scholarly journals Biothermal conditions on Mt. Zlatibor based on thermophysiological indices

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milica Pecelj ◽  
Aleksandar Djordjevic ◽  
Milovan Pecelj ◽  
Jelena Pecelj-Purkovic ◽  
Dejan Filipovic ◽  
...  

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.

2021 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-222
Author(s):  
Milica Pecelj ◽  
Anna Błażejczyk ◽  
Nemanja Vagić ◽  
Peca Ivanović

The study deals with an assessment and interpretation of the bioclimatic conditions in Vranje (southern Serbia). The study aims at temporal distributions of bioclimatic conditions focussing on extreme thermal stress based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The meteorological data required for the calculation of UTCI concern hourly (7 and 14 CET) weather data collected for the period 2000-2017. The frequency of very strong heat stress (VSHS), very strong cold stress (VSCS) and extreme cold stress (ECS) for both morning and midday hours. Furthermore, the daily difference of the UTCI hourly values (diurnal UTCI change) are specified, giving the daily variance of heat and cold stress. The results revealed the frequency of days in which thermal stress prevails for the studied period. The obtained results show an increase in extreme heat biothermal conditions, while extreme cold biothermal conditions are in decline, especially in the last 10 years. However, the frequency (the number of days) of very strong heat stress (VSHS) increased since 2007. A spectacular increase in heat stress was observed in the month of September, particularly in 2015.


FLORESTA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeline Martini ◽  
Daniela Biondi ◽  
Antonio Carlos Batista ◽  
Kendra Zamproni ◽  
Jennifer Viezzer ◽  
...  

O objetivo deste artigo foi analisar a percepção da população com relação ao conforto térmico proporcionado pela arborização de ruas na cidade de Curitiba. Para isso foram realizadas entrevistas simultaneamente em uma rua arborizada e outra sem arborização, nas quatro estações do ano. Paralelamente, foram também coletados dados meteorológicos para calcular o índice de conforto térmico nesses ambientes. O índice utilizado foi o Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) e o seu valor foi comparado com a resposta dada pelos entrevistados. A porcentagem de pessoas que declaram não estar sentindo nem frio e nem calor na rua arborizada foi menor do que na rua sem arborização, possivelmente devido ao maior número de entrevistados na primavera e outono, estações com características climáticas amenas. Dos entrevistados, 54,3% sentiam-se confortáveis termicamente nas ruas sem árvores, enquanto que na rua arborizada esse número foi 76,5%. A maioria dos entrevistados (98,3%) afirmou que arborização de ruas proporciona melhores condições de conforto térmico. O índice utilizado, UTCI, refletiu aproximadamente 60% da sensação de conforto expressa pelos entrevistados. Conclui-se que a população que transita pelas ruas da cidade de Curitiba consegue perceber a diferença entre as ruas arborizadas e não arborizadas por meio das sensações de conforto térmico.Palavras-chave: Arborização urbana; índice de conforto térmico; qualidade de vida; UTCI. AbstractPopulation’s perception on thermal comfort provided by street trees of Curitiba - PR. This research aims to analyze the population’s perception regarding thermal comfort provided by street trees in the city of Curitiba. Therefore, interviews were conducted simultaneously on streets with and without trees, during the four seasons. At the same time, meteorological data were collected to calculate the thermal comfort index for these environments. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was used and its value was compared to the answers given in the interviews. The amount of people who said they were not feeling neither cold nor heat on the streets with trees was lower than on the streets without trees, possibly due to a greater number of people who were interviewed during spring and fall, seasons with mild climatic characteristics. While 54.3% of the people felt comfortable in the streets without trees, 76.5% felt the same on streets with trees. Most interviewee (98.3%) said that street trees provide better thermal comfort. The UTCI revealed approximately 60% of the comfort sense expressed by the population. We concluded that the population who roam the streets of the city of Curitiba - PR can perceive the difference between streets with and without trees through the sensations of thermal comfort.Keywords: Urban forestry; thermal comfort index; quality of life; UTCI.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milica M. Pecelj ◽  
Milica Z. Lukić ◽  
Dejan J. Filipović ◽  
Branko M. Protić

Abstract. The objective of this paper is the assessment of bioclimatic conditions in Sebia. A special emphasis has been given to the heat budget bioclimatic Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) whose purpose is to evaluate degree of thermal stress that human body is exposed to during the last twenty years. In addition, the thresholds of daily maximum temperatures are analysed in order to identify increase and frequency of heat waves in Serbia. For this research, daily and hourly (07 h and 14 h) meteorological data from 3 weather station (Mt. Zlatibor, Novi Sad, Niš) are collected for the period 1998–2017. The results show that the most frequent UTCI heat stress categories are strong heat stress and very strong heat stress. The most extreme heat waves events are occurred in 2007, 2012, 2015 and 2017. Moreover, there were three Heat wave events (HWE) in Niš occurred in July, 2007 lasting 3, 10 and 4 days in row. Heat wave events (HWE) In July 2007 (10 days) and July 2012 (9 days) in Niš are occurrences with maximum number of days in row recorded.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 533-555
Author(s):  
A. Santos Nouri ◽  
Y. Afacan ◽  
O. Çalışkan ◽  
Tzu-Ping Lin ◽  
A. Matzarakis

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


Author(s):  
Skutecki ◽  
Cymes ◽  
Dragańska ◽  
Glińska-Lewczuk ◽  
Buciński ◽  
...  

