Approaching environmental human thermophysiological thresholds for the case of Ankara, Turkey

AbstractThe disclosed study undertook a ‘human centred-approach’ that ascertained and categorised environmental human thermophysiological risk factors by relating them to the human biometeorological system through the use of three widely utilised energy balance model (EBM) indices, the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET), the modified PET, and the universal thermal climate index (UTCI). The disclosed assessment was carried out over the past decade (i.e., 2010–2019) with a 3-h temporal resolution for the case of Ankara through two WMO meteorological stations to compare both local urban and peri-urban environmental conditions. The study recognised extreme annual variability of human physiological stress (PS) during the different seasons as a result of the biometeorological processing of the singular variables, which in the case of average PET for both stations, varied by up to 75 °C between the winter and summer for the same annual dataset (2012). In addition, all EBMs indicated higher heat stress within the city centre that were conducive of both urban extreme heatwaves and very hot days during the summer months, with extreme heat stress levels lasting for longer than a week with PET values reaching a maximum of 48 °C. Similar cold extremes were found for the winter months, with PET values reaching − 30 °C, and average PS levels varying lower in the case of the peri-urban station.Graphical abstract

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The influence of external environment on workers on scaffolding illustrated by UTCI

Open Engineering ◽

10.1515/eng-2021-0093 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 929-936

Author(s):

Iwona Szer ◽

Jacek Szer

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Heat Load ◽

External Environment ◽

Hazard Identification ◽

Climate Index ◽

Universal Thermal Climate Index ◽

Safety Measures ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Extreme Heat Stress ◽

Lower Silesia

Abstract The aim of the article was to present the influence of the external environment on people working on scaffolding. For this purpose, the heat load of a man was determined using the universal thermal climate index. The research was carried out on 40 facade scaffolds located in four voivodeships in Poland: Lower Silesia, Lublin, Lodzkie, and Masovian. The conducted analysis showed that employees may experience strong or very strong heat stress, and also extreme heat stress in isolated cases. The highest probability at 0.30 level occurs on scaffolds located in the Lodzkie voivodeship. Environmental conditions are therefore unfavourable for people working outside. This can lead to reduced concentration, longer reaction time, and greater fatigue, contributing to an increase in situations that could lead to accidents. Hazard identification allows to take safety measures that improve the comfort of work on scaffolding.

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Biothermal conditions on Mt. Zlatibor based on thermophysiological indices

Archives of Biological Sciences ◽

10.2298/abs151223120p ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 455-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Milica Pecelj ◽

Aleksandar Djordjevic ◽

Milovan Pecelj ◽

Jelena Pecelj-Purkovic ◽

Dejan Filipovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Weather Data ◽

Climate Index ◽

Bioclimatic Indices ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Human Bioclimatology ◽

A Site ◽

The City

This paper presents part of the research in the field of human bioclimatology and refers to biothermal conditions in different geographical environments in Serbia: an urban area and a mountain of medium height. The goal of the paper was to show bioclimatic differences during the summer between the city of Belgrade (116 m a.s.l.) and the mountain resort of Zlatibor (1498 m a.s.l.). The basic principle of bioclimatic analysis is the human heat balance between man and environment. This methodological approach is a combination of physiological and meteorological parameters that result in thermophysiological bioclimatic indices: heat load (HL) in man and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). For this analysis, weather data for July, as the warmest month, was obtained, using daily meteorological data for the decade from 2000 to 2010. Results for July indicate a considerable difference between the two abovementioned environments. HL in Belgrade was dominated by degrees of comfort ?hot? and ?extremely hot, with the highest value of 4.540, while for Zlatibor the dominant degree of comfort was ?warm?. The UTCI in Belgrade has dominated by strong heat stress and moderate heat stress, compared to Zlatibor where the UTCI is dominated by moderate heat stress. In addition, a significant part of the monitored decade on Mt. Zlatibor was without heat stress, with the exception of 2006 and 2007, indicating favorable biothermal characteristics. Therefore, compared to Belgrade, with its considerably lower overall heat stress Zlatibor has the characteristics of a site with favorable bioclimatic qualities.

