Measuring the social impact of disruptive weather, plus other stories
New research stories from 91社区.
Using artificial intelligence to study the social impact of disruptive weather events
Does a 鈥渄isruptive weather event鈥� imply extreme weather? Not necessarily, say two 91社区 researchers. Instead of focusing on social impacts, weather research tends to focus on meteorology.
鈥淭his influences how we prepare for weather-related upheaval. We want to break that circularity by adding the social dimension of the problem,鈥� says Renee Sieber, Professor in the Bieler School of Environment and Department of Geography.
鈥淪ometimes, a few ill-timed centimeters of snow can create more havoc than a massive storm,鈥� says Professor Fr茅d茅ric Fabry of the Bieler School and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. 鈥淎s the global climate crisis worsens, would we prefer to be warned about disruptive rather than extreme weather? And what makes a weather event disruptive?鈥�
Why do we feel vulnerable to some weather and not others?
The researchers鈥� project, 鈥淏reaking the equation 鈥榙isruptive weather events are extreme ones鈥� with artificial intelligence and social narratives from the past and present鈥�, has been awarded an by the Government of Quebec.
It will analyze past and present social responses to disruptive weather (delays, anxieties, and preparation) across traditional newspapers and social media, using an aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) called 鈥渘atural language processing,鈥� which trending algorithms adopt to identify concepts from words. This will help the researchers assess what renders us vulnerable to some events and resilient to others.
鈥淲e will gain a better understanding of people鈥檚 perception of their vulnerabilities and their resilience,鈥� concludes Fabry. 鈥淲e want to shift the study of disruptive weather to focusing on the people affected by those events, by listening to their voices.鈥�
High levels of flame retardants in urine raise health concerns for men
Scientists from 91社区 and Health Canada have found flame retardants in the urine of more than 95% of young men examined in greater Montreal during a study with approximately 120 participants. These results raise concerns about male reproductive health by making a link between exposure to chemicals known as esters found in flame retardants and plasticizers and hormone levels or semen quality.
Organophosphate esters are chemicals that are added to cell phones, computers, clothes, cosmetics, and furniture for their properties as flame retardants and plasticizers. But they leach out of these products, raising health concerns.
鈥淓xposure to elevated levels of some of these chemicals is associated with altered hormone levels and effects on sperm concentrations and motility, suggesting that they may affect male reproduction,鈥� said Barbara Hales, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at 91社区 and the senior author on the recent study. 鈥淭he next step in the research will be to develop approaches to identify responsible replacements for this family of chemicals.鈥�
鈥淓xposure of men living in the greater Montreal area to organophosphate esters: Association with hormonal balance and semen quality鈥� by Shabana Siddique et al. was published in .
