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Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States pp 312–339Cite as

Human Health

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Part of the book series: NCA Regional Input Reports ((NCARIR))

Abstract

Summer season average temperatures in the Southwest United States are projected to be up to 9°F (approximately 5°C) higher than the present by the end of the twenty-first century (see Chapters 6 and 7 for details on climate change predictions in the Southwest). Global climate models also forecast changes in precipitation patterns, drought, flooding, and sea-level rise, and an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events throughout the Southwest. These climate changes will vary across the region, however, they are sufficient to threaten human health and well-being (Kunkel, Pielke, and Changnon 1999; Parmesan, Root, and Willig 2000; Baker et al. 2002; Christensen et al. 2004; Meehl and Tebaldi 2004; Harlan et al. 2006; Ruddell et al. 2010).

Chapter citation: Brown, H. E., A. C. Comrie, D. M. Drechsler, C. M. Barker, R. Basu, T. Brown, A. Gershunov, A. M. Kilpatrick, W. K. Reisen, and D. M. Ruddell. 2013. “Human Health.” In Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States: A Report Prepared for the National Climate Assessment, edited by G. Garfin, A. Jardine, R. Merideth, M. Black, and S. LeRoy, 312–339. A report by the Southwest Climate Alliance. Washington, DC: Island Press.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Arizona, USA

    Heidi E. Brown & Andrew C. Comrie

  2. California Air Resources Board, USA

    Deborah M. Drechsler

  3. University of California, Davis, USA

    Christopher M. Barker & William K. Reisen

  4. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, USA

    Rupa Basu

  5. Desert Research Institute, USA

    Timothy Brown

  6. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA

    Alexander Gershunov

  7. University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

    A. Marm Kilpatrick

  8. University of Southern California, USA

    Darren M. Ruddell

  9. California Department of Public Health, USA

    Paul B. English

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  1. Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona, N. Park Ave Ste. 532 845, 85721, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Gregg Garfin

  2. University of Arizona, USA

    Angela Jardine , Robert Merideth , Mary Black  & Sarah LeRoy , ,  & 

Endnotes

Endnotes

  1. i

    The smaller size of PM2.5 particulates allows them to lodge deeply in the lungs.

  2. ii

    This is a smaller amount of growth in lung function during the child’s growth period. Both the growth rate and the attained lung function at adulthood seem to be smaller in children growing up in high PM2.5 areas.

  3. iii

    Mixing height is the level of the inversion layer. It is like an atmospheric ceiling that limits the volume of air into which air pollution can mix. High air pollution is associated with a low mixing height/inversion layer, while a high mixing height is associated with better air quality.

  4. iv

    Ozone forms in the atmosphere as the result of reactions involving sunlight and two classes of directly emitted precursors. One group of precursors includes various oxides of nitrogen, such as nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, and the other group includes volatile organic compounds (also called reactive organic gases), such as hydrocarbons.

  5. v

    Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), http://www.liheap.ncat.org

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Brown, H.E. et al. (2013). Human Health. In: Garfin, G., Jardine, A., Merideth, R., Black, M., LeRoy, S. (eds) Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States. NCA Regional Input Reports. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-484-0_15

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