Commonly used indices disagree about the effect of moisture on heat stress.

ABSTRACT: Irrigation and urban greening can mitigate extreme temperatures and reduce adverse health impacts from heat. However, some recent studies suggest these interventions could actually exacerbate heat stress by increasing humidity. These studies use different heat stress indices (HSIs), hindering intercomparisons of the relative roles of temperature and humidity. Our method uses calculus of variations to compare the sensitivity of HSIs to temperature and humidity, independent of HSI units. We explain the properties of different HSIs and identify conditions under which they disagree. We highlight recent studies where the use of different HSIs could have led to opposite conclusions. Our findings have significant implications for the evaluation of irrigation and urban greening as adaptive respons

SUBMITTER: Simpson CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7615504 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature