Ecology
By studying the oceans and ecosystems of the Great Lakes, scientists have been able to demonstrate how climate change can increase the risk of the spread and development of diseases over the next 30 years.
Using state-of-the-art technology to model oceans and future weather patterns, Stephanie Moore of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and her colleagues at the University of Washington are predicting a dangerous outbreak of algae blossoms in Puget Sound Bay in the US Northwest, Washington.
Scientists have studied the flowering of Alexandrium catenella, known as the “red tide”. This red algae produces saxitoxin, a poison that can accumulate in molluscs. If shellfish is eaten by humans, it can cause gastrointestinal problems, and a person may also develop neurological symptoms, such as vomiting, muscle paralysis, and In some special cases, infections can even cause death.
“Unfavorable changes in the algal flowering period are just around the corner, and we expect that the situation will only get worse over the next 30 years. The impact could be felt within the next 10 years,” Moore said. “Our research shows that by the end of the 21st century, algal blossoms will start 2 months earlier and stop 1 month later than today, when flowering occurs between July and October.”
Researchers at the University of Georgia are also studying global desertification on the planet, which can result in an increase in the amount of dust in the atmosphere. This can trigger an increase in the number of harmful bacteria in the oceans, as well as a major accumulation of toxins in marine products.
The dust that accumulates in the atmosphere due to deserts is the most important source of iron entering the oceans. Over the next 30 years, the amount of dust will only increase, and thanks to precipitation in western Africa, more iron will enter the ocean.
Erin Lipp, in collaboration with Jason Westrich, conducted a study that showed that just an increase in dust, and therefore the amount of iron in seawater, in significantly stimulates the growth and endurance of vibrios, a group of oceanic bacteria that are ubiquitous and can cause gastroenteritis and other infectious diseases in humans.
“During the day, we mixed desert dust samples from Morocco with seawater and found that the growth rate of vibrios increased by 10-1000 times. One of the varieties of these bacteria causes eye and ear infections, and leads to non-healing wounds. Another type can cause cholera,” Lipp said.