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Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal A view from above: Use of satellite imagery to enhance our understanding of potential impacts of climate change on human health in the Arctic

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

Maynard NG, Conway GA
2007
Alaska Medicine. 49 (3): 78-85

OBJECTIVE: Provide an overview and examples of some of the remote sensing technologies presently or potentially available, which could be used to address environmental health problems in the Arctic. STUDY DESIGN: The vulnerability of Arctic populations to health impacts from environmental, weather, and climate-related factors underscores the need for increased applications of technologies such as remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and global positioning systems (GPS) for empowering local health officials and decision-makers to better predict environment-related health problems, decrease vulnerabilities, take preventative measures, and improve community response actions as well as increase community health literacy. METHODS/RESULTS: These increased capabilities for monitoring, risk mapping, information sharing, communications, and surveillance of environmental parameters are powerful tools for addressing such environmentally-related health problems as thermal stress; extreme weather; contaminant transport and deposition into oceans, atmosphere, and ice; air and water quality; built environment impacts; ultraviolet radiation (UV); and infectious and vector-borne diseases. For example, systems are now in place, which can observe ocean parameters, providing information on algal blooms, pollutants and pathogens as well as storm assessments and sea level rise. CONCLUSION: Space-based systems in place can contribute valuable information through monitoring the processes of long-range transport of pollutants to the Arctic, where accumulation in animals and plants can occur. It is well-known that biomagnification up the food chain and ultimate consumption as traditional foods by indigenous peoples have resulted in some of the highest exposures in the world to certain contaminants.

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Resource Description

    Air Pollution, Ecosystem Change, Extreme Weather-Related Event or Disaster, Sea Level Rise, Solar Radiation, Temperature, Water Quality
    • Air Pollution, Ecosystem Change, Extreme Weather-Related Event or Disaster, Sea Level Rise, Solar Radiation, Temperature, Water Quality: Heat
    • Air Pollution, Ecosystem Change, Extreme Weather-Related Event or Disaster, Sea Level Rise, Solar Radiation, Temperature, Water Quality: Marine/Freshwater Biotoxin, Marine/Freshwater Chemical, Marine/Freshwater Pathogen
    Polar
    Non-United States, United States
    • Non-United States, United States: Asia, Europe
    Infectious Disease, Injury
    • Infectious Disease, Injury: General Infectious Disease, Vectorborne Disease
      • General Infectious Disease, Vectorborne Disease: General Vectorborne Disease, Mosquito-borne Disease
        • General Vectorborne Disease, Mosquito-borne Disease: Malaria
        Mosquito-borne Disease
      Vectorborne Disease
    Research Article
    Adaptation, Communication, Vulnerable Population
    • Adaptation, Communication, Vulnerable Population: Adaptation Co-Benefit/Co-Harm, Intervention, Vulnerability Assessment
    • Adaptation, Communication, Vulnerable Population: Policymaker
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