The SSC: a decade of climate-health research and future directions

Int J Biometeorol. 2014 Mar;58(2):109-20. doi: 10.1007/s00484-012-0619-6. Epub 2013 Jan 29.

Abstract

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the development of the revised Spatial Synoptic Classification, the "SSC", by Scott Sheridan. This daily weather-type classification scheme has become one of the key analytical tools implemented in a diverse range of climatological investigations, including analysis of air quality variability, human health, vegetation growth, precipitation and snowfall trends, and broader analyses of historical and future climatic variability and trends. The continued and expanding use of the SSC motivates a review and comparison of the system's research and geographic foci to date, with the goal of identifying promising areas for future efforts, particularly within the context of human health and climate change. This review also assesses how the SSC has complemented and compares with other current environmental epidemiological studies in weather and health.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Climate*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Forecasting*
  • Health Services Research / trends*
  • Meteorology / trends*
  • Weather*