Definitions on Climate change & insect-borne disease starting with E

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Definitions

Below is a directory of terms used in the debate about climate change and insect-borne disease. Most of the terms have been reproduced from the WHO, US Environment Protection Agency, the UN University Institute of Advanced Studies, the Center for International Forestry Research, and the Meridian Institute.

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E

Early warning system

A disease surveillance and response system designed to detect, as early as possible, any change from the usual or normally-observed frequency or phenomenon.

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

El Niño, in its original sense, is a warm water current that periodically flows along the coast of Ecuador and Peru. This event is associated with a fluctuation of the intertropical surface pressure patterns and circulation in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, called the Southern Oscillation. This coupled atmosphere-ocean phenomenon is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation or ENSO. During an El Niño event, the prevailing trade winds weaken and the equatorial counter current strengthens. This causes warm surface waters in the Indonesian area to flow eastward to overlie the cold waters of the Peru current. This event greatly impacts wind, sea surface temperature, and precipitation patterns in the tropical Pacific. It has climatic effects throughout the Pacific region and in many other parts of the world. The opposite of an El Niño event is called La Niña.

Emissions

Emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols associated with human activities. These include fossil fuel burning for energy, deforestation and land use changes that result in net increases in emissions.

Endemic

Describes a species that is native only to a limited area, for example, a bird endemic to a particular island or a plant endemic to a mountain range.

Epidemic

An outbreak of a disease that affects a large number of individuals within a population or region at the same time. Compare to pandemic.

Epidemiology

The study of epidemics and the diseases that cause them, especially the factors that influence the incidence, distribution and control of infectious diseases.