Abstract The heat stress experienced by tourists in the visitor area is a typical phenomenon of l... more Abstract The heat stress experienced by tourists in the visitor area is a typical phenomenon of large-scale tropical archaeological sites. Climate change potentially worsens it and threatens the temple sustainability. The three objectives of this study are therefore to describe the microclimate characteristics determining the thermal comfort levels (indexed in the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET)) in the visitor area, define the adaptation level as a parameter for the mitigation strategies, and formulate the mitigation strategies for the extreme thermal condition in designing a climate-resilient archaeological park. This study utilized satellite image processing, seven-month field meteorological measurements, and surveys with a questionnaire to obtain the local and microclimate data, as well as visitors' thermal sensation and preferences. Subsequently, the data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis, and the results depict the uniqueness of local and microclimate characteristics of the archaeological site and visitors' adaptation level. The new PET's comfort range for hot months was discovered to be 33.5–36.0 °C. Based on the climate characteristics and subjective thermal comfort, this study formulated three mitigation strategies for the thermal condition of the visitor area. These are the placement of potted-tree clusters, planting numerous trees in the surrounding, and utilizing high solar reflective transparent coating.
The study was conducted to determine thermal stress and its trend in Iran. The atmospheric variab... more The study was conducted to determine thermal stress and its trend in Iran. The atmospheric variables of 304 synoptic stations, including mean temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and cloudiness, for the period 1961–2010, were used to identify the thermal stress conditions in Iran. These data were prepared on a daily basis from the Iran Meteorological Organization. Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and standard effective temperature (SET*) were used to identify thermal stress. Also, thermal stress was studied with a simple linear regression method and at a 95% confidence level. The results of the study revealed that in Iran each location can experience different types of environmental conditions throughout the year. At a specified time, thermal stresses of different intensities can be seen. The other results showed that the mountainous regions, especially the highlands of the northwest, along with the Zagros and Alborz mountains, had the highest co‐efficient of varia...
O planejamento urbano estratégico desenvolvido a partir de mapas temáticos aponta o potencial par... more O planejamento urbano estratégico desenvolvido a partir de mapas temáticos aponta o potencial para a inserção de infraestrutura verde na cidade que visa melhoria do bioclima térmico em cidades tropicais como Goiânia. O desenvolvimento de mapas temáticos com suporte em ferramentas computacionais, tais como sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG), Multispec e outros, permitem o mapeamento e análise de áreas urbanas visando a melhoria do conforto térmico, saúde e bem-estar da população em diferentes áreas da cidade. Neste capítulo apresenta-se a metodologia de análise bioclimática para o desenvolvimento de diretrizes de planejamento urbano para a adaptação às mudanças climáticas e eficiência energética em cidades tropicais como Goiânia. Metodologia: a) Caracterizar a área de estudo; b) Desenvolver um mapa temático de clima urbano baseado nas zonas de clima local (LCZ); c) Quantificar do bioclima térmico e simulação de cenários futuros com as seguintes diretrizes bioclimáticas: sombre...
BACKGROUND As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, m... more BACKGROUND As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer. The elderly and persons with chronic diseases are especially vulnerable to health problems due to heat. This article is devoted to the question of the extent to which the effects of heat waves in Germany are changing over time, and whether preventive health measures are working. METHODS We use a statistical model to quantify the effect of high mean temperatures on mortality. Within this model, different exposure-response curves for the three temporal intervals 1992-2000, 2001-2010, and 2011-2017 are estimated. Attention is also paid to the delayed effect on mortality of high mean temperatures in the preceding week. RESULTS Our analysis reveals a clear, systematic association of the mean temperature in the current week, as well as the mean temperature in the preceding week, with weekly mortality. This association is more pronounced for higher age groups and decreases over the years under analysis, with the exception of a relatively weak effect of heat in southern Germany in 1992-2000. The strongest effects were related to the heat waves in 1994 and 2003, with approximately 10 200 and 9600 fatalities, respectively. Approximately 7800 fatalities were estimated for the summer of 2006, and 4700 and 5200 for 2010 and 2015, respectively. CONCLUSION In Germany, as elsewhere, climate change has been causing more frequent, more intense, and longer periods of heat in the summer. The harmful effect of heat on health is reduced by adaptive processes, presumably including successful preventive measures. Such measures should be extended in the future, and perhaps complemented by other measures in order to further diminish the effect of heat on mortality .
