International Journal of Biometeorology最新文献

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus. Transmission to humans primarily occurs through direct contact with Mastomys rats or via the ingestion of food or usage of household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected rats. The MaxEnt algorithm was used to estimate the distribution of Lassa fever based on data on the incidence of the disease, ecogeographic features, and human factors. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to mitigate multicollinearity among the environmental variables. The model’s accuracy was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). The prevalence of Lassa fever is anticipated to be substantially affected by human factors (population density, roads, built-settlement, poverty), climatic variables (Prec11, Tmean01, Bio7, Bio12), and altitude. The model distribution map revealed that Owo, Ose, Akure North, Akure South, Akoko South-West, Akoko South-East, Akoko North-East, Ifedore, Idanre, Ondo, and Akoko North-West are very suitable regions. Our suitability map identifies hotspots, aiding public health officials in resource distribution to mitigate the current Lassa fever epidemic in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Living organisms, including human beings, spending time outdoors may be harmed by ultraviolet radiation. This research aimed to quantify the effects of vegetation, weather, and their interaction on UV-B irradiances (280–315 nm) in outdoor recreational spaces. UV-B irradiances in a playground shaded by trees and a roof garden in Hong Kong were monitored from 9 October 2020 to 3 November 2020. A turf was used as a control site. UV-B values during the after-school hours (12:00–13:00 h and 15:30–16:30 h) of a kindergarten in sunny and cloudy weather were analysed using mixed-effects models. The results showed high UV-B levels on the control turf (3.23 W/m²) and the roof garden (3.34 W/m²) on sunny midday but significantly lower in the playground (2.41 W/m²). Cloudy weather significantly decreased UV-B irradiances by 40%. The sparse and thin tree crowns in the playground implied equivalent UV-B protection factor values at 1.2–1.4, corresponding to a reduction in UV-B by 17–29%. Behaviourally, playtime could be postponed from midday to afternoon and shifted from sunny to cloudy days to avoid excessive UV-B exposure. This research highlighted the necessity of other sun protection measures despite protection from the tree canopy.

Urban morphology plays a pivotal yet underexplored role in mitigating urban heat. This study investigates the impact of geometric configurations of three typical residential neighborhoods in Tehran, Iran, on outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations conducted with the ENVI-met model. The dynamic thermal comfort (dPET) index was used to assess pedestrian thermal comfort, focusing on the following vulnerable groups: children and the elderly. Meteorological measurements, including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and mean radiant temperature, were obtained at each neighborhood site during July 1–3, 2024. These measurements were used to evaluate ENVI-met simulation performance by comparing observed to simulated data. We additionally examined the effect of a suite of adaptation strategies aimed at improving OTC through the following modifications: (1) raised material albedo to 0.5 and 0.75, and (2) added street trees with 50% and 75% fractional coverage. A final, maximum deployment scenario, incorporating 75% vegetation coverage and a material albedo of 0.75, was evaluated for all neighborhoods. Our analysis indicates that children could benefit from lower dPET values compared to the elderly during sunlit hours. However, both age groups benefit from enhanced OTC in high-rise neighborhoods. Maximum deployment of vegetation was highly effective in reducing dPET, particularly in high-rise configurations, with reductions of nearly 2 °C at noon. This study demonstrates the critical role of urban morphology and biophysical adaptation in shaping thermal environments and provides actionable insights for designing thermally comfortable and resilient urban spaces in hot and arid regions.

Varicella is a highly contagious disease that represents an escalating public health concern. This study aimed to assess the influence of meteorological factors on varicella incidence, identify vulnerable populations, and estimate the disease burden associated with meteorological exposure. Data were collected from Chongqing Municipality (2010–2019), including varicella case counts and seven meteorological variables. We employed a method combining a quasi-Poisson generalized additive model with a distributed lag nonlinear model and adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 183,692 varicella cases were reported. The analysis revealed that meteorological factors exhibited nonlinear relationships with varicella incidence. Notably, the strongest cumulative effects were observed for mean temperature (14.0 °C, RR = 1.246, 95% CI: 1.157–1.340), diurnal temperature range (0.6 °C, RR = 1.249, 95% CI: 0.993–1.571), relative humidity (97%, RR = 1.995, 95% CI: 1.639–2.429), aggregate rainfall (119.5 mm, RR = 5.062, 95% CI: 1.001–25.593), and mean air pressure (991.4 hPa, RR = 1.438, 95% CI: 1.331–1.554). Sunshine hours ≥ 5.6 h and wind speeds ≥ 2.1 m/s were protective. Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years exhibited the highest prevalence during periods of moderate temperature, high rainfall, and high humidity. Furthermore, the attributable risk analysis confirmed that meteorological factors significantly contribute to the varicella burden. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating meteorological patterns into public health strategies, including early warning systems and meteorologically specific interventions, to mitigate varicella transmission risk, particularly in the context of climate change.

Unresolved issues still exist regarding urban-rural disparity of temperature-related mortality among different regions. We collected daily all-cause mortality data from 7,439,777 individuals in 300 counties across six temperature zones in China, ranging from the coldest to hottest regions, from 2017 to 2021. Additionally, we obtained the daily average temperature, relative humidity, and concentrations of PM_2.5 and O₃ in these regions during the same period. Distributed lag non-linear model and meta-regression were used to analyse the data; the fraction of mortality attributable to low temperature was calculated. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the attributable fraction of low temperature between urban and rural areas in temperate regions (North China); this difference was relatively small in subtropical and tropical regions (South China), indicating that man-made protective facilities were more reliable in resisting the low temperature than people’s physiological adaptation. Central heating in urban areas in temperate regions resulted in a lower attributable fraction of low temperature at each age group, central heating was also necessary in the northern and middle subtropical regions to achieve the highest cold burden.

