Posted on

Hotter nights, more danger

When we think of long summer heatwaves, we typically think about daytime highs. But new research from Khalifa University says the nighttime is equally to blame.

Research analyzing data from 491 weather stations from 2005 to 2025 concludes that the frequency of heatwaves is increasing and nights are remaining hotter for longer, particularly along the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.

CAPTION: Makkah, Saudi Arabia, 15 June 2024: Many Hajj pilgrims are walking on the Arafat field. Mount Arafat (Jabal Arafat, Mountain of Mercy’) is a forgiveness hill. IMAGE: Shutterstock

“Compound heatwaves,” in which both days and nights stay exceedingly hot for days in a row, are dangerous because the human body can’t cool and recover through the night.

The humidity of the coasts factor in largely because humid air traps heat close to the ground. This results in stifling, muggy nights with almost no relief.

The team’s paper, published in Atmospheric Research, was based on the June 2024 lethal heatwave that occurred during the Hajj pilgrimage that exceeded 50 degrees Celsius in certain areas. This resulted in thousands of heat-related illnesses and over 1,300 fatalities.

The four AI weather-forecasting systems tested were able to predict the heatwave but failed to recognize the temperature severity, especially at longer forecast ranges.

While the research concludes that AI forecasting is becoming a useful tool for heat warnings, gaps exist relating to nighttime heat and coastal humidity as Middle Eastern heatwaves increase in intensity.

More like this: The immensity of intensity

Posted on

KU researchers on the global stage

Two Khalifa University mathematics researchers who recently published a study on the reliability of models for financial markets have been tapped to contribute to two of the world’s leading statistical societies.

Emilio Porcu, a theoretical statistician and data scientist, and Marcos López de Prado, professor of practice and the global head of Quantitative Research and Development at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, recently contributed to a high-level panel discussion on “Regression for Compositional Data in the Era of Data Science” for the Royal Statistical Society in London.

The topic is timely, as compositional data are increasingly central in modern applications involving complex, constrained and high-dimensional datasets.

Porcu and López de Prado have also been invited to review “Random Patterns and Structures in Spatial Data” by Radu S. Stoica for the American Statistical Association. The review should be published by the end of July.

More like this: Is Wallstreet misusing its favorite risk metric?

Posted on

Mold matters

Plant-based diets and grocery products have taken the world by storm the past few years, but a recent study indicates that there’s more to your veggie burger than just plants.

The UK study published in Food Control concluded that of the 212 plant-based products tested, all of them contained at least one mycotoxin — a toxic compound naturally produced by molds. The tests included a wide range of products including dairy-free milks and alternative meats made with soy, oat and nuts.

Most of the toxin levels were within the UK limits, but many of the products tested contained more than one toxin, the highest levels found in plant-based meat substitutes. Oat-based drinks also contained higher levels of certain grain-related toxins.

The researchers say there’s no reason to panic as mycotoxins are found in many common food products like coffee and spices, but as the plant-based food industry grows, it does highlight the need for manufacturers and regulators to pay closer attention to testing and food safety.

More like this: Transparen sea