Higher Average Temperature Research Articles

Occasional but severe: Past debris flows and snow avalanches in the Helmos Mts. (Greece) reconstructed from tree-ring records

The eastern Mediterranean is a hotspot in terms of geomorphic hazards, but the activity of gravitational processes in mountainous areas is largely unexplored. We carried out dendrogeomorphic research in the Helmos Mountains (Northern Peloponnese, Greece) to determine the timing, spatial extent, and hydrometeorological triggers of debris flows and snow avalanches. Specifically, we sampled increment cores from 123 injured Greek firs (Abies cephalonica L.) growing on a debris flow cone and growing along a snow avalanche track. Tree rings were counted and cross-dated with the reference chronology using CooRecorder and CDendro software and the event years were determined on the basis of the location of scars and traumatic resin ducts. We compiled an 118-year chronology (1904–2021) with seven debris flow event years and only one severe debris flow occurring in the 1970/1971 dormant period (WIt = 148.0), followed by spatially limited records for 1986/1987 (WIt = 3.8) and 1993/1994 (WIt = 2.5). Similarly, seven snow avalanche event years were identified in the period 1854–2021, with one major event in 1997/1998 (WIt = 304.5) followed by the 1998/1999 event (WIt = 6.3). Extremely wet conditions in February–March 1971 followed by rain-on-snow precipitation were considered as the most likely trigger of the analysed debris flow event using data from nearby meteorological stations and the ERA5 reanalysis. The snow avalanche event was deciphered in the spring of 1998, when heavy snowfall over three days (62 cm) was followed by rapid snowmelt due to high average temperatures (6–11 °C). We conclude that the abundance of snow is a crucial factor in the geomorphic activity in the study region and that the temperature fluctuations and rain-to-snow transitions are the leading factors for the debris flows or snow avalanches to occur. Furthermore, the dendrogeomorphic approach used can be useful to clearly identify large-scale geomorphic events and excludes potential geomorphic noise caused by other ecological stresses.

Unprecedented climate extremes in South Africa and implications for maize production

Maize is the most important crop grown in South Africa, but yields can be severely reduced by extreme high summer average temperatures and low precipitation, potentially adversely affecting both domestic consumption and regional food security exports. To help understand and manage climate risks to food security in Southern Africa it is essential to quantify the present-day likelihood and magnitude of climate extremes in South Africa’s maize-growing region and explore the potential for unprecedented climate conditions which would likely result in record low maize yields. We analyse a large ensemble of initialised climate model simulations, which provides almost 100 times as many plausible present-day summers as the equivalent observational dataset. We quantify the risk of unprecedented climate extremes affecting maize production in South Africa and examine the role of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. We find that the South African maize region is at risk of experiencing record-breaking hot, cold, dry or wet events under current climatic conditions. We find that the annual chance of unprecedented high temperatures in South Africa is approximately 4%, increasing to 62% during very strong El Niño years. We also find that the chance of exceeding the present day seasonal high temperature record has increased across the 1979–2018 period, being five times more likely now than it was in 1980. These extreme events could result in a record-breaking number of days above the optimum, or even the maximum, temperature for maize production, and lead to more severe floods or droughts. Under climate change scenarios, the magnitude and frequency of climate extremes is projected to increase meaning that the unprecedented extremes studied here could become commonplace in the future. This suggests that significant investment is needed to develop adaptations that manage the climate-related risks to food systems now and build resilience to the projected impacts of climate change.

Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture through Policies and Schemes in India: Temporal and Strategic Overview

The challenges of climate change are now being experienced by all the countries in the world through higher average temperatures, variability in precipitation, rise in sea level and more frequent climatic extremes. Climate change is emerging as a major threat to the livelihood and food security of millions of people across the world. It directly affects the natural resources sectors and especially in developing countries the economies of the people depend on them. Thus it indirectly affects economic growth, income distribution, household welfare, food and nutritional security. In this dilemma, the concept of climate smart livelihoods or climate smart agriculture emerged as one of the doable solutions which seem to have potential to cope up with climate change impacts. Throughout the world and more particularly in countries most dependent on agriculture, the policies are framed and implemented to support large population on one hand and sustaining economy and food security on the other. India is one of countries where agriculture and allied sectors are the primary source of livelihood for more than 60% of the country’s population. Therefore, the Government of India (GoI) has introduced several policies, programmes and schemes to improve and strengthen Indian agriculture. Policies introduced in recent years focus on climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices. This article attempts to look into existing policies and programmes in agriculture and allied sectors to understand the perspectives in detail and analyse the outcomes aligning with the production, resilience and mitigation under the broad framework of CSA.

The impact of climate variables on marine fish production: an empirical evidence from Bangladesh based on autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach.

Several studies have highlighted the significant impact of climate change on agriculture. However, there have been little empirical enquiries into the impact of climate change on marine fish production, particularly in Bangladesh. Hence, this study aims to investigate the impact of climate change on marine fish production in Bangladesh using data from 1961 to 2019. Data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the World Development Indicators, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was used to describe the dynamic link between CO2 emissions, average temperature, Sea Surface Temperature (SST), rainfall, sunshine, wind and marine fish production. The ARDL approach to cointegration revealed that SST (β = 0.258), rainfall (β =0.297), and sunshine (β =0.663) significantly influence marine fish production at 1% and 10% levels in the short run and at 1% level in the long run. The results also found that average temperature has a significant negative impact on fish production in both short and long runs. On the other hand, CO2 emissions have a negative impact on marine fish production in the short run. Specifically, for every 1% rise in CO2 emissions, marine fish production will decline by 0.11%. The findings of this study suggest that policymakers formulate better policy frameworks for climate change adaptation and sustainable management of marine fisheries at the national level. Research and development in Bangladesh's fisheries sector should also focus on marine fish species that can resist high sea surface temperatures, CO2 emissions, and average temperatures.

Experimental investigation to thermal performance of different photo voltaic modules for efficient system design

Due to rapid industrialization, and depletion of fossil fuels, alternative renewable resources are mandatory, where solar thermal energy is one of the promising alternate. In this study, an experimental investigation was conducted to analyze the thermal performance of different photovoltaic-modules under varying climate conditions. These include thin plate Copper indium diselenide, mono-crystalline silicon, micro crystalline silicone, amorphous silicon and poly-crystalline silicon. The analysis was concentrated on the evaluation of module efficiency, solar irradiance absorption rate, maximum power output, performance ratio, normalized power output efficiency and temperature effect on each module at real operational outdoor conditions. Mono-crystalline silicon module showed high average efficiency of 20.8% and average performance ratio 1.21 compared to the other PV modules. It was observed that all types of modules have higher average temperature in summer season and showed low performance ratio and low module efficiency as compared to winter season. Average normalized power out of mono-crystalline silicon 56.2% more efficient than the other modules. The increased thermal performance of mono-crystalline silicon was related with its high absorption rate and high conduction rate. Thus, mono-crystalline silicon PV module is the best potential candidate for solar capturing technique to be utilize in diverse solar thermal energy applications.

