Assessment of Human Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Palm Grove during the Date Palm Phenological Cycle

Abstract

Oasis settlements in Saharan lands present a particular model of life for rural individuals’ adaptation to environmental challenges. This study investigated human outdoor thermal comfort in a palm grove of the Tolga region, Algeria, during the phenological cycle of the date palm. Date palms are the primary economic source of the cultivators, who mainly live in houses inside the cultivated area. For this study, an area of 21 hectares with 220 palm trees was selected. The phenological cycle of the date palm was divided into three growth stages, including seasonal variations as well. The cycle covers a period of 8 months from March to November. Therefore, on-site monitoring of the microclimate was performed during March–November 2021. The climatic factors of air temperature and humidity were monitored at an interval of 10 min. The discomfort index based on temperature ranges covering discomfort conditions was used. The results showed that the cultivators work under extreme temperatures for 5.5 months during the phenological cycle. The spring period was more comfortable, while slight to extreme discomfort was observed in the summer and fall seasons, especially between midday and 7 p.m. Temperatures below 25 °C are comfortable for the cultivators; however, severe discomfort occurs at 30 °C or above. Moreover, the humidity was not a dominant factor for discomfort. These findings can be helpful for architects and planners to devise solutions that can fulfil human comfort requirements and date palm cultivar conditions, specifically during extreme thermal situations.

A methodological approach to evaluate the passive cooling effect of Oasis palm groves

“…The study is conducted in Tolga Oasis Territory, in Biskra Province, in the southern part of Algeria's most populated area, at the foot of the Saharan Atlas Mountains (Matallah et al, 2021;Matallah et al, 2022). The territory is located on the northern Saharan plains in North Africa and is characterized by a strong coexistence between the built environments and the palm groves (Fig.…”

“…The current study recorded a continuous hourly field measurement inside a real agricultural oasis settlement (palm grove) between the 25 th of March 2021 and the 25 th of March 2022. Thus, the study is primarily based on three successive seasons (spring, summer and fall), each of which these seasons are representative of the phenological cycle of the palm grove during the year (Matallah et al, 2022).…”

Street Design Strategies Based on Spatial Configurations and Building External Envelopes in Relation to Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Climates

“…As of 2022, Biskra City had 730,000 inhabitants, making it the region's most densely populated city. The territory is known for date palm cultivation, with over 4,000,000 million palm trees implantations of diverse varieties, most notably, the worldwide high-quality 'Deglet Nour' variety [31]. The Ziban region is considered the primary agricultural pivot in local food exchanges and one of the favorable export resources contributing to the Algerian economy [32].…”