The potential of Pathfinder AVHRR data for providing surrogate climatic variables across Africa and Europe for epidemiological applications.

Remote Sensing of Environment
Robert M Green, Simon I Hay

Abstract

Surface climatic conditions are key determinants of arthropod vector distribution and abundance and consequently affect transmission rates of any diseases they may carry. Remotely sensed observations by satellite sensors are the only feasible means of obtaining regional and continental scale measurements of climate at regular intervals for real-time epidemiological applications such as disease early warning systems. The potential of Pathfinder AVHRR Land (PAL) data to provide surrogate variables for near-surface air temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) over Africa and Europe were assessed in this context. For the years 1988-1990 and 1992, correlations were examined between meteorological ground measurements (monthly mean air temperature and VPD(grd)) and variables derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data (LST and VPD(sat)). The AVHRR indices were derived from both daily and composite PAL data so that their relative performance could be determined. Furthermore, the ground observations were divided into African and European subsets, so that the relative performance of the satellite data at tropical/sub-tropical and temperate latitudes could be assessed.Significant correlations were shown between...Continue Reading

References

Mar 1, 1997·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·S I Hay
Mar 3, 2001·Trends in Parasitology·S I HayR W Snow

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Citations

Oct 16, 2002·Trends in Microbiology·G R William WintDavid J Rogers
May 19, 2004·International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM·Sarah E Randolph
Jun 9, 2005·Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH·J A OmumboD J Rogers
Nov 1, 2004·International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation : ITC Journal·Andrew J TatemSimon I Hay

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