Outdoor human comfort and thermal stress: A comprehensive review on models and standards

Coccolo, Silvia; Kämpf, Jérôme Henri; Scartezzini, Jean-Louis; Pearlmutter, David

doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2016.08.004

Cited by 309 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 119 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

168

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Adjoining the thermal indices already mentioned, and similarly to Fanger's model [64], Salata, Golasi, et al [81] proposed a logistic relationship between the observed percentages of dissatisfied and the mean thermal sensation votes on the ASHRAE 7-point scale in Mediterranean climates. Given the growing amount of research into the application of thermal assessment methods, there has likewise been a parallel attentiveness to the intrinsic correlations between the different indices themselves (e.g., [73,[82][83][84]). Additional indices were also discussed, particularly in Pantavou, Santamouris, et al [73], which presented an extensive comparative chart of existing indices, their respective formulae, and correlation coefficients.…”

Section: (No) Source Selected Study Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to Outdoor Thermal Comfort Thresholds through Public Space Design: A Review

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on the Köppen Geiger (KG) classification system, this review article examines existing studies and projects that have endeavoured to address local outdoor thermal comfort thresholds through Public Space Design (PSD). The review is divided into two sequential stages, whereby (1) overall existing approaches to pedestrian thermal comfort thresholds are reviewed within both quantitative and qualitative spectrums; and (2) the different techniques and measures are reviewed and framed into four Measure Review Frameworks (MRFs), in which each type of PSD measure is presented alongside its respective local scale urban specificities/conditions and their resulting thermal attenuation outcomes. The result of this review article is the assessment of how current practices of PSD within three specific subcategories of the KG 'Temperate' group have addressed microclimatic aggravations such as elevated urban temperatures and Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects. Based upon a bottom-up approach, the interdisciplinary practice of PSD is hence approached as a means to address existing and future thermal risk factors within the urban public realm in an era of potential climate change.

show abstract

Section: (No) Source Selected Study Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to Outdoor Thermal Comfort Thresholds through Public Space Design: A Review

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The UTCI has been evaluated and studied across different climate regions, as well as on spatial and temporal scales from the micro through to the macro (Coccolo et al 2016). In Europe the UTCI has been applied to evaluate the bioclimatic conditions in countries such as Crete, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland on a regional or city scale and across different time periods (Nemeth 2011; Novak 2013; Bleta et al 2014a; Matzarakis et al 2014; Błażejczyk and Błażejczyk 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing heat-related health risk in Europe via the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this work, the potential of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) as a heat-related health risk indicator in Europe is demonstrated. The UTCI is a bioclimate index that uses a multi-node human heat balance model to represent the heat stress induced by meteorological conditions to the human body. Using 38 years of meteorological reanalysis data, UTCI maps were computed to assess the thermal bioclimate of Europe for the summer season. Patterns of heat stress conditions and non-thermal stress regions are identified across Europe. An increase in heat stress up to 1 °C is observed during recent decades. Correlation with mortality data from 17 European countries revealed that the relationship between the UTCI and death counts depends on the bioclimate of the country, and death counts increase in conditions of moderate and strong stress, i.e., when UTCI is above 26 and 32 °C. The UTCI’s ability to represent mortality patterns is demonstrated for the 2003 European heatwave. These findings confirm the importance of UTCI as a bioclimatic index that is able to both capture the thermal bioclimatic variability of Europe, and relate such variability with the effects it has on human health.

show abstract

“…Heat indicators with only T and RH% taken into account, as in most studies, may have high false-negative rates, thus causing some high heat-stress days to be missed. Current heat indicators considering only T and RH% have their basis on human comfort (Coccolo et al, 2016), which is subjective and different from "heat stress". A proper heat-stress indicator in a heat warning system should be related to human physiological changes with negative health impacts; and WBGT as a heatstress indicator has extensive physiological-based evidences (Bernard, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New approach to identifying proper thresholds for a heat warning system using health risk increments

Cheng

Lung

Hwang

2019

Environmental Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: A critical adaptation strategy for reducing heat-related health risk under climate change is to establish a heat warning system with a proper threshold that requires evaluation of heat-health relationships using empirical data. Objectives: This work presents a new approach to selecting proper health-based thresholds for a heat warning system which are different from thresholds of heat-health relationship. Methods: The proposed approach examined heat-health relationships through analyzing 15 years of health records with a modified generalized additive model (GAM), compared risk ratio increments (RRIs) of threshold candidates against a reference, assessed frequency of days above these candidates, and presented results graphically for easy communication. The candidate with the maximum RRI and proper occurring frequency is potentially the best threshold. Three heat indicators, including wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), temperature (T), and apparent temperature (AT), as well as three health outcomes, including all-cause mortality, heatrelated hospital admissions, and heat-related emergency visits were evaluated. Results: Risk ratios for all three health outcomes showed a consistent rising trend with increasing threshold candidates for all three heat indicators among different age and gender groups. WBGT had the most obvious increasing trend of RRIs with the three health outcomes. The maximum RRI was observed in heat-related emergency visits (242%), followed by heat-related hospital admissions (73%), and all-cause mortality (9%). The RRIs assessed for the three health outcomes pointed to the same thresholds, 33.0°C, 34.0°C, and 37.5°C for WBGT, T, and AT, respectively. The number of days above these thresholds and for warning to be issued ranged between 0 and 7 days during 2000-2014. Discussion: This study demonstrated a new approach to determining heat-warning thresholds with different heat indicators and health outcomes. The proposed approach provides a straightforward, feasible, and flexible scientific tool that assists the authorities around the world in selecting a proper threshold for a heat warning system.

show abstract

Outdoor human comfort and thermal stress: A comprehensive review on models and standards

Cited by 309 publications

References 119 publications

Approaches to Outdoor Thermal Comfort Thresholds through Public Space Design: A Review

Approaches to Outdoor Thermal Comfort Thresholds through Public Space Design: A Review

Assessing heat-related health risk in Europe via the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)

New approach to identifying proper thresholds for a heat warning system using health risk increments

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About