Data & Research February 6, 2008

When it Rains

Believe it or not, it actually rains less on weekends.
Reported by
More precisely, it apparently rains more in the southeastern United States midweek than on weekends, according to a new study.
The study was carried out by atmospheric scientist Thomas Bell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and his colleagues. According to LiveScience.com, they looked at data collected by NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite from 1998 to 2005 – and found that it rains, on average, more between Tuesday and Thursday than from Saturday through Monday. The clearest day of the week was Saturday, with nearly twice the rainfall on the wettest day, Tuesday afternoon, according to the report.
The Cause
Even more interesting – a suggestion that the cause of this phenomena – could be the air pollution created by the commuters and business operations.
The researchers made this connection by comparing the rainfall trend with corresponding air-pollution records from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to LiveScience, they specifically analyzed particulate matter, or the airborne particles associated with pollution, finding that between 1998 and 2005 air pollution tended to peak midweek as well.
Of course, “If two things happen at the same time, it doesn’t mean one caused the other,” Bell said, according to the report. “But it’s well known that particulate matter has the potential to affect how clouds behave, and this kind of evidence makes the argument stronger for a link between pollution and heavier rainfall.”
Those particles help clouds to grow – and, as water clings to the particles, additional water droplets form. However, some researchers think increased pollution thwarts rainfall by dispersing the same amount of water over more “seeds’, preventing them from growing large enough to fall as rain. But in the Southeast, the researchers said that summertime conditions for storms are already in place, overriding this buffering effect from scattering.

The results were published in the January 31 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

In Practice February 6, 2008

UBS to Expand FA Network

UBS Wealth Management Americas has announced plans to develop and grow its Corporate Employee Financial Services (CEFS) business.
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The CEFS group delivers equity compensation plan services and support for stock options, restricted grant awards, performance grant awards, stock appreciation rights, and employee stock purchase plans. The group also offers financial education programs and various wealth management and executive services for plan participants, UBS said.

Some of the future enhancements planned include an expansion of the company’s financial adviser network, platform service upgrades, enhanced self-service features to provide corporate clients more choice and flexibility, and increased financial education and executive services programs for participants, according to a company announcement.

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Currently service features of UBS’ CEFS business include:

  • A choice of full and partial plan administration service models;
  • A national network of specially certified financial advisers to make advice and guidance available to participants through financial education and executive services;
  • Financial adviser outreach programs to notify participants of plan related events such as expiring options and new grants;
  • Customized plan reporting and tracking – including an FAS 123 reporting tool through online Web administration;
  • A participant Web site in seven languages with simplified PIN and single sign-on access from company intranet portals;
  • Complete transaction reporting with electronic notifications and alerts; and
  • Foreign exchange rates.

“Continuing to enhance and expand this business allows us to help clients pursue their equity compensation goals and help participants consider their equity awards as a component of their entire wealth management,” said James D. Price, Co-Head, Wealth Management Advisor Group US, in the announcement.

More information can be found at http://financialservicesinc.ubs.com/wealth/Home.html

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