Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Predicted Climate Change’s Effect on Potential Mosquito Distribution
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Biology
Minor
Geographic Information Systems
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Zhang
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Climate change effects are already being seen today in the form of melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and shifts in the habitat ranges for plants and animals. This leads to a new area of concern, which is habitat expansion for mosquitos and an increase of vector-borne diseases like Dengue fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria. To test the potential effects of climate change, average annual precipitation data and average annual temperature data were collected and analyzed. This information, in addition with land cover data and relative humidity, were used to estimate the mosquito ranges. Vector-borne disease case data and population counts were used to calculate human-environmental significance between a potential increase in climate temperatures and mosquito distribution. Mosquito optimal breeding ranges and disease transmission are highly impacted by temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity. An increase in the global temperatures will broaden the mosquito distribution by increasing suitable area for mosquito breeding and larva survival. This in turn will increase the vector-borne disease transmission and could cause cases to expand into high population density areas that are not equipped to deal with such diseases.
Spring Scholars Week 2022 Event
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Other Scholars Week Event
General Poster Session
Predicted Climate Change’s Effect on Potential Mosquito Distribution
Climate change effects are already being seen today in the form of melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and shifts in the habitat ranges for plants and animals. This leads to a new area of concern, which is habitat expansion for mosquitos and an increase of vector-borne diseases like Dengue fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria. To test the potential effects of climate change, average annual precipitation data and average annual temperature data were collected and analyzed. This information, in addition with land cover data and relative humidity, were used to estimate the mosquito ranges. Vector-borne disease case data and population counts were used to calculate human-environmental significance between a potential increase in climate temperatures and mosquito distribution. Mosquito optimal breeding ranges and disease transmission are highly impacted by temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity. An increase in the global temperatures will broaden the mosquito distribution by increasing suitable area for mosquito breeding and larva survival. This in turn will increase the vector-borne disease transmission and could cause cases to expand into high population density areas that are not equipped to deal with such diseases.