Dual challenges of heat wave and protective facemask-induced thermal stress in Hong Kong

AbstractThe ability of cool roofs and vegetation to reduce urban temperatures and improve human thermal stress during heat wave conditions is investigated for the city of Melbourne, Australia. The Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled to the Princeton Urban Canopy Model is employed to simulate 11 scenarios of cool roof uptake across the city, increased vegetation cover across the city, and a combination of these strategies. Cool roofs reduce urban temperatures during the day, and, if they are installed across enough rooftops, their cooling effect extends to the night. In contrast, increasing vegetation coverage reduces nighttime temperatures but results in minimal cooling during the hottest part of the day. The combination of cool roofs and increased vegetation scenarios creates the largest reduction in temperature throughout the heat wave, although the relationship between the combination scenarios is nonsynergistic. This means that the cooling occurring from the combination of both strategies is either larger or smaller than if the cooling from individual strategies were to be added together. The drier, lower-density western suburbs of Melbourne showed a greater cooling response to increased vegetation without enhancing human thermal stress due to the corresponding increase in humidity. The leafy medium-density eastern suburbs of Melbourne showed a greater cooling response to the installation of cool roofs. These results highlight that the optimal urban cooling strategies can be different across a single urban center.

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Response of Urban Heat Stress to Heat Waves in Athens (1960–2017)

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10090483 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 483 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

George Katavoutas ◽

Dimitra Founda

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Thermal Stress ◽

Heat Wave ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Hot Spot ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Stress Conditions ◽

Stress Levels ◽

Urban Heat ◽

Urban Sites

The increasing frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves seem to follow the observed global warming in recent decades. Vulnerability to heat waves is expected to increase in urban environments mainly due to population density and the effect of the urban heat island that make cities hotter than surrounding non-urban areas. The present study focuses on a vulnerable area of the eastern Mediterranean, already characterized as a ‘hot spot’ with respect to heat-related risk and investigates the change in heat stress levels during heat wave compared to non-heat wave conditions as well as the way that heat stress levels respond to heat waves in urban, compared to non-urban, environments. The adoption of a metric accounting for both the intensity and duration of the hot event yielded a total of 46 heat wave episodes over a nearly 60-year period, but with very rare occurrence until the late 1990s and a profound increased frequency thereafter. The results reveal a difference of at least one thermal stress category between heat wave and non-heat wave periods, which is apparent across the entire range of the thermal stress distribution. The analysis demonstrates a robust intensification of nighttime heat stress conditions in urban, compared to non-urban, sites during severe heat waves. Nevertheless, severe heat waves almost equalize heat stress conditions between urban and non-urban sites during midday.

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Heat wave impacts on the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum: Searching for photochemical and fatty acid biomarkers of thermal stress

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.058 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 95 ◽

pp. 1026-1037 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Eduardo Feijão ◽

Carla Gameiro ◽

Marco Franzitta ◽

Bernardo Duarte ◽

Isabel Caçador ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stress ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Heat Wave ◽

Phaeodactylum Tricornutum ◽

Fatty Acid Biomarkers

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Effectiveness of Urban Hydrological Processes in Mitigating Urban Heat Island and Human Thermal Stress During a Heat Wave Event in Nanjing, China

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/2020jd033275 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 125 (24) ◽

Author(s):

Xueyuan Wang ◽

Hongnian Liu ◽

Shiguang Miao ◽

Qigang Wu ◽

Ning Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stress ◽

Urban Heat Island ◽

Heat Wave ◽

Hydrological Processes ◽

Heat Island ◽

Heat Wave Event ◽

Wave Event ◽

Urban Heat

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Spatial associations between thermal stress and mortality in Hong Kong

ISEE Conference Abstracts ◽

10.1289/isee.2013.p-3-12-25 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 (1) ◽

pp. 4819

Author(s):

Thuan Quoc Thach ◽

Poh-Chin Lai ◽

Patsy YK Chau ◽

Qishi Zheng ◽

Crystal CY Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Thermal Stress ◽

Spatial Associations

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(A85) Analysis of Health Risk Perception and Behavior Changes during Elevated Temperatures for an Urban Chinese Population

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x11000914 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S1) ◽

pp. s24-s24 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

E.Y.Y. Chan ◽

J.H. Kim ◽

P.P.Y. Lee ◽

C.L.Y. Lin

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Heat Wave ◽

Chinese Population ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽

The Public ◽

Hot Weather ◽

The Relationship

BackgroundLimited research has been conducted to understand the relationship between heat wave warnings with public awareness and behavioral changes in the Asian population. The Hong Kong Observatory introduced the “very hot weather warning” in 2000 to alert the public of heatstroke and sunburn in Hong Kong. However, the population's behavioral responses to these weather alerts is unclear. Moreover, the relationship between perceived health risks and behavioral changes has not been examined. The goal of this study is to examine the health risk perceptions and behavioral changes following public heat wave warnings in Hong Kong.MethodsA cross-sectional, population-based, telephone survey, using the last-birthday method was conducted within two weeks following a heat wave warning in 2009. A heat warning and a health study instrument, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and related literature was developed and validated. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted.ResultsThe questionnaire was completed by 1,123 individuals whose socio-demographic characteristics were comparable to 2009 Hong Kong population census data. Of respondents, 83.6% were aware of the heat wave weather warning. Multivariate logistic regression of socio-demographic factors indicated that being female, those in middle age groups, and those with higher educational attainment was significantly associated with heat wave warning awareness. Among those aware of the public warning, the majority were unconcerned about potential adverse health effects, < 40% were aware of the community heat-related preparedness plans, and < 50% changed their behavior to mitigate the potential adverse health impacts of hot weather.ConclusionThis is the first study to examine climate change and health behavioral responses in an urban Chinese population. Future research direction should further investigate correlations between awareness and health protective actions, as well as the drivers for health behavioral changes that mitigate the impact of climate change.

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