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Health and the Environment
Joan L. Aron, Ph.D.
ESSE21
Baltimore, MD
June 11-13, 2003
Health and the Environment
Overview
 Earth
system science applications from:
• World Health Organization
• World Meteorological Organization
• United Nations Environment Programme
 Information resources for applications
 Information resources for science & math
systemic education reform
• P-16, NASSMC, NASA’s Linking Leaders Program
Small Island Developing States
Factors increasing vulnerability
 Small physical size
 Surrounded by large expanses of ocean
 Relative isolation
 Limited natural resources
 Growing populations
 Exposure to damaging natural disasters
 Low economic diversification
 Limited funds, human resources, skills
Global Climate Change
Sea level rise
 Displacement of coastal communities
 Disturbance of agricultural activity
 Coastal erosion, beach loss, decline in
tourism
 Intrusion of sea water into freshwater
aquifers
Multiple Time Scales
Sea level rise
Sea level rise (long time scale)
Increased vulnerability to storm surges, coastal flooding
Storm event (short time scale)
Global Climate Change
Threat of sea level rise
Hurricane Lenny
Eastern Caribbean
Multiple Time Scales
Changes in rainfall regimes
 The El Niño/Southern Oscillation ( ENSO )
affects global weather patterns, cycling
every two to seven years.
 Rainfall regimes shift.
• Floods or droughts
 Responses to ENSO help to reduce adverse
impacts of climate on health.
ENSO 1997-1998
Drought in Pacific Islands
ENSO 1997-1998
Drought in Pacific Islands
 More skin disease in FSM, Marshalls
 Poor air quality from wildfires in Guam,
Pohnpei, Yap, Palau
 Relief food shipments
 Information campaign reduced incidence
of diarrheal disease in Pohnpei hospital
 Water storage and conservation
 Many diseases under study ( dengue, ... )
Aedes aegypti mosquito
Dengue vector
Regional Interactions
African dust in the Caribbean
Regional Interactions
African dust in the Caribbean
 African dust is transported in the
atmosphere across the Atlantic Ocean to
the Caribbean.
 Drought conditions in Africa have led to
increasing amounts of dust over the past
few decades.
 Ongoing studies probe the effects of dust
on human health, coral reefs, agriculture
and livestock.
Regional Interactions
River outflows from S. America
Regional Interactions
River outflows from S. America
 Massive kills of reef fish from Trinidad &
Tobago to Barbados - July to October 1999
 Freshwater bacterium Streptococcus iniae
isolated from dead and dying fish
 High rainfall in northern S. America in 1999
 Large quantities of fresh water from
Amazon and Orinoco river basins
 Lower salinities, higher temperatures,
unusual reverse currents in the Caribbean
Information resources for health
and environment applications
 Websites for 2002 Caribbean climate and
health conference
• WHO, WMO, UNEP, EPA, NOAA, NASA, Health
Canada, Envir. Canada, Caribbean orgs
 Ecosystem Change and Public Health: A
Global Perspective ( JHU Press, 2001 ]
 Climate and Health Information Exchange
http://chiex.net
Caribbean Climate and Health
WHO book in English and Spanish
Information resources : science
& math syst. educational reform
 P-16 system from preschool to university
 University as educator of teachers - need
especially critical for science & math
 NASA’s Linking Leaders program for statebased education reform efforts
 National Alliance of State Science and
Mathematics Coalitions [ NASSMC ]
 NASA’s Aerospace Education Specialists
assigned to each U.S. state / territory