Comments on: Global Warming behind Austrian Encephalitis Case

By: Tamara

Tamara — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:32:31 +0000

It has been stated that increased CO2 has increased primary production, so probably the pasturage at higher altitudes has improved. Where the grazing animals go, so go the ticks.

By: tty

tty — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:19:52 +0000

TBE is a big problem in Siberia, well known for its balmy weather. Actually the two worst areas I know for ticks is Eastern Siberia and the area around Lake Superior, both with extremely cold winters. So apparently ticks can stand very cold winters, provided summers are warm enough. Here in Sweden we have TBE almost to the Arctic Circle so those 1350 meters in the Alps are probably a bit optimistic.

By: Neil Jones

Neil Jones — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:43:32 +0000

In the Swiss Alps animals walk from low to high pastures as it is impossible to move them by vehicles, the tracks being to narrow and steep. Could the dame be true in parts of Austria?

By: spangled drongo

spangled drongo — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:52:24 +0000

I recently enquired of a local scientist whether a paralysis tick that was reported by our early explorers in the Australian Alps is still recorded there.
He said it wasn’t.
It seems it was warmer in 1824 in these alps than now.
These ticks however, certainly hitch a ride on birds and most other animals.

By: Jeff Id

Jeff Id — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:50:27 +0000

This has to be one of the weakest global warming claims yet. It seems like we’re winning when they get this desperate.

noconsensus.wordpress.com

By: Leon Brozyna

Leon Brozyna — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:55:32 +0000

Last century, before AGW became the biggest hobgoblin of all time, an unusual or odd event was treated as being just that – an unusual or odd event.

Now there aren’t unusual or odd events; everything’s root cause is AGW.

By: Craig

Craig — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:33:38 +0000

Is it global warming’s fault? Is it the tick’s fault? Is it the shepards fault for not processing the cheese correctly? Who can I sue?

By: retired engineer

retired engineer — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:22:07 +0000

I didn’t know tics had built-in altimiters. Perhaps there is an EU regulation governing their maximum altitude? Arrest those parasites!

REPLY: It is climate preference zones, not air pressure, that determine where many critters live. – Anthony

By: DAV

DAV — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:12:24 +0000

Isn’t Rocky Mountain spotted fever spread by ticks? Perhaps they meant the tick variety found in Austria. I guess Anthony provided that photo of a deer tick.

Global Warming has caused a number of bloodsuckers to crawl out of the woodwork. I guess it could cause higher altitude ticks as well.

By: Bill in Vigo

Bill in Vigo — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:08:38 +0000

I wonder where the goat came from and how long ago it was there. And did any one see the tick? If I remember correctly they move the goats around high pastures in summer and low pastures in winter. Also when was the cheese made? This story has no classic investigative information. I think this is just a convenient way to warm up the warm story.

Bill Derryberry

By: Ric Werme

Ric Werme — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:00:32 +0000

“Unfortunately, the article does not say just who the experts are.”

Nor did is say if the isolated pasture is south facing or has other attributes beside global warming. I wonder if ticks hitch rides on birds.

Lessee, 200m elevation change, dry adiabat is 1F per 200′, so 1.5C per 100m, so about 3C due to elevation alone. Seems a bit much given the changes over the last decade (about 0C).

At least they didn’t blame it on climate change.

By: Bruce Cobb

Bruce Cobb — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:50:33 +0000

Well, it may have changed due to warming, or it may not have. The insidious thing is that when they say global warming, what they mean is man-made global warming. AGW is the modern-day bogey-man and scapegoat for anything bad that happens.

By: anna v

anna v — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:22:57 +0000

We have a greek proverb: whenever you year of many cherries, take a small basket.

This is completely anecdotal unless one has the history of the goat ( I know that goats are transferred from field to field in modern days by truck), whether any ticks have been found at such height ( in contrast to fold wisdom that they do not survive over 1000 meters) are the two questions that come to mind, before, even anecdotally, one blames global warming for this.

We have some cases of tick born encephalitis in the news recently from northern greece, and instruction of what to do if bitten by a tick.