International Journal of Biometeorology最新文献

Climate change poses significant challenges for agricultural production, potentially altering crop distribution, productivity, and the prevalence of plant diseases. This study focuses on the fungus Verticillium dahliae which causes disease in over 400 plant species, significantly impacting cotton in most major cotton producing countries. We investigate how climate suitability for V. dahliae could change in the future, using New South Wales (NSW), Australia, as a case study. Our research examines the interplay between factors affecting the prevalence of V. dahliae infection, including fungal strain, temperature and rainfall. Using a 1992multi-criteria analysis approach, we evaluated climate suitability for V. dahliae under both historical and projected mid-21st century future climate conditions. This method combines peer-reviewed evidence with expert knowledge to assess potential impacts. Our findings suggest that climate change is likely to alter the number of months that are suitable for V. dahliae growth and potentially shift the distribution of fungal strains across NSW. Our modelling shows that the more aggressive defoliating strain is likely to become more prevalent in northern NSW, and the less aggressive non-defoliating strain is likely to become less prevalent, particularly in northern NSW. Our study provides valuable insights for agricultural planning and adaptation strategies in the face of climate change.

To investigate the effect of heat days on the frequency of emergency medical service (EMS) missions and its specific effect on certain vulnerable populations and diseases. Analysis with temperature data from 107 weather stations and EMS data from the German federal state of Bavaria between 2018 and 2020 was performed. A generalized linear model with a negative binomial distribution was chosen for the analysis and adjusted for regional and temporal confounding. Several models were created to estimate the heat effect and compare the vulnerabilities for the total population and specific subgroups. The outcome of interest was the percent change of EMS missions on heat days. A heat day was defined as a day with temperature ≥ 30 °C. The two days following the heat day were defined as lag days. Our analyses show a significant association between heat days and the number of EMS missions. On heat days, 8,5% (CI: 7,4% − 9,6%) more EMS missions occur than on days without high temperatures. EMS mission frequency increases by 3.4% and 1.7% during the two lag days respectively. EMS missions due to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases show a greater increase during high temperatures than EMS missions due to other diseases. Heat days are a major factor for an increase in EMS missions. Increased deployment volumes during periods of heat must be considered when planning the provision of EMS. Climate change could have a greater impact on the provision of emergency medical services than currently anticipated.

Heat stress has emerged as a critical issue amid climate change, particularly in urbanizing areas like India. This study examines heat stress in Pune, focusing on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) through field experiments conducted during the peak summer months of April and May 2024. The research aimed to understand how urban design, vegetation, and socio-economic factors influence heat stress levels. Three distinct locations in Pune: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Fergusson College (FC), and Agriculture College (AGR) were selected to represent varying degrees of urbanization. WBGT meters were installed uniformly at a height of 4 feet to ensure accurate readings, with hourly measurements taken from 9 AM to 6 PM. The highest WBGT index was recorded at FC, the most urbanized site, indicating increased heat stress. Analysis revealed that maximum heat stress typically occurred between 1 PM and 3 PM, with variations depending on the location. The study established WBGT threshold limits for Pune: 31.5 °C (90th percentile), 32 °C (95th percentile), and 33 °C (99th percentile), corresponding to low, moderate, and extreme heat stress levels. Further investigation into meteorological factors showed a strong positive correlation between WBGT and ambient temperature, while relative humidity and wind speed had a reverse correlation. Notably, southerly winds contributed most significantly to heat stress. The study highlights WBGT as a vital metric for assessing heat stress, integrating temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. The findings provide essential insights for policymakers, urban planners, and environmentalists, guiding strategies to mitigate the challenges of climate change and enhance urban resilience against heat stress.

This study investigated the effects of heat stress (HS), calving period, and farm-level management on the metabolic and productive responses of transition dairy cows. Conducted on three commercial farms in northwestern Spain, the study employed a multifactorial design across two seasons (winter and summer) and four peripartum time points. Biochemical parameters, including non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), urea, total protein, albumin, glucose, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) were analyzed using repeated-measures MANOVA. No significant three-way interactions were found, but several two-way interactions emerged. Notably, NEFA and urea levels varied significantly between farms, while total protein and albumin were influenced by both partum stage and season. Elevated NEFA and BHB concentrations postpartum indicated intensified lipid mobilization and negative energy balance, exacerbated under HS. Reduced albumin and increased urea levels suggested hepatic stress and altered protein metabolism. Farm-specific differences in ASAT during summer highlighted the role of local environmental and management conditions. These findings underscore the complex interplay between physiological stage, environmental stressors, and farm practices. Tailored intervention (such as nutritional adjustments, cooling systems, and precision monitoring) are essential to mitigate the metabolic burden of HS and safeguard cow health and productivity. Future research should explore long-term impacts and adaptive strategies across diverse production systems.

