PIX2025 - Climate change, cyanobacterial blooms, and implications for human health - (PREX2024-000166)

Cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater systems are increasing with climate change. Epidemiological studies on associations between exposure to cyanobacteria and human health are scarce. Long-term monitoring data from Doñana combined with satellite imagery and health statistics for Andalucia can serve to explore the impact chain from climate change to cyanobacterial blooms to human health outcomes. The objectives of the thesis are a. Conduct a literature review on the associations between freshwater cyanobacterial blooms and human health. b.Establish historical time-series on presence of blooms in Doñana and reservoirs in Andalucía, and fish and bird mortality events, combined with satellite imagery data. c. Investigate how meteorological and hydrological variables explain the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms (taking into account eutrophication and other drivers of global change). d. Examine possible associations between the presence of cyanobacterial blooms and adverse human health outcomes (e.g. respiratory outcomes, liver cancer, neurodegenerative diseases) in affected populations in Andalucia. The thesis will further knowledge on indirect impacts of climate change on human health, contribute to the development of public health strategies to protect health as global temperatures continue to rise, and increase awareness about local climate change impacts. The thesis will be co-supervised by Veronika Huber and Andy J. Green at Estación Biológica de Doñana in Sevilla.