Journal Article

Recent Weather Extremes and Impacts on Agricultural Production and Vector-Borne Disease Outbreak Patterns

Britch, Seth C., Crutchfield, James, Anyamba, Assaf, Pak, Edwin W., Reynolds, Curt A., Tucker, Compton J., Small, Jennifer L., Linthicum, Kenneth J.

2014

Overview

We document significant worldwide weather anomalies that affected agriculture and vector-borne disease outbreaks during the 2010-2012 period. We utilized 2000-2012 vegetation index and land surface temperature data from NASA's satellite-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to map the magnitude and extent of these anomalies for diverse regions including the continental United States, Russia, East Africa, Southern Africa, and Australia. We demonstrate that shifts in temperature and/or precipitation have significant impacts on vegetation patterns with attendant consequences for agriculture and public health. Weather extremes resulted in excessive rainfall and flooding as well as severe drought, which caused ∼10 to 80% variation in major agricultural commodity production (including wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum) and created exceptional conditions for extensive mosquito-borne disease outbreaks of dengue, Rift Valley fever, Murray Valley encephalitis, and West Nile virus disease. Analysis of MODIS data provided a standardized method for quantifying the extreme weather anomalies observed during this period. Assessments of land surface conditions from satellite-based systems such as MODIS can be a valuable tool in national, regional, and global weather impact determinations.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Aedes aegypti / Africa, Eastern / Africa, Southern / Agricultural commodities / Agricultural industry / Agricultural production / Agriculture / Anomalies / Aquatic insects / Archives & records / Australia / Biology and Life Sciences / Climate / Coccidioidomycosis / Corn / Cotton / Crop production / Data processing / Dengue / Dengue - epidemiology / Dengue fever / Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data / Drought / Droughts / Earth Sciences / Ecology and Environmental Sciences / Encephalitis / Encephalitis Virus, Murray Valley / Encephalitis, Arbovirus - epidemiology / Epidemics / Epidemiology / Extreme values / Extreme weather / Flooding / Floods / Global weather / Land surface temperature / Medicine and Health Sciences / MODIS / open climate campaign / Outbreaks / Precipitation / Public Health / Rain / Rainfall / Real estate appraisal / Rift Valley fever / Rift Valley Fever - epidemiology / Russia / Sorghum / Spacecraft / Spectroradiometers / Surface temperature / Temperature / Temperature data / United States / Vector-borne diseases / Vegetation / Vegetation index / Vegetation patterns / Viral diseases / Viruses / Weather / Weather anomalies / West Nile fever / West Nile Fever - epidemiology / West Nile virus / Wheat