This research examines the impact of Climate Adaptation Policies(CAP) on Tourism Resilience(TR), a key issue for the sustainable development of tourism. Existing research has focused on temperature and precipitation, overlooking the role of CAP in shaping TR. Using panel data from 278 Chinese cities (2000-2022), this study applies the entropy method within the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response framework to measure TR. The research explores how CAP affect TR, focusing on Advanced Industrial Structure and Total Factor Productivity in Tourism. The findings show that: (1) CAP significantly enhance TR in urban areas; (2) the impact is stronger in regions with higher economic development and technological capacity; (3) CAP have positive and negative spillover effects on TR at distances of 0-50 kilometers and 75-100 kilometers, respectively. This study provides insights for promoting sustainable urban tourism development.

With the increasing frequency of summer heatwaves under global warming, Qinghai Province, located on the Tibetan Plateau in western China, is a cold and high-elevation region that has emerged as an attractive summer destination, drawing a growing number of tourists and showing substantial potential for tourism development. However, there is a lack of local thermal comfort studies to inform sustainable tourism planning in the region. Based on the ERA5 dataset from 1979 to 2024, this study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and thermal comfort in Qinghai Province. The results indicate that the regional average UTCI of − 6.81 °C corresponds to slight cold stress and has increased at a rate of 0.4 °C/decade, resulting in an increase of 3.49 comfortable days/decade, primarily driven by rising 2 m air temperatures. Qinghai, particularly Haidong and Xining, has become increasingly favorable for summer tourism due to both the higher proportion and growth of comfortable summer days, hosting three of the province’s four national 5 A-level tourist attractions, the highest official rating for scenic sites in China. The ongoing enhancement of thermal comfort presents significant opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.

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.

Cold spells are intensively studied for their associations with mortality, but evidence is limited in low-latitude plateau regions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of cold spells on the mortality risks in Yunnan Province. Mortality and meteorological data were collected from 129 counties in Yunnan between 2014 and 2020 and summarized into 16 administrative regions as the research units. A quasi-Poisson-based distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to assess the impacts of cold spells on mortality in cold seasons (October to March). Random-effects meta-analysis was applied to compute the pooled effects, and spatial heterogeneity and population vulnerability were evaluated by adjusting for regional characteristics and stratified analysis. The best model fit was obtained when cold spells were defined as the daily average temperature below the 10th percentile for 3 consecutive days. The pooled relative risks (RR) of non-accidental mortality for lag 0 days, lag 0–7 days, lag 0–14 days, and lag 0–21 days were 1.01 (95% CI: 1.01–1.02), 1.08 (1.04–1.12), 1.11 (1.06–1.17), and 1.13 (1.06–1.20), respectively. Higher cold spell effects were observed for cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality, with RRs of 1.14 (1.06–1.23) and 1.22 (1.13–1.32), respectively. Populations in the more easterly regions of Yunnan, or individuals aged ≥ 75 years, exhibited higher risks of non-accidental mortality Cold spells increased mortality risk, with the effect modified by geography, age, and lag days. These findings indicate the necessity to develop regional prevention strategies and early warning systems.

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.

Workers engaged in outdoor activities are more vulnerable to heat stress and climate change due to direct exposure to environmental conditions. This study aims to preliminary evaluate the applicability of the Discomfort Index (DI)—an empirical index based on dry-bulb and dew point temperatures—in assessing heat stress in open-air environments across various climatic regions of Iran. We employed the De Martonne climatic classification, encompassing six distinct climates, and selected one representative station for each. Meteorological parameters, including minimum and maximum temperatures (°C) and relative humidity (%), were collected from synoptic stations across these six different climatic regions of Iran (Garmsar, Gorgan, Rasht, Ilam, Qaem Shahr, and Piranshahr) over a 30-year period (1987–2017). Necessary parameters, such as dew point temperature and water vapor pressure (hPa), were calculated using established formulas. Subsequently, the DI and three widely utilized heat stress indices (WBGT, ET, and THI) were computed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23) and Excel 2013. The highest spring dew point temperature (15.8 ± 2.6 °C) was recorded in Rasht’s very humid climate in May, while the lowest (-1.28 ± 3.3 °C) was in Piranshahr’s humid climate in March. In summer, Gorgan (semi-humid climate) exhibited the highest dew point temperature in August (21.56 ± 1.7 °C), whereas Ilam (Mediterranean climate) recorded the lowest in June (1.95 ± 3.1 °C). The highest mean values of the DI, WBGT, ET, and THI indices during spring and summer were observed in Gorgan’s semi-arid climate in May and August, respectively. Conversely, the lowest values were documented in Piranshahr’s humid climate in March and June. Correlation analyses between the DI and other thermal indices in both spring and summer revealed a direct and significantly high correlation. The highest correlation coefficient for the DI was found in the semi-humid climate (R2 = 0.999), while the lowest was observed in the Mediterranean climate (R2 = 0.934). The strong correlation between the DI and other examined heat stress indices, along with its straightforward calculation method, absence of globe temperature measurement requirements, and estimability through meteorological data, positions it as a valuable tool for assessing thermal stress in open environments. Given its high validity and efficiency, the DI presents a viable alternative to more complex indices. The findings indicate that simpler indices, such as the DI, can enhance the management of thermal conditions and mitigate heat stress risks across various regions.