Warm/Tropical Weather is not Good Weather

764dak

http://www.nber.org/digest/jun01/w8119.html:

Why Tropical Countries are Underdeveloped
"In 1820, GNP per capita in the tropical regions was roughly 70 percent of GNP in the temperate-zone. By 1992, GNP per capita in the tropical regions was 25 percent of that in the temperate-zone."

The strongest link in explaining the wealth and poverty of nations is the relationship between ecological zones and per capita income, according to NBER Research Associate Jeffrey Sachs. Yet, most recent cross-country analyses of economic growth have neglected the importance of physical geography.

Despite their varied economic, political, and social histories, almost all of the tropical countries remain underdeveloped at the start of the 21st century. Only two tropical-zone countries, Hong Kong and Singapore, rank among the 30 countries classified as high-income by the World Bank. All of the high-income regions -- North America, Western Europe, Northeast Asia, the Southern Cone of Latin America, and Oceania -- are outside the tropics. When temperate-zone economies are not rich, there is typically a straightforward explanation, such as decades under communism. Sea navigable regions are generally richer than land-locked nations. Those that are both tropical and land-locked - including Bolivia, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho and Laos - are among the very poorest in the world.

In Tropical Underdevelopment (NBER Working Paper No. 8119), Sachs uses geographic information system mapping to combine climatic and economic data. He observes that in 1820, GNP per capita in the tropical regions was roughly 70 percent of GNP in the temperate-zone. By 1992, GNP per capita in the tropical regions was 25 percent of that in the temperate-zone. Thus, between 1820 and1992, GNP per capita in the temperate region grew at an average annual rate of 1.4 percent, compared with 0.9 percent a year in the non-temperate region.

Between 1960 and 1992, both regions grew at about 2.3 percent per year. This reflects fast growth in non-temperate zone Asia of 2.9 percent per year, and continued poor performance in Africa and Latin America.

At the core of this long-term growth was the continued development of technology, a process that has benefitted the temperate-zone countries much more than the tropics. Production technology in the tropics has lagged behind temperate-zone technology in the two critical areas of agriculture and health. The difficulty of mobilizing energy resources in tropical economies also has contributed to the income gap between climate zones. The problems of applying temperate-zone technological advances to the tropical setting have amplified these factors. Agricultural, health, and some manufacturing-related technologies that could diffuse within ecological zones could not diffuse across them.

For the major crops (rice, maize, and wheat), productivity is considerably higher in the temperate-zone than in the tropical-zone: Sachs estimates that in 1995, productivity per hectare of grain produced was approximately 50 percent higher in temperate-zone countries. The explanation lies in soil formation and erosion, pests and parasites, water availability, and the effects of tropical climates on plant respiration. Poor nutrition, resulting from poor agricultural productivity, in turn contributes to poor health. Sachs argues that economic development in tropical eco-zones requires a concerted international effort: agricultural technologies must be specific to the needs of tropical economies.

The burden of disease is considerably higher in the tropics than in temperate climates. Even after controlling for GNP per capita, health outcomes are far better in temperate-zone countries: infant mortality in temperate-zone countries is 50 percent lower; life expectancy in temperate countries is 8 percent higher. Infectious diseases affected all parts of the world in the 19th century. Temperate-zone infectious diseases were partially brought under control through a combination of improved nutrition, societal adjustment to diseases, improved public sanitation, and the introduction of immunization. Tropical vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and helminthic infections, have proved much harder to control. Ecology affects the transition of many important diseases, some of which are now confined to tropical countries.

The income gap also has been amplified in the tropics as poor public health and weak agricultural technology have combined to slow the demographic transition from high fertility and mortality rates to low fertility and mortality rates. Imbalances in geopolitical power too have played a role, for example the domination of global financial and development institutions by the rich, temperate-zone countries. This in turn might help to explain why the importance of physical geography in the development debate, and in framing development policies, has been neglected.

