Project Leader:
Patrick Kinney
Earth Institute Contact: Patrick Kinney
EI Collaborators:
Christopher Small
Cynthia Rosenzweig
Richard Goldberg
Additional External Researchers:
William D. Solecki
David Werth
Roni Avissar
Christian Hogrefe
Michael Ku
Kevin Civerolo
Joyce E. Rosenthal
Kim Knowlton
Anjali Puri
Barry Lynn
Tracey Holloway
Contact: Joyce Rosenthal: jr438@columbia.edu; (212) 305-2853
Locations: United States of America
Special Locations:
New York metropolitan region
Description:
Objectives: Heat waves and elevated concentrations of ozone and fine particles represent two significant current public health stressors in the New York metropolitan area. Both of these stressors may be impacted by future changes in the global climate as well as continued expansion of human-dominated land uses in the region. To date, there has been little effort to link climate change and land use/land cover (LU/LC) models in assessments of potential future impacts of heat stress and air quality.
The proposed study will link human dimension and natural sciences models describing the behaviors of these systems to yield improved tools for assessing the future public health impacts of climate change in the context of existing environmental stressors. The model will be applied to the 31 county NY metropolitan east coast (MEC) region. The following questions will be addressed:
1. What changes in the frequency and severity of extreme heat events are likely to occur over the next 80 years due to a range of possible scenarios of land use and climate change in the MEC region?
2. How might the frequency and severity of episodic concentrations of ozone (O3) and airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) change over the next 80 years due to a range of possible scenarios of land use and climate change in the metropolitan region?
3. What is the range of possible human health impacts of these changes in the MEC region?
4. How might projected future human exposures and responses to heat stress and air quality differ as a function of socio-economic status and race/ethnicity across the MEC region?
Approach: An integrated model will be developed linking models for land use/land cover, global climate change, regional climate change, atmospheric chemistry and pollution transport, and the impacts of heat stress and air quality on public health. Four scenarios of LU/LC change and two global climate scenarios (run with the GISS GCM) will be analyzed. Impacts will be examined during the decades of the 2020's, 2050's and 2080's.
Expected Results: The research will provide improved tools for integrated assessments of future public health risks due to heat and air quality changes driven by climate change/variability and changes in land use. In addition, the research will lead to a better understanding of the driving forces behind long-term environmental changes, and the role played by socio-economic and demographic factors in the resulting human impacts.
EI Unit:
The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Cross Cutting Themes:
Climate and Society
Core Disciplines:
Health
Collaborating Institutions:
Columbia University:
Mailman School of Public
Funding Agency:
US
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