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Are the Levels of Lipid Parameters Associated with Biometeorological Conditions?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16234636 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (23) ◽

pp. 4636

Author(s):

Skutecki ◽

Cymes ◽

Dragańska ◽

Glińska-Lewczuk ◽

Buciński ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Climate Index ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Lipid Disorders ◽

Ambulatory Patients ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

The Impact ◽

The City ◽

Lipid Parameters

Lipid disorders, especially hypercholesterolemia, are one of the most thoroughly investigated cardiovascular risk factors. Their correlation with biometeorological conditions has been reported, with authors stressing seasonal increases of total cholesterol (TC) levels, mostly occurring in winter. This study aims at determining the correlation between the level of lipid parameters (LP) and meteorological conditions, analyzing seasonal variations in LP levels, and attempting to answer the following questions: do changes in LP levels result from the organism’s response to cold or heat stress, or are they secondary to seasonal dietary variations? An observational study comprised ambulatory patients from the city of Olsztyn (Poland), for whom laboratory test were performed in 2016–2018, with 106,325 records of TC, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG). LP levels were matched with atmospheric conditions on the day when the test was conducted and expressed by the universal thermal climate index (UTCI). We demonstrated seasonal increases of TC in cold stress (in wintertime) and of TG in heat stress (summer). The analysis of LP levels in specific periods revealed the increase of TC levels after holidays (i.e., Christmas and Easter) in men by 4.56%, and the increase of TG levels in women by 13.46% in the same period. Our results suggest the secondary, diet-dependent underlying cause of the observed changes. This work contributes to the discussion concerning the impact of biometeorological factors on LP levels and may be of significance when planning population-dedicated preventive activities.

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Thermal stress assessment for an Arctic city in summer

Arctic Ecology and Economy ◽

10.25283/2223-4594-2021-2-219-231 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 219-231

Author(s):

P.I. Konstantinov ◽

◽

M.I. Varentsov ◽

M.Y. Grishchenko ◽

T.E. Samsonov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Thermal Stress ◽

Climate Index ◽

Bioclimatic Comfort ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Urban Heat ◽

Hot Weather ◽

Heat Perception ◽

Pet Index ◽

The City

Despite the fact, that against the background of global warming the Russian Arctic is still a region with severe winters and cool summers; the likelihood of thermal stress conditions in summer is also increasing. At the same time, urban conditions can significantly affect the human heat perception due to the appearance of the urban heat island effect and other factors. Using the example of the city of Nadym (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), the authors have assessed the possibility of the summer urban heat stress occurrence and analyzed its spatial heterogeneity. The article presents the detailed modeling results of the meteorological regime of the city within the framework of the COSMO-CLM model and the assessment of bioclimatic comfort using the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) index and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). During periods of the extremely hot weather events in Nadym, the territory meso- and microclimatic mosaicism clearly manifests itself. In anthropogenically altered territories, the frequency of strong heat stress events can exceed that in the background areas by 1.7 times. Urban planning solutions should take into account not only the climatic resistance of Arctic cities to the winter cold, but also be adapted to the occurrence of summer heat.

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Parametric Design Structures in Low Rise Buildings in Relation to the Urban Context in UAE

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158595 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8595

Author(s):

Lindita Bande ◽

Abeer Alshamsi ◽

Anoud Alhefeiti ◽

Sarah Alderei ◽

Sebah Shaban ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Parametric Design ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Cost Evaluation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Climate Index ◽

