Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
07:03
Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions
Published on: November 6, 2016
11.0K
Mortality induced by PM2.5 exposure following the 1783 Laki eruption using reconstructed meteorological fields
Y Balkanski1, L Menut2, E Garnier3
1Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR 8212 CEA-CNRS-UVSQ-UPSaclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France. yves.balkanski@lsce.ipsl.fr.
Scientific Reports
|October 28, 2018
Summary
The 1783 Laki eruption
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric chemistry and climate science
- Environmental health and historical epidemiology
Background:
- Reconstructing historical meteorological data is challenging due to limited observations.
- Chemistry-transport models are crucial for assessing air pollution health impacts.
Observation:
- Meteorological fields for 1783-1784 were reconstructed using a technique of analogues.
- Simulated sulfur dioxide and sulfate concentrations over the North Atlantic and Europe were analyzed.
- Contemporary data on 'dry fogs' and French parish mortality were used for model evaluation.
Findings:
- The model accurately reproduced the timing of 'dry fogs' across Europe.
- High sulfur dioxide/sulfate concentrations in June 1783 correlated with increased French mortality.
- Current exposure-risk relationships for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) explain only a small portion of the excess deaths.
Implications:
- The Laki eruption's health impact was influenced by factors beyond PM2.5, including a warm summer and limited healthcare.
- This study highlights the complexity of assessing historical air pollution health effects.
- Improved chemistry-transport models are needed for accurate prediction of pollution-related health outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Induced Electric Fields
4.6K
The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
4.6K
01:27Induced Electric Fields: Applications
2.6K
An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...
2.6K
01:10Reconstruction of Signal using Interpolation
729
Signal processing techniques are essential for accurately converting continuous signals to digital formats and vice versa. When a continuous signal is sampled with a period T, the resulting sampled signal exhibits replicas of the original spectrum in the frequency domain, spaced at intervals equal to the sampling frequency. To handle this sampled signal, a zero-order hold method can be applied, which creates a piecewise constant signal by retaining each sample's value until the next...
729
01:29Field Effect Transistor
1.2K
Field-effect transistors (FETs) are integral to electronic circuits and distinguished by their three-terminal setup: the gate, drain, and source. These transistors operate as unipolar devices, which utilize either electrons or holes as charge carriers, in contrast to bipolar transistors, which use both types of carriers. The primary function of the FET is to modulate the flow of these carriers from the source to the drain through a channel. The voltage difference between the gate and source...
1.2K
01:16Electric Field
12.8K
Consider two point charges, each exerting Coulomb force on the other. It is possible to describe the Coulomb interaction via an intermediate step by defining a new physical quantity called the electric field.
In the new picture, imagine that the first charge sets up an electric field independent of all other charges in the universe. When another charge comes in its vicinity, the second charge experiences an electric force depending on the electric field at that point. The source charge does not...
In the new picture, imagine that the first charge sets up an electric field independent of all other charges in the universe. When another charge comes in its vicinity, the second charge experiences an electric force depending on the electric field at that point. The source charge does not...
12.8K
01:27Magnetic Fields
7.3K
A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
7.3K