http://precedings.nature.com/tags/global%20warming Recently posted documents tagged with 'global warming' Nature Publishing Group en Nature Precedings http://precedings.nature.com/images/header_logo.gif http://precedings.nature.com http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2481/version/1 During the summer of 2006, Fairbanks Alaska experienced its first two known cases of fatal anaphylaxis as a result of Hymenoptera stings, presumably from yellowjackets. An increase in insect bites and stings has been observed throughout the state.Has there been an increased incidence of medical visits due to insect bites and stings in Alaska in recent years? We conducted a retrospective review of three independent patient databases in Alaska to identify trends of patients seeking medical care for adverse reactions following insect bites and stings. For each database, an insect bite or sting episode warranting medical care was defined as a claim for the Clinical Modification of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9-CM), codes E905.3 (venomous insect; Hymenoptera); E906.4 (bite; non-venomous arthropod), and 989.5 (toxic effect; venom). Increases in bite and sting events in each region were compared to temperature changes in the same region. Each database revealed a statistically significant trend in patients seeking care for reactions to insect bites and stings. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Emergency Department reported a four-fold increase in patients in 2006 compared to previous years (1992-2005). The Allergy Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska reported a three-fold increase in patients from 1999 – 2002 to 2003- 2007. A retrospective review of the Alaska Medicaid database between 1999 and 2006 showed increases in billings for insect bites and stings among all regions, with the largest percentage increases occurring in the most northern areas. Alaska has experienced an increase in insect bites and stings, most dramatically indicated by two anaphylaxis deaths due to Hymenoptera stings. Statistically significant increases in patients seeking medical care for insect bite and sting related events are observed throughout the state, with 5 of the 6 regions experiencing at least a 6 degree Fahrenheit increase in winter temperature since 1950. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2481/version/1 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:05:29 UTC Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this Related to Changing Climate? hdl:10101/npre.2008.2481.1 2008-11-07 Jeffrey Demain Nature Precedings 2008-11-07T11:05:29Z Manuscript Earth & Environment http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2008.1857.1 A trend of shortening duration of ice coverage has been reported in many rivers, ponds and lakes around the world due to climatic warming. The shortening will have much influence on organic production due to the greater supply of light intensity and hence on water quality. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), a useful measure of water quality, has been monitored over the past thirty years in Saroma-ko Lagoon, a boreal lake in Japan characterized by wintertime ice coverage. Here the data set of water quality in the lagoon is analyzed to reveal long-term trends in COD and the influence of climatic warming on such trends. There has been a significant increasing trend, caused primarily by an abrupt increase in the early 1990s. However, the increase could not be explained by the increased load of organic matter on the lagoon from the river basin and organic production in the lagoon. On the other hand, periods of freezing of the entire surface have tended to be shorter with inevitable thinning of ice over the past forty years, probably due to climatic warming. Ice and planktonic algae are exposed to the low light intensity in situ, which is not optimum for the algal production of organic matter. The shortening and thinning should thus bring an improvement in ambient light conditions for algae, resulting in an increase of organic matter in winter. Most of the organic matter possibly remains even after spring because of the low water temperature. It is highly possible that climatic warming promotes deterioration in water quality in ice-covered lakes. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2008.1857.1 Tue, 06 May 2008 10:26:56 UTC Long term trend of chemical oxygen demand in Saroma-ko Lagoon, Japan; possible effects of climatic warming doi:10.1038/npre.2008.1857.1 2008-05-13 Akihiro Shiomoto Nature Precedings 2008-05-06T10:26:56Z Manuscript Earth & Environment http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/