Observed increases in North Atlantic tropical cyclone peak intensification rates

Protecting Caribbean patients diagnosed with cancer from compounding disasters

Caribbean small island developing states are becoming increasingly vulnerable to compounding disasters, prominently featuring climate-related hazards and pandemic diseases, which exacerbate existing barriers to cancer control in the region. We describe the complexities of cancer prevention and control efforts throughout the Caribbean small island developing states, including the unique challenges of people diagnosed with cancer in the region. We highlight potential solutions and strategies that concurrently address disaster adaptation and cancer control. Because Caribbean small island developing states are affected first and worst by the hazards of compounding disasters, the innovative solutions developed in the region are relevant for climate mitigation, disaster adaptation, and cancer control efforts globally. In the age of complex and cascading disaster scenarios, developing strategies to mitigate their effect on the cancer control continuum, and protecting the health and safety of people diagnosed with cancer from extreme events become increasingly urgent. The equitable development of such strategies relies on collaborative efforts among professionals whose diverse expertise from complementary fields infuses the local community perspective while focusing on implementing solutions.

Morphodynamics of a composite sand-cobble beach in response to extratropical cyclone Fiona and seasonal wave variability

Climate change is driving higher coastal water levels, and models project accelerated future sea-level rise and coastal storm intensification. These dynamics paired with anthropogenic coastal alterations will drive drastic coastal change worldwide. Composite beaches with mixed sediment sizes warrant detailed study as these exhibit complex morphodynamics in response to changing hydrodynamics due to the distinct transport thresholds of different sediment types. This study uses a novel multi-method approach to investigate a composite sand-cobble beach in Atlantic Canada experiencing a shortening seasonal sand-covered period. Hydrodynamic forcing and associated beach changes were monitored over a focused eight-month period, while satellite-based visual imagery and reconstructed wave data were analyzed over longer periods. Results show that intra-annual wave energy changes drive sand dynamics, with reduced summer wave energy facilitating short-term deposition. Long-term positive trends were identified in late spring wave heights, which likely contribute to the shortening sand-covered period. Seasonal dynamics were overwhelmed by extratropical cyclone Fiona, which made landfall on September 24, 2022, generating significant wave heights up to 6.8 m in the bay, mobilizing sediment, and steepening cobble berms. A new index approach based on visual imagery facilitated the investigation of beach sand appearance/disappearance using the relative redness of sand compared to cobble. Finally, the UAV-based surveys yielded high-resolution orthomosaics and LiDAR-based elevation mapping, and highlighted pronounced longshore variability in erosion and deposition during Fiona. The beach mostly recovered to pre-storm conditions in <4 months, which indicates that proposed beach nourishment activities may only experience temporary success. The longer-term results showing a conversion of sand to cobble suggest that loss of sandy beach habitat is likely to increase, even without shoreline migration or coastal squeeze driven by sea-level rise.

Annals of Education: Teaching Climate Change and Global Public Health

The climate crisis is a health emergency: breaking temperature records every successive month, increasing mortality from hurricanes/cyclones resulting in >USD150 billion/year in damages, and mounting global loss of life from floods, droughts, and food insecurity. An entire course on climate change and global public health was envisioned, designed for students in public health, and delivered to Masters level students. The course content included the physical science behind global heating, heat waves, extreme weather disasters, arthropod-related diseases, allergies, air pollution epidemiology, melting ice and sea level rise, climate denialism, renewable energy and economics, social cost of carbon, and public policy. The methods included student engagement in presenting two air pollution epidemiological or experimental papers on fossil fuel air pollution. Second, they authored a mid-term paper on a specific topic in the climate crisis facing their locale, e.g., New York City. Third, they focused on a State, evaluating their climate change laws and their plans to harness renewable wind, solar, storage, nuclear, and geothermal energy. Students elsewhere covered regional entities' approach to renewable energy. Fourth, the global impact was presented by student teams presenting a country's nationally determined contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement. Over 200 Master's students completed the course; the participation and feedback demonstrated markedly improved knowledge and evaluation of the course over time.