Hydrological and Climatological Determinants of Malaria Vector

Within the semi-arid Sahel zone of Africa, serious malaria epidemics arise as a result of the annual wet season. Professor Elfatih Eltahir's research team is studying the environmental determinants of malaria outbreak occurrence in this region, with the aid of numerical modeling techniques. Team members are involved in an interdisciplinary study to investigate the dependence of mosquito breeding and infection rates on factors such as surface water pooling, which is the result of various hydroclimatological variables. In a unique approach, they will numerically model individual mosquitoes in a small study area in Niger and couple that simulation with a small-scale hydrology model. Model input will include satellite-acquired remotely sensed data for vegetation, soil moisture and topography. The team will simulate variation in mosquito abundance and infection rates, then validate their results with field investigations. This numerical modeling tool will shed light on the dynamics of outbreak occurrence and help the targeting of intervention efforts.

Professor Elfatih Eltahir's research group

Read On Balance newsletter article

Photo by graduate student Arne Bomblies, who was called a "revolutionary mind" by SEED magazine in an article by Emily Anthes in the Oct. 2007 issue.