Acclimation of Ecophysiological and Agronomic Traits to Increasing Growth Temperature in Three Cowpea Genotypes Grown in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The future of food crop production is uncertain due to the negative effects of global warming. Cowpea is grown in warm environments including in Sri Lanka, where less is known about the potential acclimation of ecophysiological and agronomic traits to increasing temperatures. We evaluated the acclimation potential of yield components and ecophysiological traits of three recommended cowpea genotypes to the seasonal variation in growth temperature in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This study was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, in two consecutive seasons with average daytime temperatures of 30.4°C and 33.2°C. Three genotypes, Dhawala, Waruni, and MI-35, were tested in this study, and their rates of leaf photosynthesis and respiration at the 50% flowering stage and final yield parameters were measured at their respective average growth temperatures in both seasons. The total yield per hectare showed an average decrease of 16%, 17%, and 22% in the Dhawala, Waruni, and MI-35 genotypes at high average growth temperature, respectively. These reductions were associated with the reduction in the number of seeds per pod, hundred seed weight, and number of pods per plant, suggesting that there could be an among-genotype variation in flower abscission, fertilization, and biomass partitioning during the season in which the average growth temperature was high. In the season with high average growth temperature, genotype Dhawala showed an increased carbon gain per unit carbon loss and increased water use efficiency compared to MI-35 and Waruni genotypes. Therefore, genotype Dhawala is a better candidate than MI-35 and Waruni genotypes in the face of global warming, which may be considered in further breeding programs and market preferences. More work is proposed to examine the patterns of biomass partitioning and radiation use efficiency in three cowpea genotypes at elevated temperatures.

Thermomechanical fatigue and fracture behaviours of welded joints at various temperatures

Temperature variation plays a crucial role in the safe operation of welded structures during long-term high-temperature service. The present work aimed to explore the relationship between temperature variation and thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) fracture behaviours in welded joints. To achieve this target, isothermal fatigue (IF) and TMF tests were performed on P92 steel welded joint at different average temperatures (500 °C, 550 °C, 600 °C, 650 °C) and different temperature ranges (0 °C, 100 °C, 200 °C). Results showed that the increases in the average temperature and temperature range induce accelerated cyclic softening, reduction in fatigue life, and more evident dynamic strain ageing (DSA). However, there is an obvious difference in the cyclic response between IF, in-phase TMF and out-of-phase TMF. The decline of friction stress is responsible for the reduced peak stress at a higher average temperature. The back stress plays a more critical role in the cyclic stress response with increasing the temperature range. Moreover, the different diffusion rates of solute atoms and formation rates of carbides at various temperatures are responsible for the pronounced difference in DSA activity. Notably, the fracture location changes with the variation of temperature, which is directly correlated to the evolution of fatigue life. The competitive mechanism between fatigue damage and creep damage is responsible for the shift of fracture location.

Meteorological parameters study and temperature forecasting in selected stations in Sub-Sahara Africa using MERRA-2 data

The study and forecast of climatic phenomena have progressed over time, but the huge knowledge with information gathered has aided in comprehending and anticipating weather changes. The goal of this research was to look at some specific meteorological characteristics and forecast air temperature over a number of stations in Osun State, Nigeria. Monthly rainfall, relative humidity, air temperature, air pressure, wind speed and direction for four stations were gathered from the HelioClim website archives and used in this study. For each variable, descriptive statistics were calculated. The normality of the data was determined using the Shapiro-Wilks test. The data was tested for stationarity using the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, and different types of Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models were fitted. According to the statistics, the highest average temperature was observed in March (𝑇=23.90𝐶). The months of June, July, August, and September had the highest mean relative humidity (𝑅𝐻=88.4%), pressure (𝑃=987ℎ𝑃𝑎), wind speed (𝑊𝑆=1.8𝑚/𝑠), wind direction (𝑊𝐷=225.10), and rainfall (𝑅𝐹=413𝑚𝑚). In January, the coefficient of variation (COV) for temperature was larger than in other months. In June, January, and December, relative humidity (RH), air pressure, rainfall, and wind speed and direction were all higher. The air temperature stationarity was tested using the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, which revealed (p>0.05) but became stationary after the first difference (p<0.05). The temperature effect follows the same trend in ARIMA (1, 1, 1) forecasts for 2021 and 2022. As a result, air temperature modeling and forecasting are difficult tasks for any monthly time series. It is advised that all-time series models for any investigated location be considered, as well as meteorological conditions, in order to select the most appropriate model.