Abstract The study aims to predict the effectiveness of three mitigation strategies in improving ... more Abstract The study aims to predict the effectiveness of three mitigation strategies in improving the thermal comfort of the visitor area at the Prambanan Temple Tourism Park formulated in the previous research, namely: cooling effects of a park surrounding the visitor area, cool transparent coating on the temple stones, and the placement of potted tree clusters (green parasols) based on strolling comfort distance. This study used validated ENVI-met microclimate models to predict the effectiveness measured by reducing the mean Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) value in the visitor area on the hottest day and during hottest hours caused by the implementation of each strategy. The simulation results show the role of shading created by green parasols in decreasing the PET value in the visitor area, i.e. 2.53 °C. Meanwhile, The PET values decrease by 1.75 °C due to the cool transparent coating and only by 0.23 °C due to the park surrounding the visitor area. The most significant reduction in the PET value by the park with 5 m high trees and a sparse grid layout compared to 10 park variants is found more related to the layout density.
Abstract Heat stress in the built environment has become a serious health and comfort issue, give... more Abstract Heat stress in the built environment has become a serious health and comfort issue, given the increases in Urban Heat Island effects, and augmenting impacts associated to climate change. This study deals with the potential correlations between human thermal conditions, the encircling microclimate, and the physical structure of the city. Through long-term numerical simulations, the disclosed study analyses the influence of the urban street configurations on the thermal bioclimate within urban canyons, specifically upon open balconies in the most populated district of Barcelona: The Eixample. The simulated thermal conditions were carried out in the human biometeorological RayMan Pro model using local climatic data, to determine the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) within four generated scenarios, with similar morphological properties of the Eixample district. The findings reveal that streets with axes oriented NS and SE-NW provide the best thermal conditions for balconies, achieving acceptable PET values (18 °C Our results and recommendations contribute to bridge the gap between human biometeorology, public health, and architectural and urban planning. Some areas of its direct application are the use of balconies in periods of confinement; decision-making on the sale or rental of apartments; and the promotion of bioclimatic retrofit projects at an urban and architectural scale supported by local governments.
Abstract This study quantifies the changes in thermal-stresses due to changes in tree-building-mo... more Abstract This study quantifies the changes in thermal-stresses due to changes in tree-building-morphology and background-wind, at a site in sub-tropical Patna, India, where new residential buildings are under-construction, after demolishing the old, including felling of around 180 trees. Six morphological-variants are compared through simulations, using the diagnostic model SkyHelios Pro, to identify the individual/synergetic thermal-effects of different morphological-attributes/ background-wind. SkyHelios allows for a fast spatial/temporal analysis of the thermal changes at a point of time/space, giving maximum output parameters. The highest spatial-mean-rise in mean radiant temperature/ physiological equivalent temperature of 3.4/2.9 °C occurs at noon, at background-wind 4.0 m/s, due to trees-removal-area of 30 % and built-up area addition of 79 %, simultaneously. Individual changes manifested by trees and buildings are quantitatively conservative/additive. Buildings contribute heat, related positively to horizontal built-up density, negatively to wind-permeability, and regardless of building-height/volume. Spatial-mean cooling by trees is higher at lower-winds, related positively to plantation-density though not necessarily linearly, depends on tree-building overlaps, ground-conditions, and wind-permeability. Wind-sheltered zones, oblique-narrow canyons, and building-skins are dominant heat-contributors and best beneficiaries of tree-shading at all background-winds. The study is limited to day-hours, excludes thermal-effects of tree-species and building-materials. Recommendations for passively-cooled outdoors, a core-issue concerning thermally-sustainable cities, are proposed.
The primary objective of the paper was the description of human‐biometeorological conditions duri... more The primary objective of the paper was the description of human‐biometeorological conditions during heat waves in Poland in the years 1966–2018. The description is based on the human‐biometeorological index Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET). The research was based on data obtained from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management—National Research Institute for 30 stations in Poland. A heat wave was defined as a sequence of at least 3 days with a maximum daily air temperature of >30°C. The research revealed increasingly frequent occurrence of heat waves in the territory of Poland. The highest number of heat waves was recorded in the western and southern regions of the country, and the lowest in coastal stations. In a large majority of stations, the longest heat waves occurred at the turn of July and August 1994 and in the first half of August 2015. In the case of two longest heat waves, human‐biometeorological conditions were similar, although they were more stren...