Cooling Load ◽

Design Structure ◽

Al Ain ◽

The City

The city of Al Ain (Abu Dhabi, UAE) has a mainly low rise residential buildings. Villas as part of a compound or separate units represent the majority of the residential areas in the city. Due to the harsh hot arid climate of Al Ain, the energy demand for the cooling load is quite high. Therefore, it is relevant finding new retrofit strategies that are efficient in reducing the cooling load of the villas. The aim of this study is to analyze one particular strategy (parametric shading structure) in terms of design, construction, cost, energy impact on the selected villa. The main data for this study is taken from the local sources. There are six steps followed in this analysis: case study analysis; climate analysis; parametric structure and PV panels; building energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort; modelling, simulation, and validation; materials, construction, and cost evaluation. The model of the villa was validated for the full year 2020 based on the electricity bills obtained. After adding the parametric design structure, the reduction after shading is approximately 10%. Meanwhile the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) dropped from extreme heat stress to strong heat stress (average for the month of March and September). These findings are promising in the retrofit industry due to the advanced calculations used to optimize the parametric design structure.

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Heat stress and outdoor activities in open spaces of public housing estates in Hong Kong: A perspective of the elderly community

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x20950448 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1420326X2095044 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jianxiang Huang ◽

Yang Chen ◽

Phil Jones ◽

Tongping Hao

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Heat Stress ◽

Public Housing ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

The Elderly ◽

Climate Index ◽

Universal Thermal Climate Index ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Housing Estates

Open spaces in Hong Kong are in short supply and they are often underused due to the adverse climate, especially in hot and humid summer. This is a missed opportunity that can be otherwise realized to promote health and social interactions for local communities. The high density urban environment makes the condition worse by raising the urban heat island effect and leaving planners with fewer mitigation options. This study aims to test the hypotheses that an unfavourable thermal environment disrupts the use of outdoor open spaces; if yes, whether such disruptions differ by age groups. On-site measurement and computer simulations were conducted in three open spaces in public housing estates in Ngau Tau Kok, Hong Kong. Thermal conditions were assessed using the Universal Thermal Climate Index. Occupant activities were recorded, together with a questionnaire survey. Results showed that an open space purposefully designed for breeze and shading was 2.0°C cooler in Universal Thermal Climate Index compared with the other two. It attracted more optional/social activities, higher frequency of visits, and longer duration of stay. The elderly activities were more susceptible to disruptions from heat stress compared with younger groups. Elderly activities largely diminish when ambient thermal environment exceed 39°C in Universal Thermal Climate Index. Findings have implications to design and retrofitting of open spaces in order to maximize their use.

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Bioclimatic conditions of Lublin based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)

Miscellanea Geographica ◽

10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 118-127

Author(s):

Mateusz Dobek ◽

Sylwester Wereski ◽

Agnieszka Krzyżewska

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Cold Stress ◽

Climate Index ◽

Human Organism ◽

Universal Thermal Climate Index ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Bioclimatic Conditions

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to describe bioclimatic conditions in Lublin and Radawiec in the period 1976–2015 using the UTCI index. The paper shows that in Lublin and Radawiec, the most frequent biometeorological conditions caused no heat stress and were neutral for the human organism. At the analysed stations, biometeorological conditions causing cold stress occurred more frequently than those causing heat stress. Biometeorological conditions in the analysed period were characterised by high year-to-year variability. We observed that in recent years there was an increase in frequency of conditions favouring heat stress and a decrease in conditions favouring cold stress.

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Analysis of granulometric dust accumulating in supply and exhaust ventilation filters

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20184400030 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 00030

Author(s):

Bogdan Derbiszewski ◽

Anna Kurek

Keyword(s):

Diffraction Theory ◽

Particle Size Analysis ◽

City Centre ◽

Size Analysis ◽

Exhaust Ventilation ◽

Air Supply ◽

Air Handling Units ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Particle Sizer ◽

The City

The research aim was to analyse and compare the composition of granulometric dust which accumulates in air filters located in central air handling units supporting the production rooms and at the same time the degree and a kind of contamination fraction of atmospheric air in a part of Wrocław situated outside the city centre. Samples were taken in different seasons of the year, such as March and October. The size of pollution particles extracted from ventilation filters was measured with the use of ANALYSETTE 22MicroTec plus laser particle sizer produced by FRITSCH. The results of measurements were generated with MaScontrol software for particle size analysis. In computing research results, the Fraunhofer diffraction theory was used. The comparison of the examined air particles’ size in an air supply canal allowed to determine the outside air dust size in Szczepin district on Długa street in Wrocław. Moreover, the influence of the year season on the size of contaminants accumulating in filters was also determined in the course of research works.

