform: depending on peculiarities of urban morphologies, they pose different challenges linked to the microclimate peculiar to each city. The implications of this paper are threefold. Firstly, it reiterates the complex interrelations of UHIs, heat waves and climate change. Secondly, it outlines the fact that keeping and increasing urban green resources leads to additional various benefits that may directly or indirectly reduce the impacts of UHI. Finally, the paper reiterates the need for city planners to pay more attention to possible UHI effects when initiating new building projects or when adjusting current ones.
The impact of gas flaring on the sustainable development was examined. The presence crude oil and natural gas is expected to serve as socio-economic driver of accelerated sustainable development of an area but the situation of oil producing areas of Nigeria is a far cry from the expected. Data was collected from eight (8) experimental sites around the gas flaring station including Obiaruku (control site), which has no gas-flaring station. Temperature and concentrations of air quality indices were determined. The temperature and air quality measurements in Ebedei were made, at least, 50 meters away from the bund wall of the flare. The data were analysed using the Multiple Regression and bivariate correlation. Results revealed that there is a significant relationship between ambient temperature and the gases (CO, NO 2 , SO 4 and CH 4 ) flared in Ebedei at F value of 20.069 which is greater than the critical value of 9.12. An increase in flared gases results to a corresponding increase in temperature. Strong negative relationship exists between distance from the bund wall of the flare and temperature at r=0.855. Recommendations: (FEPA) should constantly monitor and evaluate the level of damages done by gas flaring to ensure compliance and sustainability of the environment.
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