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Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia

The rising global temperatures have posed challenges to human survival and well-being in various regions worldwide. However, little is known about human thermal stress exposure changes among populations living in extreme poverty and struggling to meet their basic needs. This study aimed to investiga...

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Main Authors: Kyaw, Aung Kyaw, Hamed, Mohammed Magdy, Shahid, Shamsuddin
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier Ltd 2023
Subjects:
TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Online Access:http://eprints.utm.my/105413/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106838
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spelling my.utm.1054132024-04-30T07:11:56Z http://eprints.utm.my/105413/ Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia Kyaw, Aung Kyaw Hamed, Mohammed Magdy Shahid, Shamsuddin TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) The rising global temperatures have posed challenges to human survival and well-being in various regions worldwide. However, little is known about human thermal stress exposure changes among populations living in extreme poverty and struggling to meet their basic needs. This study aimed to investigate the spatial patterns of changes in human thermal stress levels in South Asia using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). ERA5 HEAT data from 1979 to 2021 were analyzed using Sen's slope method and the Modified Mann-Kendall test to determine the changes in annual and seasonal thermal stress levels. The findings revealed that Bangladesh, located in the eastern part of South Asia, experiences the highest mean UTCI range (26 to 32 °C), while Afghanistan has the lowest among the South Asian nations. In contrast, the western part of South Asia, particularly the region bordering India and Pakistan, exhibits the highest daily maximum UTCI range (38 to 46 °C). Trend analysis indicated an increase in mean and maximum UTCI levels across the western part of South Asia, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwest India, at 0.25 to 0.75 °C/decade. This increase was more widespread during the June–September (JAS) period than in other seasons. In many regions of the study area, moderate and high thermal stress days increased by 4 to 8 days per decade. As a result, 27.6% of the area shifted from an average comfortable temperature to moderate thermal stress and 18.7% from moderate to strong thermal stress during JAS. Elsevier Ltd 2023 Article PeerReviewed Kyaw, Aung Kyaw and Hamed, Mohammed Magdy and Shahid, Shamsuddin (2023) Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia. Atmospheric Research, 292 (NA). NA-NA. ISSN 0169-8095 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106838 DOI : 10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106838
institution Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
building UTM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
content_source UTM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://eprints.utm.my/
topic TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
spellingShingle TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Kyaw, Aung Kyaw
Hamed, Mohammed Magdy
Shahid, Shamsuddin
Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
description The rising global temperatures have posed challenges to human survival and well-being in various regions worldwide. However, little is known about human thermal stress exposure changes among populations living in extreme poverty and struggling to meet their basic needs. This study aimed to investigate the spatial patterns of changes in human thermal stress levels in South Asia using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). ERA5 HEAT data from 1979 to 2021 were analyzed using Sen's slope method and the Modified Mann-Kendall test to determine the changes in annual and seasonal thermal stress levels. The findings revealed that Bangladesh, located in the eastern part of South Asia, experiences the highest mean UTCI range (26 to 32 °C), while Afghanistan has the lowest among the South Asian nations. In contrast, the western part of South Asia, particularly the region bordering India and Pakistan, exhibits the highest daily maximum UTCI range (38 to 46 °C). Trend analysis indicated an increase in mean and maximum UTCI levels across the western part of South Asia, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwest India, at 0.25 to 0.75 °C/decade. This increase was more widespread during the June–September (JAS) period than in other seasons. In many regions of the study area, moderate and high thermal stress days increased by 4 to 8 days per decade. As a result, 27.6% of the area shifted from an average comfortable temperature to moderate thermal stress and 18.7% from moderate to strong thermal stress during JAS.
format Article
author Kyaw, Aung Kyaw
Hamed, Mohammed Magdy
Shahid, Shamsuddin
author_facet Kyaw, Aung Kyaw
Hamed, Mohammed Magdy
Shahid, Shamsuddin
author_sort Kyaw, Aung Kyaw
title Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
title_short Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
title_full Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
title_fullStr Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over South Asia
title_sort spatiotemporal changes in universal thermal climate index over south asia
publisher Elsevier Ltd
publishDate 2023
url http://eprints.utm.my/105413/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106838
_version_ 1797906019777511424
score 13.211869

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