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SUMMARY:Risk of long-distance airborne spread of infectious plant diseases
   - Marcel Meyer\, 1st yr grad
DTSTART:20150501T083000Z
DTEND:20150501T090000Z
UID:TALK58768@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Megan Cooper
DESCRIPTION:We focus on the development and application of a modelling fra
 mework that aims at realistic predictions of risk of airborne spread of in
 fectious plant diseases. \nIn  collaboration with the UK Meteorological Of
 fice we build a spatio-temporally explicit model that is based on large-sc
 ale meteorological datasets to predict atmospheric dispersal of fungal pat
 hogens over heterogeneous host-environment landscapes on regional and cont
 inental scales. In particular\, we link NAME – a Lagrangian atmospheric 
 dispersion model (LPDM) - to environmental and epidemiological submodels. 
 We study likely routes of airborne spread of novel strains\, specifically 
 the current Ug99 wheat stem rust epidemic\, which has been considered a th
 reat to global food security. The modelling framework was adapted for use 
 in real-time to support decision-making in the face of current emergencies
  in East Africa.\nOverall\, we hope to (i) enhance fundamental understandi
 ng of the role of meteorological dynamics for plant epidemiology and (ii) 
 provide a generic numerical framework that can be integrated with epidemio
 logical models to serve as a tool for optimized control-strategies.\n
LOCATION:Sainsbury Laboratory
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