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Multi-Annual Changes in Heat Stress Occurrence and Its Circulation Conditions in the Polish–Saxon Border Region

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12020163 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 163

Author(s):

Bartłomiej Miszuk

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Human Life ◽

Border Region ◽

Climate Index ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Annual Changes ◽

Tourist Region ◽

Very High

Heat stress is one of the most critical factors affecting human life. In Central Europe, its influence is noticeable, especially in the Polish–Saxon region, which is a very popular tourist region also inhabited by a high number of elders. The main goal of this paper was to assess multi-annual changes in heat stress occurring in the region, considering the frequency of heat days, the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index), and circulation conditions. The research showed that all the thermal and biothermal indices in this region significantly increased during 1971–2019 in the lowlands, the mountain foreland, and the lower mountain zone. In terms of the UTCI, a negative trend for cold stress frequency was noticed in the entire region in favor of an increase in a tendency toward thermoneutral conditions and heat stress. This concerns especially strong and very strong heat stress (UTCI > 32 °C), in which positive trends were observed for most of the stations located in the lower hypsometric zones. The results also showed that heat stress mainly occurs on days with anticyclonic circulation. Analysis of selected cases of heat waves in the 21st century indicated that the lower hypsometric zones are characterized by a very high UTCI, while the summit zone is free from heat stress occurrence.

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Zagrożenie organizmu człowieka stresem cieplnym występujące w godzinach okołopołudniowych w czasie dni upalnych = Heat-stress threats to the human body around noon on very hot days

Przegląd Geograficzny ◽

10.7163/przg.2020.3.3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 361-376

Author(s):

Monika Okoniewska

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Thermal Stress ◽

Analysis Of Variance ◽

Air Temperature ◽

The Body ◽

Climate Index ◽

Universal Thermal Climate Index ◽

Hot Days ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Severe Heat Stress

This article seeks to analyse the universal thermal climate index (UTCI, °C), in order to characterise hazards associated with high air temperature that may possibly occur in Poland around noon on very hot days. Values for the index (calculated for UTC by reference to air temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), wind speed (v∙ms-1) and cloudiness (%)) related to from the Polish cities of Kołobrzeg, Poznań and Kraków, and to the period 2001–2018. Mean values with standard deviations were calculated, with minimum and maximum values noted, amplitudes, lower and upper quartiles and the skewness coefficient. One-way analysis of variance was deployed to determine whether UTCI values at midday on very hot days differ significantly from month to month. The frequency of occurrence of different intensities of heat stress was also determined. In each case, analysis related to both the overall period and individual years. Hours around noon on very hot days were mainly associated with “moderate” or “severe” heat stress, though instances “very sever heat stress” may also arise. The greatest threat of thermal heat stress could be noted for July and August, with conditions noticeably more severe in Kraków than the other stations studied. Kołobrzeg faced the most-limited hazard associated with the occurrence of heat stress, and only in July may “very severe heat stress” appear there sporadically. In turn, Poznań – located in a region with bioclimatic conditions typical for Poland – was rather characterised by “moderate” or “severe heat stress”. Equally, on a majority of the very hot days studied, all three stations recoded above-average UTCI values, with this fact making it clear that when a high level of thermal stress arises it may be rather a country-wide phenomenon. The most stable, near-average conditions characterised May, while biothermal differentiation peaked in July and August. Analysis of variance showed that, other than in relation to April in Poznań, levels of thermal stress on hot days did not differ significantly from one month to another. Analyses of the variability to values for the multi-year universal thermal climate index revealed an increase over time for maxima, especially in Kraków. This may point to an intensified risk associated with overheating of the body, in the south of Poland in particular. In addition, calculations confirm both spatial and temporal differentiation of biothermal conditions. Years in which hot days proved particularly burdensome were 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2013.

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