The Impact of a Six-Year Climate Anomaly on the "Spanish Flu" Pandemic and WWI.

Authors :: More AF
Loveluck CP
Clifford H
Handley MJ
Korotkikh EV
Kurbatov AV
McCormick M
Mayewski PA
Source :: GeoHealth [Geohealth] 2020 Sep 01; Vol. 4 (9), pp. e2020GH000277. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Sep 01 (Print Publication: 2020).
Publication Year :: 2020
Abstract: The H1N1 "Spanish influenza" pandemic of 1918-1919 caused the highest known number of deaths recorded for a single pandemic in human history. Several theories have been offered to explain the virulence and spread of the disease, but the environmental context remains underexamined. In this study, we present a new environmental record from a European, Alpine ice core, showing a significant climate anomaly that affected the continent from 1914 to 1919. Incessant torrential rain and declining temperatures increased casualties in the battlefields of World War I (WWI), setting the stage for the spread of the pandemic at the end of the conflict. Multiple independent records of temperature, precipitation, and mortality corroborate these findings.<br />Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this study.<br /> (©2020. The Authors.)