Comparison of climatic conditions and mosquito abundances in New Castle County, Delaware
Date
2006
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Climate, specifically air temperature, precipitation, and ponded surface water, greatly influences mosquito population abundance. Through its influence on mosquito abundance, climate also affects mosquito-borne diseases and their epidemics. A characterization of the relationship between climate and mosquito abundance may be used to predict the changes in mosquito abundance and the outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease. The goal of this research is to assess the relationship between mosquitoes and climate by investigating the climatic parameters of observed air temperature and precipitation and simulated soil moisture in comparison to historical mosquito populations. The objective is to specifically evaluate the relationship between the climatic conditions and mosquito population abundance based on historical data for New Castle County, Delaware. ☐ Time series of the daily mean air temperature and daily total precipitation were prepared and compared with the mosquito population abundances through a correlation analysis. Ponded surface water was represented through soil moisture, which was simulated using the SWAT/SWRRB hydrologic model. Soil moisture estimates from each model were also correlated with abundances in mosquito populations. ☐ Great variability exists in the correlation of all parameters and the broad comparison between the locations demonstrated very few general trends. A review of the significant correlations did not demonstrate any one strong relationship between mosquito abundance and simulated soil moisture. A more complex soil moisture model is needed for simulation of ponded water. Ponded water that results from climatic variability and land surface conditions is necessary to evaluate the relationship between climatic conditions and mosquito abundance. Additionally, the variation in habitat preferences among different species in the same genus restricts the findings of this study. Future research should be conducted with species-level mosquito data.