International Journal of Biometeorology最新文献

Climate change is expected to intensify thermal stress in coastal ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this study, we investigate species-specific and colony-level variation in thermal tolerance among three psammophilous ant species (Mycetophylax spp.) inhabiting Brazilian coastal dunes. Using critical thermal limits (CTmin and CTmax), linear mixed-effects models, and heritability estimates, we assessed the role of diel activity rhythms and genetic structure in shaping thermal performance. Results revealed that M. simplex, a nocturnal and substrate-specialized species, exhibited significantly lower CTmin and CTmax values compared to diurnal congeners, and that colony identity explained a substantial portion of variance (H² = 0.53 for CTmin, H² = 0.39 for CTmax). These findings suggest limited thermal resilience and evolutionary constraints in M. simplex, reinforcing its potential as a bioindicator of thermal vulnerability. Given projected warming and habitat disturbance in southeastern Brazil, we highlight the importance of integrating functional traits and genetic metrics into environmental monitoring and conservation planning.

The therapeutic potential of spa landscapes represents an emerging intersection between environmental psychology, medical geology, health geography, and wellness tourism research. This narrative review synthesizes existing empirical findings and theoretical frameworks to examine how spa environments contribute to human health and well-being outcomes. Historically, European spa towns exemplify therapeutic landscapes, rooted in the use of natural healing resources such as mineral waters, gases, peloids, and climate. These environments are shaped not only by their physical resources but also by multisensory qualities, spatial aesthetics, and cultural traditions, which together create complex therapeutic settings. Drawing from landscape architecture, environmental psychology, therapeutic horticulture, and medical geography, this review explores the mechanisms through which natural and designed spa landscapes facilitate healing processes. Evidence suggests that benefits arise from interactions between environmental quality, embodied experiences, and social and cultural factors. Yet scientific understanding remains fragmented, and no unified typology of spa environments, whether medical or wellness-oriented, or across various global contexts, currently exists. This review highlights the need for interdisciplinary empirical studies and proposes a conceptual basis for future research bridging environmental science, health geography, and wellness studies.

In the mechanism of thermal health problems, not only body temperature but also blood pressure and blood flow rate are key factors. Human body simulation is a useful tool for predicting these physiological quantities under various conditions. Therefore, we aimed to develop a new human-body simulation model to predict body temperature, blood pressure, and blood flow rate. Our model consists of a "physical model" that simulates the phenomena of heat and blood transfer based on the physical properties of the human body, and an "autonomic regulation model" that simulates the phenomena in which the physical properties of the human body are regulated by the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The physical model consists of a "thermal network (TNW) model" that simulates heat flow and body temperature, and a "cardiovascular (CV) model" that simulates blood flow and blood pressure. In this study, we focused only on developing the physical model. In addition, based on experimental data from a recent study, parameter settings were derived to simulate an average Japanese male in their 20s. By applying the derived parameter settings to the physical model developed in this study, we confirmed that the calculated body temperature, blood flow rate, and blood pressure under a thermally neutral and supine condition reproduced the experimental values well.

Air pollution influences climate change and contributes to respiratory allergies, yet interactions between these factors are less understood. The escalation of air pollutants and temperature increases can influence pollen concentrations, shifts in pollen seasons, and an increase in seasonal allergies. This study investigates trends of Broussonetia papyrifera, Pinus, Cannabis sativa, and grasses (Poaceae) pollen in Pakistan over the past 16 years, as well as their correlations with air pollutants and meteorological parameters. Minute-based data of 10 air pollutants were recorded using a HAZ-6000 scanner in Islamabad during 2022-23. Datasets on meteorological parameters (such as precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) and pollen concentrations (2008-2023) were retrieved from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Both datasets were normalized, and monthly averages were calculated. Spearman correlation of pollen concentrations with air pollutants and meteorological factors was performed. Mean monthly pollen concentrations, meteorological parameters, and air pollutants were plotted utilizing the NCAR Command Language (NCL). Interestingly, O₃, CO₂, and NO₂ showed a positive correlation, whereas SO₂, NO, and CO showed a negative correlation with daily pollen concentrations/m³. Pollen season trends comparative analysis indicated a shift in seasonal pollen integral (SPIn), start date, and duration. This is the first study from Pakistan to suggest that increasing temperature and air pollutants correlate with higher pollen concentrations and extended pollen season. This research provides a baseline system for examining allergenic pollen season shifts over time, indicating an increase in pollen allergy abundance with climate change in South Asia.

Objective Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant public health threat, particularly for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women. This study examines the association between heatwave and coldwave exposure and the risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) at delivery in North Carolina from 2011 to 2019. Methods We incorporate a matched analysis design using patient delivery data to identify disparities across the rural-urban continuum, measurements of neighborhood racial and economic inequality, geographic region, and sociodemographic groups (age, race/ethnicity, and insurance type). Results We found elevated risks of SMM associated with heatwave and coldwave exposures We observed an increased risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM20) at delivery following exposure to heatwave (HW RR: 1.07, CI: 1.02 to 1.11) and coldwave (CW RR: 1.05, CI: 1.02 to 1.09) events during the last week of gestation in the advanced maternal age (> 35) subgroup. For coldwaves, the risk of SMM20 was elevated during the last week of gestation in both the western mountains (RR: 1.10, CI: 1.02 to 1.18) and rural (RR: 1.14, CI: 1.01 to 1.29) regions. Hispanic subgroups exhibited elevated SMM risks, particularly during heatwaves (lag0 to lag7, RR: 1.09, CI: 1.00 to 1.18) and coldwaves (lag0 to lag3, RR: 1.10, CI: 1.01 to 1.19; lag0 to lag7, RR: 1.04, CI: 1.00 to 1.07). Conclusion Our findings suggest that extreme temperature events exacerbate vulnerabilities in specific maternal subpopulations, underscoring the need to account for local context and population characteristics in maternal health assessments. Future research should continue to explore these associations and the role of additional environmental and social factors in SMM risk.