Date:    Sat, 12 Dec 1998 07:58:36 EST
From:    C 
Subject: GL:  co2 not responsible for increase in crops

http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec98/1998L-12-11-09.htmlY7JBJBt8-052.html
ABUNDANT CROPS NOT DUE TO INCREASE IN ATMOSPHERIC C02
ENS
December 11, 1998


Better farming practices and fertilizers rather than increased
atmospheric carbon dixoide (CO2) are responsible for the
remarkable increases in crop yields, according to a paper by Jeff
Amthor of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National
Laboratory. Amthor says that average yield of most crops in many
countries has increased significantly during the past 100 years.
Up to 90 percent of that increase is the result of factors that
include nitrogen fertilization, selection of genotypes with
increased harvest index and disease resistance and mechanization
of planting. If technology continues to increase average yields
at recent rates, near-future increases in carbon dioxide will
have only small impacts on yield in comparison to technology.

------------------------------

Date:    Sat, 12 Dec 1998 08:05:48 EST
From:    C 
Subject: GL:  Disease-Weather Connections

http://www.newswise.com/articles/CLIMATE.ASM.htmllY7JBJBt8-052.html
WEATHER-DISEASE LINKS
American Society for Microbiology
3-Dec-98

WASHINGTON, DC -- Monday, November 23, 1998 -- Scientists are
discovering more about the intricate relationship between global
weather patterns and infectious disease, thanks in part to recent
advances in molecular biology, meteorology and satellite imaging,
resulting in a new interdisciplinary field of research, says a
report by the American Academy of Microbiology.

"The seasonality of many human diseases has long be recognized,
but it is only recently that this aspect has become a major study
in infectious disease research," says Rita Colwell, Chair of the
Academy's Board of Governors and a coauthor of the report. "Up
until now, the principles of ecology have not been incorporated
into epidemiology."

"We can't just focus on the microbe anymore," says Jonathan Patz
of Johns Hopkins University, the other coauthor of the report.
"We can't sort out the dynamics of many of these infectious
diseases without meaningful interdisciplinary work. It is not
just a simple relationship between weather variables and
pathogens. We need to connect existing databases on such factors
as land use patterns, deforestation, and soil moisture to public
health outcomes."

The report is based on a colloquium convened by the Academy in
June 1997. An international group of scientists from a variety
of disciplines including microbiology, infectious disease,
epidemiology, risk assessment and climatology gathered to discuss
the effects of weather and climate factors on the incidence of
infectious disease. Because of the range of expertise
represented, this meeting "will be viewed as a seminal
jumping-off point" for future research on the link between
climate and infectious diseases, says Colwell.

The recent strong El Nio provides a good example for studying the
effects of climate change on patterns of infectious disease.
Recent research suggests that increases in the rates of malaria,
cholera, Rift Valley fever and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome are
associated with the effects. In Columbia, increases of up to 20%
in the incidence of malaria have been recorded in the year
following an El Nio . Satellite data has also been effective in
demonstrating a link between El Nio in the early 1990s and
cholera outbreaks in Peru and along the Bay of Bengal.

The 1993 outbreak of deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the
Southwest United States has also been shown to be related to
increased rainfalls that were associated with El Nio. Higher
rainfalls increased the production of pinon nuts, which are an
important food source for the deer mouse. An abundant food source
caused an increase in the population of the deer mouse which is
a known carrier of the hantavirus, thereby setting the stage for
an outbreak.

El Nio is just one high profile example of the effect of climate
and weather on infectious disease outbreaks, says the report. A
number of variables including air and water temperature, rainfall
levels, and wind and ocean currents are also associated with
outbreaks. For example, the number of cases of the foodborne
pathogen Cyclospora cayetanesis in children in Peru has been
associated with air temperature in a yearly cycle.

"It is striking how sensitive to weather and climate fluctuations
so many of these diseases are," says Patz.

One of the immediate results of the colloquium was the
establishment of a research project called the El Nio-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) Experiment. Coordinated by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the ENSO experiment is
taking an in-depth look at the effects of the most recent El Nio.
The results will be presented at the follow-up colloquium on
these issues to be held in the Fall of 1999. The establishment
of the ENSO Experiment addresses one of the recommendations of
the report: that long term research projects, exceeding the
normal 2-3 year funding cycle, be supported.

The report also recommends the networking of databases to provide
researchers access to information from a variety of sources and
the standardization of formats for collecting and reporting such
data. The availability of this data in consistent formats is
essential for enhancing research in climate and health, says the
report. Other recommendations include education and training of
new researchers, communication of new knowledge to the public
and the encouragement of journals to publish results of research
that falls outside or straddles traditional disciplinary
boundaries. The report stopped short of recommending
establishment of a new journal, but stressed the importance of
ensuring that this research be published and disseminated within
the scientific community.

The American Academy of Microbiology is an honorific leadership
group within the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) whose
mission is to foster and recognize scientific excellence in the
microbiological sciences. Its activities include convening
colloquia to develop consensus-building position papers that
provide expert scientific opinion and advice on current and
emerging policy issues in microbiology.

# # #

The complete report can be accessed on the World Wide Web at
http://www.asmusa.org/acasrc/aca1.htm.TE.ASM.htmllY7JBJBt8-052.html Individual copies of the
report will be sent in response to written requests via fax,
202-942-9380; e-mail, academy@asmusa.org; or to the Academy at
1325 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Contact: Jim Sliwa, jsliwa@asmusa.org