-- Andrew Balls

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/...ics-of-poverty
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/l/landes-wealth.html

Have you ever experienced mind-numbing cold? Or have you ever felt like it was so hot you could barely think? Believe it or not, these expressions are more than just idioms. Research shows that shifts in core body temperature caused by extreme heat or cold can have significant effects not only on mood but also on cognition.

Cognition is the process of thought that controls how we react to our surroundings and is also our ability to store memories and perform mental tasks such as arithmetic. It can decline as core body temperature deviates from the normal measures. Extreme temperatures or long exposure to less than ideal weather can change core body temperature and impact homeostatic control, or the body’s ability to maintain its temperature. As the body works harder to maintain a healthy core temperature by reallocating resources like water and energy, the brain is deprived of these same resources and one’s ability to think declines.

The most serious heat-related issue affecting cognition is dehydration. As temperature increases, the body uses sweating as a mechanism to stay cool. Sweating results in water loss, and can potentially cause dehydration. Dehydration, a phenomenon caused by losing more fluid than one consumes, has a fairly significant effect on cognition. Fluid is paramount in many physiological processes including but not limited to the circulation and uptake of nutrients into cells, which may explain the lack of function on a cellular level. While it is unclear exactly what mechanism ties dehydration to impaired cognition, research has shown that there is a noticeable effect. In a study performed at the University of Georgia, Athens, researchers induced dehydration in participants by withholding water during a two-hour cycling session. After the two-hour period, the participants’ cognitive states were immediately assessed using computer-based tasks that tested short-term memory and the ability to switch focus between stimuli. The same group of men completed the same two-hour bike challenge while receiving sports drinks containing electrolytes every fifteen minutes. The cognitive task performance scores improved significantly between the trials in which the participants were dehydrated and the trials in which the participants were given electrolyte beverages [1]. When dehydrated, the subjects were not able to remember things as well and had difficulty switching attention from one task to another. According to this research, the brain appears to need proper hydration to function at top capacity.

Furthermore, studies have shown that as the temperature falls, core body temperature can fall, which negatively affects cognition. Researchers at Kent State University submerged subjects in 13°C (55°F) for 30 minutes. After this step, most had core body temperatures in the range of 35 to 36°C (95-96.8° F), which is considered below the normal range of 36.5-37.2° C (97.8-99° F) [2]. The subjects rested for 15 minutes, and then researchers asked them to perform the Stroop test. The Stroop test involves looking at the name of a color (e.g. “green”) and saying the color of the font, which is a different color than word spells. Participants are asked to give the color of the font as fast as possible. High speed and accuracy yield high scores. The Stroop test was significantly more difficult for subjects placed in cold water than control subjects placed in neutral water [3]. This study suggests that low core body temperature has a significant effect on attention to detail, which is considered a marker of cognition.

So how can you keep your brain functioning at the highest caliber on even the hottest or coldest of days? Avoiding dehydration on hot days by consuming liquids is paramount, especially those containing electrolytes, like sports drinks or coconut water. Electrolytes, minerals such as salt and potassium, are essential for normal bodily function [4]. Additionally, avoiding caffeine and alcohol can prevent dehydration. Caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics, drugs that act on the body by increasing urine volume and consequently decreasing hydration [5].

Maintaining a high core body temperature is equally important. Just as the brain tells the body to sweat to lower core body temperature when it is too high, the brain similarly tells the body to shiver to maintain a high enough core temperature in the cold. Shivering stimulates the muscles, which causes the body to warm. However, shivering requires proper calorie intake, and the brain is not as efficient at warming the body when not enough calories are consumed [6]. Eating a balanced diet is an easy way to keep cognition strong by keeping core temperature up when the days get frosty.

Dressing appropriately for the weather is a must in preventing core temperature from dropping too low. Urban legend has led many to believe that most heat is lost through key body parts: the head, the chest, and the feet. These areas are much more sensitive to changes in temperature than other parts of the body, which has led many to believe these areas lose more heat [7]. However, instead of which body parts are exposed, the amount of skin exposed is much more important when conserving heat. Covering as much skin as possible on blustery days is the most effective way to stay warm.

