Juli Trtanj

Vulnerability and Impacts on Human Development

The societal vulnerability of U.S. coasts to climate change is multifaceted, including vulnerabilities of economic sectors, cultural resources, and human well-being of a diverse concentration of people. In addition to the vulnerability and potential impacts of a changing climate on natural resources and threats to ecosystem services described in Chapter 3, homes and other human development in the coastal zone are also increasingly at risk. This expanded vulnerability has three dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, and resilience or adaptive capacity. The interactions of climate-related vulnerabilities with other stresses, such as economic downturn, environmental degradation, loss of ecosystem services, and continued pressures for development pose further analytical challenges. Current research on societal vulnerability in the coastal area does not yet fully consider or capture these multifaceted attributes of societal vulnerability.

A Perspective on the History and Evolution of an Oceans and Human Health “Metadiscipline” in the USA

We review recent history and evolution of Oceans and Human Health programs and related activities in the USA from a perspective within the Federal government. As a result of about a decade of support by the US Congress and through a few Federal agencies, notably the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, robust Oceans and Human Health (OHH) research and application activities are now relatively widespread, although still small, in a number of agencies and academic institutions. OHH themes and issues have been incorporated into comprehensive federal ocean research plans and are reflected in the new National Ocean Policy enunciated by Executive Order 13547. In just a decade, OHH has matured into a recognized “metadiscipline,” with development of a small, but robust and diverse community of science and practice, incorporation into academic educational programs, regular participation in ocean and coastal science and public health societies, and active engagement with public health decision makers. In addition to substantial increases in scientific information, the OHH community has demonstrated ability to respond rapidly and effectively to emergency situations such as those associated with extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods) and human-caused disasters (e.g., the Deep Water Horizon oil spill). Among many other things, next steps include development and implementation of agency health strategies and provision of specific services, such as ecological forecasts to provide routine early warnings for ocean health threats and opportunities for prevention and mitigation of these risks.

Climate Variability and Change Data and Information for Global Public Health

Using climate data correctly is a critically important challenge that underpins robust science and decision making about the health effects of climate change. Researchers in this interdisciplinary field must be informed enough to ask the right questions, to find and understand the right data that ultimately provide scientifically sound information to help people make the right decision. This requires active recognition of the need to really understand the caveats and best uses of a particular dataset or product. Some more widely used data and products such as those developed for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may have well-defined tutorials and use parameters. In most cases, however, it is wiser to find the owner or originator of the data, and work with them to ensure appropriate use of the data and therefore robust scientific findings that inform decisions and move this interdisciplinary field forward in both science and policy contexts.

Unexplored Opportunities: Use of Climate- and Weather-Driven Early Warning Systems to Reduce the Burden of Infectious Diseases

Purpose of ReviewWeather and climate influence multiple aspects of infectious disease ecology. Creating and applying early warning systems based on temperature, precipitation, and other environmental data can identify where and when outbreaks of climate-sensitive infectious diseases could occur and can be used by decision makers to allocate resources. Whether an outbreak actually occurs depends heavily on other social, political, and institutional factors.Recent FindingsImproving the timing and confidence of seasonal climate forecasting, coupled with knowledge of exposure-response relationships, can identify prior conditions conducive to disease outbreaks weeks to months in advance of outbreaks. This information could then be used by public health professionals to improve surveillance in the most likely areas for threats. Early warning systems are well established for drought and famine. And while weather- and climate-driven early warning systems for certain diseases, such as dengue fever and cholera, are employed in some regions, this area of research is underdeveloped.SummaryEarly warning systems based on temperature, precipitation, and other environmental data provide an opportunity for early detection leading to early action and response to potential pathogen threats, thereby reducing the burden of disease when compared with passive health indicator-based surveillance systems.