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.


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 819
Author(s):  
Ștefana Banc ◽  
Adina-Eliza Croitoru ◽  
Nicoleta Afrodita David ◽  
Andreea-Sabina Scripcă

Bioclimatic indices are very important tools to evaluate the thermal stress of the human body. The aims of this study were to analyze the general bioclimatic conditions in ten big cities in Romania and to find out if there has been any change in five bioclimatic indices over a 56-year period: 1961–2016. The indices considered were: equivalent temperature, effective temperature, cooling power, universal thermal climate index and temperature-humidity index. They were calculated based on the daily meteorological data of air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed recorded in 10 weather stations in Romania: Bucharest-Băneasa, Botoșani, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Iași, Oradea, Sibiu and Timișoara. The features investigated for trend detection consisted of the frequency and length of the occurrence period for each class and for each index. The test used for trend detection was Mann-Kendall and the magnitude of the trend (the slope) was calculated by employing Sen’s slope method. The main results are based on frequency analysis. Three indices showed comfort class as dominant whereas the other two indicated cold stress conditions as dominant in the area. There was a shift from the cold stress conditions to the warm and hot ones for all the indices. The most stressful conditions for hot extremes did not indicate significant change. The climate in the big cities of Romania became milder during the cold season and hotter during the warm period of the year. The analysis of the length of each thermal class indicated mainly longer occurrence periods during the year for comfortable or warm stress classes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-231
Author(s):  
P.I. Konstantinov ◽  
◽  
M.I. Varentsov ◽  
M.Y. Grishchenko ◽  
T.E. Samsonov ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2021-2036
Author(s):  
Milica M. Pecelj ◽  
Milica Z. Lukić ◽  
Dejan J. Filipović ◽  
Branko M. Protić ◽  
Uroš M. Bogdanović

Abstract. The objective of this paper is to assess the bioclimatic conditions in Serbia during summer in order to identify biothermal heat hazard. Special emphasis is placed on the bioclimatic index UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index), whose purpose is to evaluate the degree of thermal stress that the human body is exposed to. For this research, mean daily and hourly (07:00 and 14:00 CET) meteorological data from three weather stations (Zlatibor, Novi Sad and Niš) have been collected for the period from 1998 to 2017. In order to identify patterns of biothermal heat stress conditions, the thresholds of the daily UTCI (UTCI ≥38 ∘C, referred to as very strong heat stress, VSHS) at 14:00 CET are compared with the thresholds of daily maximum air temperature (tmax⁡≥35 ∘C, referred to as hot days, HDs), which are further termed as heat wave events (HWEs). The findings show that the UTCI heat stress category “very strong heat stress“ at 14:00 CET indicates heat waves. The most extreme heat wave events occurred in 2007, 2012, 2015 and 2017. Moreover, three HWEs at Niš that occurred in July 2007 lasted 3, 10 and 4 d. HWEs and very strong heat stress events (VSHSEs) recorded in July 2007 (lasted 10 d each), 2012 (lasted 9 and 12 d) and 2015 (lasted 7 and 10 d) were of the longest duration and are considered to be the indicators of biothermal heat hazard. The daily UTCI14 h heat stress becomes more extreme in terms of severity and heat wave duration up to very strong heat stress.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartłomiej Miszuk

AbstractThe main goal of this paper was to assess the intensity of heat stress in Lower Silesia, Poland, during selected weather events characterized by high air temperatures. The complex impact of weather on the thermal load of the human organism is presented using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The analysis was carried out for the 2015 and 2018 summer seasons and compared with the multiannual period of 1971–2018. It was based on meteorological data from the IMGW-PIB stations of Wrocław, Jelenia Góra and Śnieżka. In order to examine how heat conditions affect UTCI in different geographical regions, stations located at different altitudes and representing the lowlands, the lower mountain zone and the summit zone of the Sudetes Mountains were considered. The research showed that during the most extreme thermal events, UTCI values in the lowlands and the lower mountain zones can be among the highest heat stress classes. In the summit zone, the maximum UTCI values are usually classed as ‘no thermal stress’.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8595
Author(s):  
Lindita Bande ◽  
Abeer Alshamsi ◽  
Anoud Alhefeiti ◽  
Sarah Alderei ◽  
Sebah Shaban ◽  
...  

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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