Antarctic climate, weather and the health of antarctic wildlife

Abstract

Climate and weather are the defining characteristics of Antarctica and to a large degree are what set it apart it from the other regions of the world. The interactions of the geography of Antarctica with large-scale climatic processes and the local weather conditions they generate influence all facets of the natural environment. Consequently, they will affect many aspects of disease in Antarctic wildlife and the way that humans can respond to disease events. Climate and weather exert their influence on wildlife at a range of scales. The large-scale atmospheric pressure systems determine the isolation, or otherwise, of the Antarctic continent, at least for airborne particles. More locally, conditions of temperature, humidity and solar irradiance can all influence the survival of hosts, vectors and pathogens in the environment and can control or limit the actions of people. The extreme environmental conditions that characterise Antarctica may well mean that accepted rules of disease epidemiology may not apply here or that disease response procedures that are accepted as normal in the rest of the world may not be appropriate or even possible. For these reasons an understanding of Antarctic climate processes and weather conditions is of a very direct practical relevance to any consideration of health and disease of Antarctic wildlife.