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By NASA // July 7, 2018
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ABOVE VIDEO: DEVELOP addresses environmental and public policy issues through interdisciplinary research projects that apply NASA's observations to the concerns of the community.
(NASA) – Picnics, parades and fireworks are the hallmarks of a big celebration on July 4th. So are the itching and scratching of mosquito bites. Although the bites are annoying, they do not tend to stop the festivities.
However, certain types of mosquitoes can cause serious damage. They are known to carry and spread diseases such as Zika, West Nile Virus and Malaria.
One of the tools used by researchers to track these mosquitoes is the combination of NASA's scientific data and satellite observations. spread of mosquito-transmissible diseases, but more data are needed to improve models for predicting and tracking mosquito-borne diseases.
"We do not have enough information on the geographical distribution of mosquitoes, so if we had a lot of people participating in this citizen science initiative around the world, that would help fill our gaps and that would help our work," he said. Assaf Anyamba, a researcher at the Universities Space Research Association using satellite data to study mosquitoes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
From autumn 2017 to spring 2018, Two NASA DEVELOP teams at Goddard have studied Western Europe, a place little known for mosquito-borne disease outbreaks, which is part of NASA's Applied Science program. environmental and public policy issues through interdisciplinary research projects that apply NASA's observations to the concerns of the global community [19659010]
The application guides users in the process of identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding sites to reduce mosquito populations in their area
soil moisture, elevation, vegetation and precipitation.
The data was then used to create an interactive interactive map on Google Earth Engine to improve prediction models for mosquito vectors of disease
] The first results showed that vegetation , moisture and soil moisture facilitated the development of mosquitoes during the summer months. During the winter, altitude played a greater role in creating mosquito – friendly habitats. The lower the altitude, the higher the number of mosquitoes.
One of the challenges of the study was that citizen science data was concentrated in populated areas; Said Sara Lubkin, DEVELOP Project Coordinator at Goddard.
More data on citizen science in more parts of the world could help. "Knowing the mosquito species and their approximate populations at any given time provides useful information about the potential for occurrence of a particular pathogen, or transmission of the disease," said Anyamba
ABOVE THE VIDEO: By downloading the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper, you can help eliminate mosquito-borne diseases wherever you are are.
Mosquitoes carrying disease. Every summer, warm, humid conditions drive up mosquito populations.
Because there are many wetlands to live and reproduce, mosquitoes tend to stay in one area. However, when conditions become hot and dry, mosquitoes migrate to more suitable habitats.
Satellites can detect the moisture or drought of an area, and this information helps determine what types of mosquitoes and diseases can move in an environment. ] The last major outbreak of West Nile virus in the United States occurred in 2011, a dry year. The hot and dry season led mosquitoes to settle in highly urbanized and populated areas, seeking food and water.
Warmer temperatures excite some species of mosquitoes, causing them to bite more people. In addition, certain high temperature thresholds can reduce the time needed for mosquito maturity to pass from the larva to the adult, resulting in the doubling of mosquito populations during an average year.
Mosquitoes can not travel alone. Instead, they have to hitch up people and animals to cover any significant distance. If a mosquito is a type that carries and spreads diseases, then the disease can move to new areas, as has been the case in Western Europe.
The public can help spot mosquitoes by downloading an application called GLOBE Observer. using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper tool in the application
The application guides users in the process of identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding sites to reduce mosquito populations in their area.
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