scholarly journals Bioclimatic Conditions of Paris, Rome and Budapest on the Basis of the Universal Thermal Climate Index

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danuta Idzikowska

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the main features of the bioclimatic conditions of three European cities using a new Universal Thermal Climate Index. Daily values of meteorological variables for 12 UTC for the cities for 1990-2001 were used in the study. Using the frequency of UTCI and one-way Anova, the results showed that in all the three cities “no thermal stress” dominated throughout the year. “Extreme” values of heat as well as “cold stress” were observed but in none of the cities “extreme cold stress” occurred. The values of UTCI differed for all the three cities in each studied year. The cities differed from each other in each month during the whole year with the exception of spring - March and April.

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-127
Author(s):  
Mateusz Dobek ◽  
Sylwester Wereski ◽  
Agnieszka Krzyżewska

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.


Author(s):  
V. V. Vinogradova

The paper uses the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) to estimate the bioclimate in Russia, initiated by the Commission of the International society of Biometeorology. The UTCI index can be described as equivalent environment temperature (°C), which provides the same physiological impact on humans as the actual environment. Assessment of bioclimatic conditions is shown for the territory of Russia in the period of modern climate change (2001–2015). Cold stress conditions (from low to extreme) were observed in the almost all territory of Russia for about 8–11 months a year. During the rest of the year, the conditions are neutral or comfortable. The period of extreme and very high cold stress is reduced during the modern climate warming (compared to the period 1961–1990), especially in the Arctic, in the European part of Russia, in Western and Eastern Siberia. At the same time, the period with neutral and comfortable thermal conditions increases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-182
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Lindner-Cendrowska ◽  
Peter Bröde

The objective of this study was to assess biothermal conditions in the selected Polish health resorts for specific forms of climatic therapy. We calculated Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for ten-year period (2008- 2017) and then added adjustment terms, taking into account changes in metabolic rates during various physical activities from resting to vigorous exercise. The adjusted UTCI values increased with rising activity, implying that warmer parts of the year were unsuitable for intensive forms of climatotherapy. These results demonstrate that the UTCI adjustment procedure provides well-balanced assessments of bioclimatic conditions for the purpose of climatic treatment considering the level of activity


Author(s):  
Monika Okoniewska

Abstract The objective of research involved the comparison of daily and seasonal courses of thermal stress occurring in Central Europe depending on the inflowing air mass. The analysis used data from Warsaw (1991–2000), including air temperature (°C), water vapour pressure (hPa), wind speed (m s−1) and cloud cover (%). Universal thermal climate index was calculated and subsequently averaged for the individual months and four types of atmospheric air masses: polar maritime (mP), arctic(A), polar continental (cP) and tropical (T). The studies analysed differences in daily patterns of the averaged values of universal thermal climate index between air masses and determined the frequency of days with various types of thermal stress in individual air masses. The analyses indicated that under the conditions of Central Europe, the highest daily variance of biothermal conditions occurs between the masses of cP and T in the spring and autumn. Considerably greater diversity of biothermal conditions was observed between the masses during daytime compared with nighttime, especially in the warm half of the year. The thermal stress, which can be encountered in Central Europe, ranges from an “extreme cold stress” in winter at night and early morning hours to “very strong heat stress” in summer at noon. Extreme thermal stress is related primarily to the masses of cP, A and T. The most optimal biothermal conditions occur during the advection of mP air.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alrun Jasper-Tönnies ◽  
Yannick Back ◽  
Peter Bach ◽  
Wolfgang Rauch ◽  
Thomas Einfalt ◽  
...  