Analysis of the effect of meteorological factors on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Taizhou City, China, 2008–2020

BackgroundHemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is endemic in Zhejiang Province, China, while few studies have concentrated on the influence of meteorological factors on HFRS incidence in the area. MethodsData on HFRS and meteorological factors from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2020 in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province were collected. Multivariate analysis was conducted to the relationship between meteorological factors including minimum temperatures, relative humidity, and cumulative rainfall with HFRS. ResultsThe HFRS incidence peaked in November and December and it was negatively correlated with average and highest average temperatures. Compared with median of meteorological factors, the relative risks (RR) of weekly average temperature at 12 ℃, weekly highest temperature at 18 ℃relative humidity at 40%, and cumulative rainfall at 240 mm were most significant and RRs were 1.41 (95% CI: 1.09–1.82), 1.32 (95% CI: 1.05–1.66), 2.18 (95% CI: 1.16–4.07), and 1.91 (95% CI: 1.16–2.73), respectively. Average temperature, precipitation, relative humidity had interactions on HFRS and the risk of HFRS occurrence increased with the decrease of average temperature and the increase of precipitation. ConclusionOur study results are indicative of the association of environmental factors with the HFRS incidence, probable recommendation could be use of environmental factors as early warning signals for initiating the control measure and response.

The Level of Indoor Thermal Comfort in Malaysian Student Residential College

Higher education institutions (HEI) are the centre of learning and teaching that are responsible for producing high-quality first-generation. The inadequate number of student accommodations also resulted in stacking several students in one room, leading to discomfort, space constraints, lack of privacy, and other health conditions. This study investigates the level of indoor thermal comfort on occupant living at student residential college, which was built by the private party without complying with the design elements that have been gazette by Malaysian building standard. Besides that, the relationship between the room orientation designs in influencing student comfort level will also be inspected. The method consisted of distributing a questionnaire to the occupants and measuring operative air temperature. The study results found that the respondents have a high level of dependence on the mechanical ventilation system, namely the fan, due to the higher temperature and lack of airflow elements. This study also shows a positive relationship between the room orientation designs affecting the level of comfort of the occupants, supported by a correlation analysis. High average temperature occurs at the peak hour (noon) recorded at 31°C, which is above the recommended standard temperature listed by the Department of Standard Malaysia. This study help increase the knowledge of indoor thermal comfort throughout the design phase that can maximize the occupant’s wellbeing and productivity.

Application of herbicides in agrocenoses of spring barley with oversowing of perennial grasses

The North-West region of the Russian Federation is characterized by high weed infestation and large yield losses of spring barley. At the same time, the use of herbicides in agrocenoses of spring barley with perennial grasses oversowing has its own characteristics. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of herbicides Agritox, VK and Bazagran, VR against weeds in the agrocenosis of spring barley and their effect on the growth of perennial grasses during current and next years. The studies were carried out at the agroecological station of the Menkovsky branch of the Agrophysical Research Institute, located in the Leningrad region, during 2012–2019. The studies have shown significant differences in the effectiveness of herbicides Agritox, VK and Bazagran, VR in relation to weed species common in agrocenoses of spring barley with oversowing of perennial grasses in the North-West of Russia. The herbicide Agritoks, VK turned out to be less effective against stickwort and common nipplewort, and Bazagran, VR — against white goosefoot, field pansy, common fumitory and hemp-nettle. Under conditions of moisture deficit and high average daily temperatures, the herbicide Agritox, VC induced a phytotoxic effect on red clover plants, which was reflected in the accumulation of the vegetative mass of perennial grasses both in the year of growth under the cover of barley and in next years as a targeted use during hay production.

Advancing Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Tropics

Abstract Tropical environments cover a large part of the Earth: almost all the portion of the planetary surface included between latitudes 23.43 North (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.43 South (Tropic of Capricorn) [1]. Tropical climates can be divided in three sub-climates: rainforest, monsoon and savannah [2]. All these climates imply high humidity values and average temperatures of the coldest month greater to 18 °C [3]. In such environments, buildings and cities must face overheating for large periods of the year. Moreover, almost the 40% of humanity is living in these environments [4], and the number is expected to grow to the 50% by the 2050 [5]. Many megalopolises with more than 10.000.000 of inhabitants are placed there: Calcutta (India), Lagos (Nigeria), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Canton (China), Manila (Philippines) are just a few examples.