Environmental factors play a pivotal role in determining sprinter performance, with ambient wind being particularly influential. This study provides a detailed analysis of the effects of ambient wind on sprinting, using the National Stadium of China (NSC) as a case study and incorporating local meteorological wind data. Wind speed and direction data were obtained from the Beijing Meteorological Tower (BMT) for the period 2013 to 2017, enabling an analysis of local wind climate characteristics and the wind field. A local wind field model was developed and simulated in a wind tunnel, and wind environment tests on a refined NSC model yielded the wind speed distribution along the 100 m track, which was then integrated with the enhanced Mureika sprint model to assess the impact of ambient wind on sprint performance. The results, taking local wind climate characteristics into account, suggest that summer is the optimal season for holding 100 m competitions at the NSC, as the dominant wind direction and average wind speed during this period exert relatively small impact on performance. Specifically, a 2 m/s tailwind at the track’s midpoint improves performance by 0.082 to 0.111s, whereas a 2 m/s headwind generally reduces performance by no more than 0.13s.

The physiological response during interval exercise and its significance in determining thermal perception remain unclear. There is a paucity of quick and convenient thermal perception assessment methods in exercisers, which impedes the advancement of real-time thermal perception evaluation in exercise spaces. In this study, five thermal conditions were set up in a thermal chamber to simulate the thermal environment of a cold region and evaluate the dynamic physiological responses during interval exercise and their effect on temperature perception.The results showed that heart rate, sweat feeling index, and heat storage rate values were in line with thermal sensation dynamics. The calf’s skin temperature had the strongest correlation with thermal perception among the other skin temperatures. While heart rate was tightly linked to metabolic heat production, the calf’s skin temperature was affected by both exercise intensity and ambient temperature, which are directly related to thermal perception during interval exercise, and these two physiological can be tracked in real-time with portable devices. A model for predicting thermal perception was developed based on heart rate and the skin temperature of the calf, and the explanation rate was 89.8%.

Adverse or fluctuating weather conditions can negatively affect health, causing symptoms known as weather-related pain. Although pharmacological treatments, including painkillers, are commonly used, they frequently provide only symptomatic relief and may cause side effects. Therefore, interest in non-pharmacological and dietary interventions is increasing. While inner ear sensitivity to barometric pressure fluctuations—activating the sympathetic nervous system—has traditionally been considered the main mechanism, we propose that reduced oxygen utilization due to peripheral hypoxia under low barometric pressure is also a key factor. Kaempferol, a dietary flavonoid, has been shown in prior studies to enhance oxygen utilization and promote parasympathetic nervous system dominance. We hypothesized that daily kaempferol intake would alleviate weather-related discomfort by improving oxygen use and autonomic balance. In this pilot study, 458 individuals with moderate weather-related symptoms took 10 mg of kaempferol daily for 4 weeks. Participants completed questionnaires before and after the intervention. Data from 387 individuals with over 80% adherence were analyzed. Results showed significant reductions in symptom frequency (e.g., headache: Cohen’s d = 0.61, p < 0.001), duration (rank-biserial correlation = 0.64, p < 0.001), and severity (Cohen’s d = 0.57, p < 0.001). By the end of the intervention, over 80% of participants reported symptom improvement. These findings suggest that kaempferol is a promising non-pharmacological strategy for managing weather-related physical and mental symptoms by targeting oxygen utilization and autonomic regulation. This trial is registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000045066).

Regions with oceanic climates are experiencing unprecedented climatic changes. This study assesses the presence of heat stress in these regions and its impact on reproductive in Holstein cows using the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), a measure of thermal stress. Data was collected from 159 Holstein cows across experiments. Cows underwent a modified double-ovsynch synchronization protocol, while 96 cows were inseminated based on observed estrous. Cows were examined for body temperature, follicle and uterus examination, and serum progesterone concentrations to evaluate the impact of heat stress. The results of cows pregnancy rate in double-ovsynch synchronized cows were 48.5% and 43.3% in summer and winter seasons, respectively. While the pregnancy rate in non-synchronized cows were 29.5% and 32.7% in summer and winter season, respectively. Elevated THI levels (THI ≥ 72) have adversely effects on reproductive physiology, reduced estrous expression, decreased uterine blood flow, and altered progesterone concentrations. Mild heat stress during summer months in oceanic climate negatively impacted reproductive efficiency in dairy cows, for adaptive management strategies. The double-ovsynch protocol effectively stabilized fertility across seasons, demonstrating its value in improving reproductive outcomes under varying thermal conditions.

A set of protective clothing against infectious agents (PPE) is intended to prevent infection with pathogens, and the required high level of protection hinders heat exchange due to sweat evaporation. In heat stress conditions, evaporative heat loss through the skin from the user body to the external environment is then difficult or very limited, resulting in a significant impairment of overall heat exchange/transfer and, consequently, affects the productivity and health of PPE users. In order to check how the type of PPE clothing used and particular microclimatic conditions affect the subjective feelings of users, tests were conducted under controlled conditions in a climatic chamber. Two variants of the study were conducted: W1 - set with a barrier suit at an air temperature of 29 ^oC, W2 - set with a barrier suit at an air temperature of 22 ^oC. The results of the conducted studies indicate that the temperature of conducting the test has an impact on the subjective assessments of users of barrier clothing, after just 1 h of exposure. Controlling the air temperature (e.g. in a room) through air conditioning can reduce the intensity of physiological and psychomotor disorders.