Abstract The heat stress experienced by tourists in the visitor area is a typical phenomenon of l... more Abstract The heat stress experienced by tourists in the visitor area is a typical phenomenon of large-scale tropical archaeological sites. Climate change potentially worsens it and threatens the temple sustainability. The three objectives of this study are therefore to describe the microclimate characteristics determining the thermal comfort levels (indexed in the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET)) in the visitor area, define the adaptation level as a parameter for the mitigation strategies, and formulate the mitigation strategies for the extreme thermal condition in designing a climate-resilient archaeological park. This study utilized satellite image processing, seven-month field meteorological measurements, and surveys with a questionnaire to obtain the local and microclimate data, as well as visitors' thermal sensation and preferences. Subsequently, the data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis, and the results depict the uniqueness of local and microclimate characteristics of the archaeological site and visitors' adaptation level. The new PET's comfort range for hot months was discovered to be 33.5–36.0 °C. Based on the climate characteristics and subjective thermal comfort, this study formulated three mitigation strategies for the thermal condition of the visitor area. These are the placement of potted-tree clusters, planting numerous trees in the surrounding, and utilizing high solar reflective transparent coating.
The study was conducted to determine thermal stress and its trend in Iran. The atmospheric variab... more The study was conducted to determine thermal stress and its trend in Iran. The atmospheric variables of 304 synoptic stations, including mean temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and cloudiness, for the period 1961–2010, were used to identify the thermal stress conditions in Iran. These data were prepared on a daily basis from the Iran Meteorological Organization. Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and standard effective temperature (SET*) were used to identify thermal stress. Also, thermal stress was studied with a simple linear regression method and at a 95% confidence level. The results of the study revealed that in Iran each location can experience different types of environmental conditions throughout the year. At a specified time, thermal stresses of different intensities can be seen. The other results showed that the mountainous regions, especially the highlands of the northwest, along with the Zagros and Alborz mountains, had the highest co‐efficient of varia...
O planejamento urbano estratégico desenvolvido a partir de mapas temáticos aponta o potencial par... more O planejamento urbano estratégico desenvolvido a partir de mapas temáticos aponta o potencial para a inserção de infraestrutura verde na cidade que visa melhoria do bioclima térmico em cidades tropicais como Goiânia. O desenvolvimento de mapas temáticos com suporte em ferramentas computacionais, tais como sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG), Multispec e outros, permitem o mapeamento e análise de áreas urbanas visando a melhoria do conforto térmico, saúde e bem-estar da população em diferentes áreas da cidade. Neste capítulo apresenta-se a metodologia de análise bioclimática para o desenvolvimento de diretrizes de planejamento urbano para a adaptação às mudanças climáticas e eficiência energética em cidades tropicais como Goiânia. Metodologia: a) Caracterizar a área de estudo; b) Desenvolver um mapa temático de clima urbano baseado nas zonas de clima local (LCZ); c) Quantificar do bioclima térmico e simulação de cenários futuros com as seguintes diretrizes bioclimáticas: sombre...
BACKGROUND As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, m... more BACKGROUND As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer. The elderly and persons with chronic diseases are especially vulnerable to health problems due to heat. This article is devoted to the question of the extent to which the effects of heat waves in Germany are changing over time, and whether preventive health measures are working. METHODS We use a statistical model to quantify the effect of high mean temperatures on mortality. Within this model, different exposure-response curves for the three temporal intervals 1992-2000, 2001-2010, and 2011-2017 are estimated. Attention is also paid to the delayed effect on mortality of high mean temperatures in the preceding week. RESULTS Our analysis reveals a clear, systematic association of the mean temperature in the current week, as well as the mean temperature in the preceding week, with weekly mortality. This association is more pronounced for higher age groups and decreases over the years under analysis, with the exception of a relatively weak effect of heat in southern Germany in 1992-2000. The strongest effects were related to the heat waves in 1994 and 2003, with approximately 10 200 and 9600 fatalities, respectively. Approximately 7800 fatalities were estimated for the summer of 2006, and 4700 and 5200 for 2010 and 2015, respectively. CONCLUSION In Germany, as elsewhere, climate change has been causing more frequent, more intense, and longer periods of heat in the summer. The harmful effect of heat on health is reduced by adaptive processes, presumably including successful preventive measures. Such measures should be extended in the future, and perhaps complemented by other measures in order to further diminish the effect of heat on mortality .
Abstract The study aims to predict the effectiveness of three mitigation strategies in improving ... more Abstract The study aims to predict the effectiveness of three mitigation strategies in improving the thermal comfort of the visitor area at the Prambanan Temple Tourism Park formulated in the previous research, namely: cooling effects of a park surrounding the visitor area, cool transparent coating on the temple stones, and the placement of potted tree clusters (green parasols) based on strolling comfort distance. This study used validated ENVI-met microclimate models to predict the effectiveness measured by reducing the mean Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) value in the visitor area on the hottest day and during hottest hours caused by the implementation of each strategy. The simulation results show the role of shading created by green parasols in decreasing the PET value in the visitor area, i.e. 2.53 °C. Meanwhile, The PET values decrease by 1.75 °C due to the cool transparent coating and only by 0.23 °C due to the park surrounding the visitor area. The most significant reduction in the PET value by the park with 5 m high trees and a sparse grid layout compared to 10 park variants is found more related to the layout density.
Abstract Heat stress in the built environment has become a serious health and comfort issue, give... more Abstract Heat stress in the built environment has become a serious health and comfort issue, given the increases in Urban Heat Island effects, and augmenting impacts associated to climate change. This study deals with the potential correlations between human thermal conditions, the encircling microclimate, and the physical structure of the city. Through long-term numerical simulations, the disclosed study analyses the influence of the urban street configurations on the thermal bioclimate within urban canyons, specifically upon open balconies in the most populated district of Barcelona: The Eixample. The simulated thermal conditions were carried out in the human biometeorological RayMan Pro model using local climatic data, to determine the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) within four generated scenarios, with similar morphological properties of the Eixample district. The findings reveal that streets with axes oriented NS and SE-NW provide the best thermal conditions for balconies, achieving acceptable PET values (18 °C Our results and recommendations contribute to bridge the gap between human biometeorology, public health, and architectural and urban planning. Some areas of its direct application are the use of balconies in periods of confinement; decision-making on the sale or rental of apartments; and the promotion of bioclimatic retrofit projects at an urban and architectural scale supported by local governments.
Abstract This study quantifies the changes in thermal-stresses due to changes in tree-building-mo... more Abstract This study quantifies the changes in thermal-stresses due to changes in tree-building-morphology and background-wind, at a site in sub-tropical Patna, India, where new residential buildings are under-construction, after demolishing the old, including felling of around 180 trees. Six morphological-variants are compared through simulations, using the diagnostic model SkyHelios Pro, to identify the individual/synergetic thermal-effects of different morphological-attributes/ background-wind. SkyHelios allows for a fast spatial/temporal analysis of the thermal changes at a point of time/space, giving maximum output parameters. The highest spatial-mean-rise in mean radiant temperature/ physiological equivalent temperature of 3.4/2.9 °C occurs at noon, at background-wind 4.0 m/s, due to trees-removal-area of 30 % and built-up area addition of 79 %, simultaneously. Individual changes manifested by trees and buildings are quantitatively conservative/additive. Buildings contribute heat, related positively to horizontal built-up density, negatively to wind-permeability, and regardless of building-height/volume. Spatial-mean cooling by trees is higher at lower-winds, related positively to plantation-density though not necessarily linearly, depends on tree-building overlaps, ground-conditions, and wind-permeability. Wind-sheltered zones, oblique-narrow canyons, and building-skins are dominant heat-contributors and best beneficiaries of tree-shading at all background-winds. The study is limited to day-hours, excludes thermal-effects of tree-species and building-materials. Recommendations for passively-cooled outdoors, a core-issue concerning thermally-sustainable cities, are proposed.
The primary objective of the paper was the description of human‐biometeorological conditions duri... more The primary objective of the paper was the description of human‐biometeorological conditions during heat waves in Poland in the years 1966–2018. The description is based on the human‐biometeorological index Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET). The research was based on data obtained from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management—National Research Institute for 30 stations in Poland. A heat wave was defined as a sequence of at least 3 days with a maximum daily air temperature of >30°C. The research revealed increasingly frequent occurrence of heat waves in the territory of Poland. The highest number of heat waves was recorded in the western and southern regions of the country, and the lowest in coastal stations. In a large majority of stations, the longest heat waves occurred at the turn of July and August 1994 and in the first half of August 2015. In the case of two longest heat waves, human‐biometeorological conditions were similar, although they were more stren...
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Papers by Andreas Matzarakis