Ranges of Physical Parameters and Geochemical Features of Mineralizing Fluids at Porphyry Deposits of Various Types of the Cu−Mo−Au System: Evidence from Fluid Inclusions Data

The paper reviews and summarizes data on the physicochemical parameters and chemical features of mineralizing fluids at porphyry deposits of the Cu–Mo–Au system. The calculated average values and ranges of parameters of the fluids in mineral-hosted fluid inclusions at porphyry deposits are as follows: temperature 90–957 °C, average 388 °C; salinity 0.1–88.0 wt % equiv. NaCl, average 29.4 wt % equiv. NaCl; and density 0.38–1.85 g/cm3, average 0.93 g/cm3. The highest average temperature and the highest maximum homogenization temperatures of the fluids were detected at deposits of the Cu (Au) type, with both values systematically decreasing with the transition to the Cu, Mo (Au), and then to Mo and Au types of porphyry deposits. The situations with the average and maximum salinity values of the fluids and their density are analogous. The data in the literature on the concentrations of some elements are still insufficient to reliably characterize variations in these concentrations at all of the discussed types of porphyry deposits. The highest Cu and Fe concentrations were found in the highest temperature fluids at deposits of the Cu (Au) type. The maximum Mo concentrations were detected in fluids at porphyry Mo deposits, and the highest Ag concentrations occurred at porphyry Au deposits. The chemical composition of the mineralizing fluids is, thus, strongly correlated with the types of the porphyry deposits. The hypothesis is discussed: the geochemical specifics of mineralizing fluids at various types of porphyry deposits of the Cu–Mo–Au system are related to the depths at which fluid separated from the magmatic melt. A scenario is proposed for the separation of mineralizing fluids from granite melt at various depths for fluids that form different types of porphyry deposits.

Appraisal of climate change and cyclone trends in Indian coastal states: a systematic approach towards climate action

Indian coastal regions have often been affected by frequent climate-induced natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, droughts and other related hazards in recent decades. Existing literature was not sufficient to fully understand these event trends from diverse perspectives in a systematised manner at current scenarios. Therefore, a systematic approach has been employed to assess the climate change and cyclone trends of nine Indian coastal states by using various geographical information system (GIS) tools for 2006–2020. The results showed that 61 cyclones occurred in nine coastal states from 2006 to 2020; the highest numbers were recorded in Odisha (20), West Bengal (14) and Andhra Pradesh (11). Accordingly, these three coastal states emerged as the most vulnerable for high-intensity cyclones. The results also identified that the highest average temperature (29.3 °C) was recorded at Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and the lowest temperature (26.7 °C) was recorded in West Bengal and Odisha. Most of the coastal states showed fluctuations in temperatures during the study period. At the same time, Kerala and Karnataka states recorded the highest average rainfall (2341 mm and 2261 mm) and highest relative humidity (78.11% and 76.57%). Conversely, the Gujarat and West Bengal states recorded the lowest relative humidity at 59.65% and 70.78%. Based on these results, the current study generated GIS vulnerability maps for climate change and cyclone activity, allowing one to rank each state’s vulnerability. Cumulatively, these results and maps assist in understanding the driving mechanisms of climate change, cyclones and will contribute towards more effective and efficient sustainable disaster management in the future.

