文档介绍：Biological and Physical Signs
of Climate Change: Focus on
Mosquito-borne Diseases
Paul R. Epstein,* Henry F. Diaz,+ Scott Elias,# Grabherr,@ Nicholas E. Graham,&
Willem J. M. Martens,** Ellen Mosley-Thompson,++ and Joel Susskind##
ABSTRACT
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that there is “discernible evidence” that humans—through
accelerating changes in multiple forcing factors—have begun to alter the earth’s climate regime. Such conclusions are
based primarily upon so-called “fingerprint” studies, namely the warming pattern in the midtroposphere in the Southern
Hemisphere, the disproportionate rise in nighttime and winter temperatures, and the statistical increase in extreme weather
events in many nations. All three aspects of climate change and climate variability have biological implications.
Detection of climate change has also drawn upon data from glacial records that indicate a general retreat of tropical
summit glaciers. Here the authors examine biological (plant and insect) data, glacial findings, and temperature records
taken at high-elevation, mountainous regions. It is concluded that, at high elevations, the overall trends regarding gla-
ciers, plants, insect range, and shifting isotherms show remarkable internal consistency, and that there is consistency
between model projections and the ongoing changes. There are