International Journal of Biometeorology最新文献

This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of air pollution and temperature on mortality in 34 provinces of Thailand by modeling temperature as a confounding factor and effect modifier, estimating the effects of air pollution at low, moderate, and high temperature categories defined by the 1st and 99th province-specific temperature percentiles. When the temperature was modeled as a confounding factor, the relative risk (RR) of mortality associated with a 10 µg/m³ increase in PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 (lag 0-2), and a 10-ppb increase in NO₂ (lag 0-2) and O₃ (lag 0-7) was respectively 1.0096 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.0073, 1.0118), 1.0134 (95% CI: 1.0099, 1.0170), 1.0172 (95% CI: 1.0122, 1.0222), and 1.0164 (95% CI: 1.0093, 1.0236). Regarding temperature as an effect modifier, the combined effects of air pollution and temperature were observed as a U-shaped pattern, where the effects of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂, and O₃ on mortality were greater at low (< 1st percentile) and high (> 99th percentile) temperature days compared to those at moderate temperature days (1st - 99th percentile). The pattern of combined effects of air pollution and temperature remained robust even when different temperature percentiles were employed, except for that of NO₂. Furthermore, the estimated effects of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂, and O₃ on mortality at high-temperature days were mitigated by high green density. Findings of this study revealed that extreme temperature (both hot and cold) could exacerbate the effect of air pollution on mortality, and higher green density mitigate the combined effects of air pollution and high temperature.

The amount of sleep for children has been decreasing in the past decades. Artificial light at night in home and community settings is linked with increased sleep disturbances. Recently, smartphone and tablet use has increased among children and in childcare settings. We investigated the neighborhood environment (urban vs. rural) affects sleep time, screen time usage, and melatonin and cortisol concentration in real living conditions of preschool children in Japan. In this study, 26 children aged 3-6 years from urban and rural areas in Japan were participated. We collected saliva samples for melatonin and cortisol for three times. A questionnaire was given to the parents of the children to assess smartphone and television usage, and sleep duration for two weeks. We found that television watching time was significantly longer in urban area than in rural area (181 ± 82 min/day in urban vs. 112 ± 80 min/day in rural). However, melatonin and cortisol concentrations and sleep time were not significantly different between the rural and the urban areas. These results show that urban preschool children may engage in more screen time behavior than their rural counterparts. Finally, these findings may suggest the need for education and quality improvement initiatives to promote a healthy balance between sleep and sedentary screen time in both communities.

Global warming was positively related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) among outdoor workers. Based on the present systematic review, we gathered the risk factors (individual, environmental, and occupational) for climate change-induced CKD among outdoor workers up to 2023. There has been a rapid increase of CKD in tropical and subtropical countries with low and middle income. Among the risk factors air temperature, diabetes, hypertension, physically demanding job tasks, age, sex, dehydration, working and living in a hot environment, and body mass index (BMI) were the main contributors to CKD-related. Although the high hot-wet and hot-dry climate conditions related to CKD were high, this trend increased in developing countries. Climate change will adversely impact global kidney health over the century through its effects on temperature and the risk of endemic infections. Outdoor workers may face an elevated risk of CKD, with the male population being more vulnerable. Implementing preventive strategies (cooling techniques, acclimation, work/rest cycles, and appropriate clothing) against heat stress due to global warming is crucial.

Environmental factors and material construction parameters are both important considerations when evaluating the insulation performance of materials. The environmental factors of air layer thickness, wind speed, and ventilation are known to have a strong impact on insulation in fabric systems. This work builds on this knowledge by examining the interactions between these variables at different levels on various testing apparatuses- the small hot plate, the dynamic hot plate, and the heated torso. Additionally, the work assesses the effect of material air permeability and the influence on insulation at the various environmental conditions. A systematic approach revealed that material air permeability was primarily related to forced convective heat transfer and requires a minimum air layer thickness of 5 mm and wind speed of 1.3 m/s to be observed. Additionally, it was found that traditional methods of evaluating material thickness, such as ASTM D1777, apply a high force to the material and do not give an accurate measurement of uncompressed thickness- which is more indicative of what would be experienced during normal wear conditions. One sample in this study showed a difference > 2x when comparing the ASTM method to an alternative method (KES Compression Test) that applies a lower force, outlining the risk of inaccurate data.

Urban regeneration, which aims to provide increased sustainability in terms of higher quality urban environment and better urban livability, has been on the agenda in Türkiye. Ankara, the capital city, has long faced uncontrolled development of squatter areas due to rural-to-urban migration, resulting in critical structural problems, including low-quality constructions, poor infrastructure, and insufficient urban services. Urban regeneration has been presented as a solution to those problems. This study investigates whether urban regeneration provides environmental benefits in terms of mitigating urban heat islands (UHI). Two large-scale urban regeneration areas in Ankara, the New Mamak Urban Regeneration Project (NMURP) and the North Ankara Urban Regeneration Project (NAURP), are anaylzed, both of which have been undergoing transformation more than a decade. Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellite images were used to detect the land use-based changes in the surface UHI, based on UHIER index, between 2005 and 2022, CORINE datasets were utilized for land use classification in the study areas for comparison. The results show that UHI values decreased in entire project areas due to removal of squatter settlements and partial completion of the transformation. However, when the local variations are observed, it is concluded that UHI values increased in already transformed sites as a result of high built-up densities, where complex cultivation pattern is replaced by urban fabric in NMURP, agriculture and construction sites replaced by urban fabric, natural grasslands replaced by road network and urban fabric, and urban fabric is replaced by urban green areas and construction sites in NAURP.

Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a commonly used tool for monitoring heat stress in outdoor endurance races. The Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) have been proposed as alternatives to overcome WBGT's limitations, but PET also has shortcomings and needs improvement for effective use as a screening tool. The aim is to identify the best predictor for Exertional Heat Illness (EHI) and Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS) in outdoor races. Based on a 20-year dataset from the Falmouth Road Race, generalized linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between the incident rate and the predictors, and model performance was evaluated by leave-one-out cross-validation. The modified version of PET, mPET, had the highest explanation for EHI rate at 59%, with WBGT at 45.7%. UTCI and PET had the lowest explanatory power, 21% and 17.9% respectively. For EHS, WBGT had the highest explanatory power at 58.1%, and mPET followed with 49.1%. In cross-validation for EHI, the predicted values of mPET strongly correlated with the actual values (cor = 0.767, p < 0.05). In cross-validation for EHS, the predicted values of WBGT significantly correlated with the actual values (cor = 0.604, p < 0.05). Overall, mPET is a superior predictor for EHI rate compared with PET, WBGT and UTCI, but for EHS rate, further research is needed to identify the best predictor.

Air pollution and extreme weather events pose a serious threat to human health. We collected atmospheric pollution, meteorological factors, and hospitalisation data for ischemic heart disease (IHD) in Xinxiang, Henan Province, from 2016 to 2021. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression analysis, we explored the association between atmospheric pollutants (particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 μm [PM_2.5], particulate matter with diameter ≤ 10 μm [PM₁₀], nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], carbon monoxide [CO]), meteorological factors, and IHD hospitalizations. We evaluated synergistic effects using relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attribute proportion (AP), and synergy index (S). PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, CO, relative humidity, and cold spells were significantly associated with IHD hospitalization risk. Significant interaction effects (RERI > 0, AP > 0, S > 1) were found in PM_2.5-PM₁₀-NO₂ combinations. The attributable fractions were 3.4-7.3% for pollutant combinations and 8-17% during cold spells with different PM_2.5 levels. Males and individuals aged ≥ 65 were more susceptible to pollutants, while females and elderly individuals showed higher sensitivity to cold spells. These findings provide evidence for optimizing extreme weather warning systems and reducing air pollution exposure to protect public health.

Heat exposure in pregnancy has been associated with mother-child health. However, characterization of exposure to heat in pregnant women and its associated factors, such as air pollution, vegetation or social stressors, is lacking. We aimed to describe heat exposure according to air pollution and vegetation co-exposures, individual social position and socio-economic context of residence among French pregnant women. We studied 12,235 pregnant women from four mother-child cohorts. Exposure to heat (intensity, duration, severity), particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and vegetation during summer were estimated at the women's residences. Socio-economic context of residence was assessed using the European Deprivation Index (EDI). Cumulative overexposure to heat, air pollution and vegetation were estimated according to reference values. Three profiles of heat exposure, multi-exposure and individual social position, were created using multivariate analysis and unsupervised clustering. Associations of the profiles of heat exposure and multi-exposure with air pollution, vegetation, individual social position and EDI were described using Wilcoxon tests and polytomous regressions. About one-third of pregnant women had a high heat exposure profile combining intense, severe and durable exposure. Depending on the location and year of pregnancy, 27-88% of women were overexposed to heat, air pollution and lack of vegetation. The relationships between profiles of heat and multi-exposure with air pollution, vegetation and individual social position and socioeconomic context of residence depended on the geographical and temporal context. No clear differential exposure pattern across social strata was found. Co-exposure to heat, air pollution and lack of vegetation is common among French pregnant women. Protective measures against summer heat would apply to all pregnant women, as heat exposure represents a universal risk, regardless of socioeconomic status. This research supports future epidemiological studies on combined effects of heat and co-exposures on pregnancy outcomes.

We present a 483-year-long tree-ring chronology from a high-elevation Engelmann spruce stand in central Colorado. Over 800,000 density measurements produce a maximum latewood density (MXD) record, which together with tree-ring widths, is used to assess the climatic influences on radial tree growth. Variability in MXD is strongly related to local and regional August maximum temperatures (T_max) for 127 years of overlapping instrumental climate data. A single-predictor reconstruction based on the MXD record explains > 50% of the variance in regional August T_max is presented and considered robust for the period 1662-2021. The estimates of past temperature variability display phases of continuous cold conditions that are beyond the range of the instrumental record, including the 1830s. Our results further indicate that August T_max have been higher since the early 1990s than for any other 30-year period in the past 350 years. This recent increase occurs on top of multi-centennial warming, and appears to be driven mainly by less frequent cold summers rather than an increase in warm extremes.

The frequency and intensity variations of temperature extremes have received great attention in recent years. However, limited information is available on the variations in temperature extremes onset times. In this paper, we defined a set of evaluation indexes to quantify the onset times of temperature extremes. The spatiotemporal evolution of the onset times of temperature extremes in the Poyang Lake basin, China, was analyzed using daily temperature data from 87 meteorological stations in the area, covering the 1960-2022 period. The association between the onset times of temperature extremes and atmospheric circulations was further investigated in this study. We found that: (1) The onset times of all cold temperature events displayed a significant delaying trend (P < 0.01), while the onset times of all warm temperature events displayed a significant advancing trend (P < 0.05). (2) The variations in the onset times of temperature extremes were associated with atmospheric circulations. The Western Pacific Subtropical High-Intensity Index (WPSHI) and the Northern Hemisphere Subtropical High Area Index (NHSHAI) both correlated significantly negatively with the hot day onset date (SD30) (P < 0.01); the Arctic Oscillation (AO) showed significant positive and negative correlations with the frost onset date (SD0) (P < 0.05) and the warm season onset date (SD5) (P < 0.05), respectively. This study provides insights into the occurrence of extreme temperature events in the Poyang Lake basin, as well as useful references for implementing effective measures to reduce associated impacts.