The X-Ray Coronae in NuSTAR Bright Active Galactic Nuclei

We present a systematic and uniform analysis of NuSTAR data of a sample of 60 SWIFT BAT-selected AGNs with 10–78 keV signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) > 50, 10 of which are radio loud. We measure their high-energy cutoff E cut or coronal temperature T e using three different spectral models to fit their NuSTAR spectra and show that a threshold in NuSTAR spectral S/N is essential for such measurements. High-energy spectral breaks are detected in the majority of the sample, and for the rest, strong constraints on E cut or T e are obtained. Strikingly, we find extraordinarily large E cut lower limits (>400 keV, up to >800 keV) in 10 radio-quiet sources, whereas we find none in the radio-loud sample. Consequently and surprisingly, we find a significantly larger mean E cut/T e of radio-quiet sources compared with radio-loud ones. The reliability of these measurements is carefully inspected and verified with simulations. We find a strong positive correlation between E cut and photon index Γ, which cannot be attributed to the parameter degeneracy. The strong dependence of E cut on Γ, which could fully account for the discrepancy of the E cut distribution between radio-loud and radio-quiet sources, indicates that the X-ray coronae in AGNs with steeper hard X-ray spectra have on average higher temperature and thus smaller opacity. However, no prominent correlation is found between E cut and λ edd. In the l–Θ diagram, we find a considerable fraction of sources lie beyond the boundaries of forbidden regions due to runaway pair production, posing (stronger) challenges to various (flat) coronal geometries.

Male ant reproductive investment in a seasonal wet tropical forest: Consequences of future climate change.

Tropical forests sustain many ant species whose mating events often involve conspicuous flying swarms of winged gynes and males. The success of these reproductive flights depends on environmental variables and determines the maintenance of local ant diversity. However, we lack a strong understanding of the role of environmental variables in shaping the phenology of these flights. Using a combination of community-level analyses and a time-series model on male abundance, we studied male ant phenology in a seasonally wet lowland rainforest in the Panama Canal. The male flights of 161 ant species, sampled with 10 Malaise traps during 58 consecutive weeks (from August 2014 to September 2015), varied widely in number (mean = 9.8 weeks, median = 4, range = 1 to 58). Those species abundant enough for analysis (n = 97) flew mainly towards the end of the dry season and at the start of the rainy season. While litterfall, rain, temperature, and air humidity explained community composition, the time-series model estimators elucidated more complex patterns of reproductive investment across the entire year. For example, male abundance increased in weeks when maximum daily temperature increased and in wet weeks during the dry season. On the contrary, male abundance decreased in periods when rain receded (e.g., at the start of the dry season), in periods when rain fell daily (e.g., right after the beginning of the wet season), or when there was an increase in the short-term rate of litterfall (e.g., at the end of the dry season). Together, these results suggest that the BCI ant community is adapted to the dry/wet transition as the best timing of reproductive investment. We hypothesize that current climate change scenarios for tropical regions with higher average temperature, but lower rainfall, may generate phenological mismatches between reproductive flights and the adequate conditions needed for a successful start of the colony.

Effect of different dynamic microvasculature in a solid tumor with the necrotic region during magnetic hyperthermia: An in-silico study

Understanding the temperature distribution and its value in a magnetic hyperthermia cancer treatment could help us to improve the methods and approaches used for patients during their treatment. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of many different compositions. Blood vessels are one of the most significant components of TME for tumor cells proliferation and migration. In this research, we developed a multi-scale model including tumor vasculature networks and necrotic region to investigate the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) concentration distribution and temperature field in the heterogeneous tumor domain. We found that the tumor vasculature plays a significant role in increasing the temperature throughout the tumor. The highest average temperature is 43.03∘C for the high vascularized tumor in the tumor region. Meanwhile, it is 42.16∘C at the necrotic core which is slightly less than the average temperature in the tumor region. There is a difference in the temperature field at the tumor site and the necrotic region. The necrotic region is more vulnerable in the high vasculature domain due to the higher and more homogeneous temperature. The highest temperature difference between the high and low vasculature domains for the tumor region is 3.08∘C. This study shows that not only the necrotic field is a major barrier in increasing the temperature at the tumor site, but this region releases danger-associated molecular patterns causing inflammation and promoting the tumor progression. Further, it shows that vascular normalization is an option for increasing the temperature field and tumor ablation with higher efficacy.