<p>Unsere Städte sind kontinuierlichen Veränderungen unterworfen. Das Bevölkerungswachstum führt zu einem steigenden Bedarf an Wohn-, Gewerbe- und Verkehrsflächen und damit zu voranschreitender Versiegelung von natürlichen Flächen. Durch den Klimawandel sind unter anderem vermehrt auftretende Starkniederschläge, aber auch längere Trockenperioden und Hitzewellen zu erwarten (z.B. IPCC, 2014). Somit sehen sich Städte in naher Zukunft großen Herausforderungen ausgesetzt. Gleichzeitig sind Ressourcen für Anpassungsmaßnahmen begrenzt, und Flächen, die für Anpassungsmaßnahmen benötigt würden, stehen unter hoher Nutzungskonkurrenz. Vor diesem Hintergrund rücken Anpassungsmaßnahmen in den Vordergrund, die einen mehrfachen Nutzen aufweisen, wie dezentrale Entwässerungsmaßnahmen. Durch die Behandlung von Niederschlagswasser direkt vor Ort können gleichzeitig Grünflächen und Schattenplätze geschaffen, sowie Infiltration, Evapotranspiration und die Speicherung von Wasser gesteigert werden. Neben einer Entlastung des städtischen Abwassersystems kommt es damit auch zu einer Verbesserung des urbanen Mikroklimas und zu einer Minderung von Hitzeinseln. Die Auswirkung dezentraler Entwässerungssysteme auf das urbane Mikroklima wurde hier am Beispiel der Stadt Innsbruck näher untersucht. Zukünftige Klimaänderungen wurden anhand von Beobachtungsdaten und regionalen Klimaprojektionen aus EURO-CORDEX/ReKliEs unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener RCP-Szenarien (Abb. 1, 2) abgeschätzt. Indikatoren wie der Universal Thermal Climate Index wurden mittels eines vereinfachten Ansatzes in Abhängigkeit von lokalen Standorteigenschaften in einem GIS (Geoinformationssystem) simuliert (Back et al., 2020). Dieser Ansatz dient der Analyse urbaner Hitze auf mehreren Maßstabsebenen und kann unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener RCP-Szenarien durchgeführt werden (Abb. 3). Eine Koppelung dieses Ansatzes mit einem Ansatz nach Simperler et al. (2018), zur Differenzierung städtischer Strukturtypen und ihrer Potenziale und Einschränkungen für die dezentrale Niederschlagswasserbehandlung, soll prioritäre Gebiete zur Einbettung optimierter Anpassungsmaßnahmen lokalisieren und dadurch Synergieeffekte fördern. Diese Arbeit ist Teil der Projekte CONQUAD (Projekt Nr. KR16AC0K13143) und cool-INN (Projekt Nr. KR19SC0F14953), welche vom Österreichischen Klima- und Energiefonds gefördert werden.</p><p><strong>Literatur</strong></p><p>Back, Y., Bach, P.M., Jasper-Tönnies, A., Rauch, W. und Kleidorfer, M. (2020). A rapid fine-scale approach to modelling urban bioclimatic conditions. Science of the Total Environment. Revision Process.</p><p>Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). Summary for policymakers. IN: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1-32.</p><p>Simperler, L., Himmelbauer, P., Stöglehner, G. und Ertl, T. (2018). Siedlungswasserwirtschaftliche Strukturtypen und ihre Potenziale für die dezentrale Bewirtschaftung von Niederschlagswasser. Österreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft, Wien.</p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gnp.8dc32f38488f51196672061/sdaolpUECMynit/21-TKD&app=m&a=0&c=b90baff20f885e52746c33cca59e5d0c&ct=x&pn=gnp.elif" alt="" width="525" height="378"></p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gnp.9cad14f6488f50856672061/sdaolpUECMynit/21-TKD&app=m&a=0&c=381acd600b8ccddf546902279086aa4b&ct=x&pn=gnp.elif" alt="" width="433" height="291"></p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gnp.3eefdc36488f56936672061/sdaolpUECMynit/21-TKD&app=m&a=0&c=ee59c3cd5d6e5663a3d4c996da0683b7&ct=x&pn=gnp.elif" alt=""></p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-376
Author(s):  
Monika Okoniewska

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Błażejczyk Krzysztof ◽  
Nejedlik Pavol ◽  
Skrynyk Oleh ◽  
Halaś Agnieszka ◽  
Skrynyk Olesya ◽  
...  

AbstractIn mountain areas, air circulation plays a major role in the forming of the climate. This paper examines how it influences thermal stress in the northern Carpathians. The Niedźwiedź’s classification of air circulation was applied. Thermal stress was assessed by Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Daily meteorological and circulation data for the period 1986–2015 were used for 20 stations in Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. Air circulation was found to have a significant impact on thermal stress. The highest UTCI values are observed at Ca+Ka (centre of the high and anticyclonic wedge or ridge of high pressure) and the lowest values at N+NE and W+NW circulation; at the Southward stations, UTCI is higher than in the Northward ones; thermoneutral days are more frequent on the southward than on the northward slopes; during N+NE, E+SE and W+NW circulation and for heat stress days, the greatest thermal privilege of the southward slopes is observed at E+SE, S+SW, Ca+Ka and Cc+Bc (centre of low and through of low pressure) types of circulation.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1117
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Marek Tomczyk

The study objective was to characterise human-biometeorological conditions in the summer season in the period 1966–2019 in Poland, with particular consideration of June 2019. The study was conducted based on data from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management—National Research Institute (IMGW–PIB) for the years 1966–2019. The data provided the basis for the calculation of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The study revealed high spatial variability of human-biometeorological conditions in Poland, with strenuous character intensifying from the north to the south of the country. An increase in UTCI in the summer season was recorded in the studied multi-annual period. It was the most intensive in the north-eastern Poland. The consequence of the observed changes was an increase in the frequency of days with heat stress categories (days with UTCI > 26.0 °C), and a decrease in the frequency of days with cold stress categories (days with UTCI < 9.0 °C). Season 2019 stood out at the scale of the entire country in the context of the multi-annual period. This particularly concerns June, when mean monthly UTCI values were the highest in the analysed multi-annual period.


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