Perceived temperature in the course of climate change: an analysis of global heat index from 1979 to 2013

Abstract

Abstract. The increase in global mean temperatures resulting from climate change has wide reaching consequences for the earth's ecosystems and other natural systems. Many studies have been devoted to evaluating the distribution and effects of these changes. We go a step further and propose the use of the heat index, a measure of the temperature as perceived by humans, to evaluate global changes. The heat index, which is computed from temperature and relative humidity, is more important than temperature for the health of humans and animals. Even in cases where the heat index does not reach dangerous levels from a health perspective, it has been shown to be an important factor in worker productivity and thus in economic productivity.We compute the heat index from dew point temperature and absolute temperature 2 m above ground from the ERA-Interim reanalysis data set for the years 1979-2013. The described data set provides global heat index aggregated to daily minima, means and maxima per day (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.841057). This paper examines these data, as well as showing aggregations to monthly and yearly values. Furthermore, the data are spatially aggregated to the level of countries after being weighted by population density in order to facilitate the analysis of its impact on human health and productivity. The resulting data deliver insights into the spatiotemporal development of near-ground heat index during the course of the past three decades. It is shown that the impact of changing heat index is unevenly distributed through space and time, affecting some areas differently than others. The data can serve as a basis for evaluating and understanding the evolution of heat index in the course of climate change, as well as its impact on human health and productivity.

Projected Heat Stress Under 1.5 °C and 2 °C Global Warming Scenarios Creates Unprecedented Discomfort for Humans in West Africa

“…It has been used worldwide in a number of studies, as it shows the highest consistency with the original equation of apparent temperature (Anderson et al, 2013). These Earth's Future studies include Diffenbaugh et al (2007) focusing on the Mediterranean region; Oleson et al (2015) applying it for United States and Canada; Lee and Brenner (2015) employing it for the entire globe; and Ropo et al (2017) focusing over London and South Africa.…”

“…It has been used worldwide in a number of studies, as it shows the highest consistency with the original equation of apparent temperature (Anderson et al, 2013). These Lee and Brenner (2015) employing it for the entire globe; and Ropo et al (2017) focusing over London and South Africa.…”

Influence of heat index on regional mortality in Europe

“…Not only has HI risen over the past decades, but also the likelihood and intensity of extreme heat events has increased significantly in Europe (Lee and Brenner, 2015). Average HI for all of Europe is higher this century than in the last (see figure 1).…”

“…HI values were obtained from a global dataset derived from the ERA-Interim weather reanalysis (Berrisford et al, 2009) available in high spatiotemporal resolution for the entire planet (Lee, 2014). It is provided on a 75°x75°latitude-longitude grid and aggregated to daily minima, means and maxima for each grid point on the globe for the years 1979-2013.…”

“…Heat events have been observed to increase in frequency and intensity in Europe since 1979 (Lee and Brenner, 2015).…”