Corn and soybean prevented planting acres response to weather

AbstractWe determine how monthly precipitation and temperature before and during planting impacts US corn and soybean prevented planting acres using county‐level data from 1996 to 2019. Corn and soybean prevented planting acres were responsive to precipitation and temperature. Precipitation from January through May impacted corn prevented planting acres, but precipitation in May and June impacted soybean prevented planting acres. Additionally, higher average temperature in April decreased corn and soybean prevented planting acres. We find the cooler and wetter April and May months will increase the prevented planting acres. Results provide insight into how weather can impact prevented planting acres and indemnities.

Imported Dengue Case Numbers and Local Climatic Patterns Are Associated with Dengue Virus Transmission in Florida, USA.

Simple SummaryDengue virus transmission from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to humans is a growing issue in the state of Florida in the United States of America. The majority of cases have occurred in the southernmost counties, even though Ae. aegypti are present throughout much of Florida. To understand this geographic partitioning of dengue fever cases in Florida, we compiled ten years (2009–2019) of county-level data on human, environmental, and vector elements and identified risk factors for laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue virus incidence in the state. Counties with the highest average temperatures, highest minimum temperatures, and lowest maximum temperatures were significantly more likely to have local dengue virus transmission. Additionally, moderate rainfall and an increasing number of travel-related dengue cases were also significantly associated with local transmission. This is the first study of its kind to identify county-level risk factors for dengue incidence in Florida. This study provides a parsimonious model that may be useful for prediction of future dengue occurrence based on routinely collected, publicly available data sources. Our findings also highlight the importance of travel-related dengue fever cases to the state as well as environmental conditions that promote dengue virus transmission in Florida by Ae. aegypti.Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the main vector of dengue viruses globally and are present throughout much of the state of Florida (FL) in the United States of America. However, local transmission of dengue viruses in FL has mainly occurred in the southernmost counties; specifically Monroe and Miami-Dade counties. To get a better understanding of the ecologic risk factors for dengue fever incidence throughout FL, we collected and analyzed numerous environmental factors that have previously been connected to local dengue cases in disease-endemic regions. We analyzed these factors for each county-year in FL, between 2009–2019, using negative binomial regression. Monthly minimum temperature of 17.5–20.8 °C, an average temperature of 26.1–26.7 °C, a maximum temperature of 33.6–34.7 °C, rainfall between 11.4–12.7 cm, and increasing numbers of imported dengue cases were associated with the highest risk of dengue incidence per county-year. To our knowledge, we have developed the first predictive model for dengue fever incidence in FL counties and our findings provide critical information about weather conditions that could increase the risk for dengue outbreaks as well as the important contribution of imported dengue cases to local establishment of the virus in Ae. aegypti populations.

Long-Term Climatic Changes in Small Ruminant Farms in Greece and Potential Associations with Animal Health

The objectives of this work were (a) to present the changes in climatic parameters from 1989 to 2019, in 444 locations throughout Greece, where small ruminant farms have been based and (b) to present associations of the changes in the climatic parameters with clinical data related to small ruminant health. Climatic variables (1989–2019) were obtained for 444 locations with small ruminant farms throughout Greece. During this period, significant increases were noted in temperature-related parameters (annually 0.05 °C for average temperature and 0.14 °C for temperature range) and precipitation (annually 0.03 mm). There were significant differences in climatic conditions between locations of farms in accord with the management system applied therein, as well as in accord with the breed of animals on the farms (e.g., higher average temperature in locations with Greek breeds, higher temperature range in locations with imported breeds). There were significant associations of temperature-related parameters with the annual frequency of cases of neonatal hypothermia seen at a veterinary teaching hospital, as well as with the average proportion of Haemonchus contortus larvae in faecal samples and the frequency of cases of H. contortus resistance reported by a veterinary parasitology laboratory.