scholarly journals Are the Levels of Lipid Parameters Associated with Biometeorological Conditions?

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.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 533-555
Author(s):  
A. Santos Nouri ◽  
Y. Afacan ◽  
O. Çalışkan ◽  
Tzu-Ping Lin ◽  
A. Matzarakis
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Thermal Climate ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
The City ◽  
Extreme Heat Stress ◽  
Cold Extremes

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

scholarly journals Evaluation of Tourism-Climate Conditions in the Region of Kłodzko Land (Poland)

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 907
Author(s):  
Bartłomiej Miszuk
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Thermal Climate ◽  
Tourism Information ◽  
Tourism Climate ◽  
Favorable Weather ◽  
Tourism Attractions ◽  
The Impact

Kłodzko Land is one of the most important regions of Poland in terms of tourism and health issues. Numerous tourism attractions and health resorts make the region attractive for both tourist and bathers. The goal of this paper was to evaluate the impact of weather conditions on tourism-related conditions and their changes in the multiannual period. In the analysis, the indices of heat days, the UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) and CTIS (Climate Tourism Information Scheme) tools were used. The research on heat days and the UTCI indicated a significant increase in the heat-stress frequency over the last decades. Simultaneously, the number of weather types related to cold stress has considerably decreased. Such trends were noticed in the entire region, in all the considered hypsometric zones. The rising tendency was also observed for strong and very strong heat stress (UTCI > 32 °C), which negatively affects health problems. The analysis showed that the most extreme thermal and biothermal conditions, in terms of heat stress, occur under southern and eastern anticyclonic circulation. The CTIS analysis showed that favorable weather conditions for most of tourism activities are noticed in the warm half-year. The usefulness of weather conditions for tourism can vary depending on atmospheric circulation.

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 ◽  
...  
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.

scholarly journals THERMAL COMFORT DEFINED BY UTCI FOR THE MONTH AUGUST OF 2017 IN THE CITY OF BIJELJINA

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (25) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dijana Đurić
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Space Tourism ◽  
Bioclimatic Index ◽  
Thermal Climate ◽  
Planning Space ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Knowledge of the thermal comfort of an area is of increasing importance when planning space, tourism, recreation and the health of the population that lives or is currently located there. Due to the great anthropogenic changes of nature, the temperature is rising, which is expressed especially in urban environments. The impact of temperature rise is best seen in Europe by monitoring summer meteorological parameters. The research was done by analyzing meteorological parameters of the city of Bijeljina, which is a thermal island in the area of Semberija in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meteorological parameters during the summer months are unfavorable and affect thermal comfort, which often reflects through the health of the population. For this research were observed and calculated values of bioclimatic index UTCI or Universal thermal climate index, for the month August of 2017 which was one of the hottest months in the 21th century.

scholarly journals Thermal stress assessment for an Arctic city in summer

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.

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

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.

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

2020 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2095044 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Future Changes in Human-Biometeorological Index Classes in Three Regions of Luxembourg, Western-Central Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Leona Lokys ◽  
Jürgen Junk ◽  
Andreas Krein
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
The Impact

Projected climate change will cause increasing air temperatures affecting human thermal comfort. In the highly populated areas of Western-Central Europe a large population will be exposed to these changes. In particular Luxembourg—with its dense population and the large cross-border commuter flows—is vulnerable to changing thermal stress. Based on climate change projections we assessed the impact of climate change on human thermal comfort over the next century using two common human-biometeorological indices, the Physiological Equivalent Temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index. To account for uncertainties, we used a multimodel ensemble of 12 transient simulations (1971–2098) with a spatial resolution of 25 km. In addition, the regional differences were analysed by a single regional climate model run with a spatial resolution of 1.3 km. For the future, trends in air temperature, vapour pressure, and both human-biometeorological indices could be determined. Cold stress levels will decrease significantly in the near future up to 2050, while the increase in heat stress turns statistically significant in the far future up to 2100. This results in a temporarily reduced overall thermal stress level but further increasing air temperatures will shift the thermal comfort towards heat stress.

scholarly journals Borderless Heat Stress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloe Brimicombe ◽  
Claudia Di Napoli ◽  
Rosalind Cornforth ◽  
Florian Pappenberger ◽  
Celia Petty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
News Media ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Climate Index ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Radiant Temperature ◽  
The Impact

<p>Heatwaves have been increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity. They have been the deadliest hydro-meteorology hazard globally for the last 5 years according to the world meteorological organisation. In addition, they are not constrained by geography in the same sense as many other hazards and as such they are borderless. They however receive less attention, research, and funding internationally than other hazards such as floods and storms, effecting how we perceive their risk and their reporting. Here we consider the impact of heatwaves by making use of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for indicating heat stress. The UTCI is a biometeorological index that computes thermal stress using the parameters of 2m temperature, wind speed, mean radiant temperature and relative humidity and a body model, making it a human-centric approach to assessing thermal stress and is skilful for both indicating and forecasting heat hazards. Further a comparison to how heat impacts are reported in EM-DAT (an international disasters database) and international meteorological organisation reports, supplemented by English news media reports is made to assess whether heat impacts are sufficiently reported. In addition, we refer to specific case studies of the United Kingdom, Ghana, and Uganda to further explore impacts, risk perception and policy at a country level, because although heat is borderless impacts occur on a local scale. All this together, will provide the evidence for the development a potentially global early warning system and the implementation of climate change adaptation on a local level to build adaptive capacity and resilience to the growing risk of heat stress internationally. </p>

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

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document