Research has time and time again shown that the phrase “brain freeze” is much more than a colloquialism. Weather does in fact have a significant impact on cognition. Both extreme heat and cold can impair the brain’s ability to form new memories, retrieve memories, pay attention to multiple stimuli or switch attention between stimuli, and perform basic tasks. To keep your brain in its best shape, remember to pay attention to the weather, and keep your core body temperature as close to normal regardless of how blustery it gets. After all, a healthy brain is a sharp mind!

See more at: http://triplehelixblog.com/2013/11/t....ulYGmQur.dpuf

http://www.nber.org/papers/w19725

http://ideas.time.com/2014/01/08/how...es-us-smarter/ :

I know cold. And all you Minnesota people may discount me because I am from Phoenix, but trust me, I know cold. I have climbed the highest peak on each continent (the famed Seven Summits) and have skied to both the North and South Poles―a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam. Each mountain and polar expedition was very different―with the exception of one thing: the cold.

(Watch: What You Need to Know About the Polar Vortex)

Of all the remote places I have been, Antarctica―land of the frozen tundra― is perhaps my favorite. It also happens to be the coldest place on earth. The continent is approximately 98 percent ice and 2 percent rock. Temperatures in the winter have reached 128-below. I have been there twice; once to climb the Vinson Massif and once to ski six-hundred miles from the edge of the western Antarctic ice shelf all the way to the South Pole. “Why would you want to suffer like that” is a question I get all the time. And sure, there are times when you are feeling like you want to take a break from the frigid conditions and go inside the lodge and get a cup of hot cocoa…but you can’t. There is no ski lodge in the middle of Antarctica. There’s just you, your 150lb. sled which is harnessed to your waist (containing all of your gear and supplies), your teammates (unless you are on a solo trip ―no thanks) and the cold. So you make peace with the sub-zero temperatures, because you’re going to be in them for the better part of two months.

So thinking back on my experiences here’s why you should be okay with a couple of days of polar vortex – because 1) you can go inside, and 2) because it makes you smarter ―or at least smarter than the warm weather does. Yep. Good news for those in cities affected by the vortex: cold weather can actually be really good for you. Not just because you burn more fat when it’s cold, but because your brain works better when it’s cold. According to an article by Adrian Ward that appeared in Scientific American, it takes more energy to cool your body when it’s hot than it does to warm it up when you’re cold. The energy comes from glucose…which is also necessary for the brain’s mental processes. So basically, cooling off when it is hot uses more glucose than warming up when it’s cold; thus leaving less available glucose for the brain. Therefore, we can assume that cold weather is better for the brain. Quick ―everyone go take the MENSA test before the temperature warms up again!



Read more: How the Cold Makes Us Smarter | TIME.com http://ideas.time.com/2014/01/08/how...#ixzz2qVL4s6Ok

fleet_admiral

Ah will ye go away out of that, Id be here til Christmas reading that

For Forks Sake

Right so. Who's having the barbeque again?

Sir Arthur Daley

Summary please..

Nib

*insert prickish remark about the OP offering no opinion*

The One Doctor

Cry me a river, hippy.

RayM

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Summary please..

Wintry is better.

Tail Docker

The op is intemperately long.

Mr. CooL ICE

I forgot my reading glasses. Is this boards.ie?

Calibos

Another example of, "Jaysus, I was just saying that to someone the other day!!"

In the depths of the recent heat and muggyness, barely able to function and feeling like the cogs in my brain were lubricated with treacle, I made the point that is it any surprise that productivity is so much less in the tropical regions.

AnonoBoy

Explain this to me in terms of "there's a grand stretch in the evening" "shure we could do wit'a drop o'rain" and "Jaysus - it's fierce close today."

Cause that's all the weather talk I understand.

LizT

Ain't nobody got time fo' that

Feel free to start another thread if you can condense the info from the OP into a readable format and can actually give a personal insight/opinion on the matter. AH is not a news dump.