WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION TECHNICALTECHNICAL NOTE NOTE No. No. 123 2 THEMETHODS ASSESSMENT OF OABSERVATION OF HUMAN BIOCLIMATE AT SEA A LIMITED REVIEW OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS PART I – SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE by Professor H.E. LANDSBERG WMO-No.WMO-No. 26. 331 TP. 8 Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization – Geneva – Switzerland WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION TECHNICAL NOTE No. 123 THE ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN BIOCLIMATE A LIMITED REVIEW OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS by Professor H. E. Landsberg eel Rapporteur for Human Biometeorology IWMO - No. 331 I Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization .. Geneva .. Switzerland 1972 © 1972, World Meteorological Organization NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the "World Meteorological Organization concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. CONTENTS Page Foreword . V Summary (English, French, Russian, Spanish). VII Introduction .. XI Historical notes .. I Basic considerations 2 Some physiological aspects 4 Meteorological measures to represent environmental stress. 12 Bioclimatic classification attempts . 22 The expanding scope of human bioclimatology 30 References . 33 FOREWORD At its fourth session (Stockholm, 1965), the WMO Commission for Climatology (now Commission for Special Applications of Meteorology and Climatology) appointed Professor H. E. Landsberg as Rapporteur for Human Bio­ meteorology. In this capacity Professor Landsberg prepared a comprehensive survey paper on physical bioclimatology dealing with the expression in physical laws of the thermal influences of climate. At its fifth session (Geneva, 1969), the Commission expressed its satisfaction with this report and recommended that it be published as a WMO Technical Note. In a somewhat revised form, the report is now reproduced in the present Technical Note. I am glad to have this opportunity of expressing to Professor Landsberg the sincere appreciation of the World Meteorological Organization for the work and time he has spent in preparing this valuable paper. t::s ~., .• .... (D. A. Davies) Secretary-General SUMMARY Maintenance of stability in the human body in relation to the atmospheric environment by physiological or technological adjustments is essential for human survival in many parts of the Earth. The capability to adapt by acclimatization is limited. Various indices have been developed to assess the effects of heat and cold on human beings. Some are quite complex ~nd include all elements of the energy balance. They require measurements not generally made by meteorological services. But at the cold end the simple factors of wind chill (a combination of temperature and wind speed) or cooling power (which also includes radiative factors) and at the warm end effective temperature (a combination of temperature, humidity and sometimes wind) have proved adequate for many biometeorological purposes. These indices can be readily obtained from regular meteorological measurements or easily available equipment. Bioclimatic classifications to characterize comfort conditions at various localities or for mapping of these conditions for an area have been attempted. These are variously based on classes of atmospheric enthalpy l cooling power, or wind chill. Much work remains yet to be done to quantify health hazards caused by the atmospheric e_nvironment either as etiological parameters or as aggravators of existing pathological states. Dans maintes regions du globe, pour pouvoir survivre, 1'homme doit absolument assurer la stabilire thermique de son corps en depit des fluctuations de l'environnement atmospherique en s'adaptant physiologiquement au teclmi· quement aux circonstances. La capacite d'adaptation par acclimatation est limitee. Divers indices ont ete mis au ·point pour evaluer les effets exerces sur les etres humains par la chaleur et par Ie froid. Certains de ces indices sont tres complexes et tiennent compte de taus les elements du bilan energetique. Leur etablissement necessite des mesu­ res qui ne sont generalement pas faites par les services meteorologiques. Par ailleurs, les facteurs simples que sont, en ce qui concerne Ie froid, Ie refroidissement dl1 au vent (effet combine de la temperature et de lao vitesse du vent) au Ie pouvoir nSfrigerant (dans lequel entre egalement en jeu Ie rayonnement) et, en ce qui concerne la chaleur, la temperature effective (effet combine de Ia temperature, de l'humidite et, parfois, du vent) se sont re.veIes suffisants pour satisfaire 11 de nombreux besoins de Ia biometeorologie. Ces indices peuvent etre determines aisement apartir de mesures· mMeorologiques regulieres, ou grace it Un equipement qu'il est facile de se procurer. Pour caracteriser les conditions de confort en divers Heux ou pour les representer cartographiquement pour l'ensemble d'une zone, on a essaye d'etablir des classifications bioclimatiques en fonction de classifications de l'en­ thalpie et du pouvoir refrigerant de l'atmosphere ou du refroidissement dO. au vent. II reste encore beaucoup a faire pour exprimer quantitativement les risques que l'environnement atmospherique fait courir ala sante soit en etant a l'origine d'etats pathologiques, soit en aggravant les etats pathologiques qui existent deja. PE310ME TIo,u;;o;epmaHH8 YCTOHlJMBOCTH lJ8JIOB8lf8CIWI'O opraH1I8Ma no OTHOIII8HI11O R aTMOC<pepHOfi oRpymaIOrqeM cpeA8 rrYT8M 1f1118HoJIoFMlJecRoro MJUI T8XHM"lIeCROrO npl1cIIoco5JI8HHH K HeM H806xoP;HMO AJIH coxpaH8HHH QeJIOB8-qeCKofi JRMBHH BO MHorMX lJaCTHX MMpa. B08MOlliHOCTh rrpHCIIOCd5MThca rrYT8M aKKJIHMaTHSaU;HH OrpaHKlJeHa. Paspa60TaHbr paBHoo6paSH:bI8 RHA8RCbI AJIH OIJ,8HRH BJIHfIHI1H T8IIJIa 11 XOJIo,u;a Ha -qe.nOB8Ra. HeKOTOphIe liB HRX ,n;OBOJIbHO CJID'lliHbI :If BKJIIOqaIOT Boe 8JI8M8HTbI ;:mepreTHlJeClWrO 6aJIaHca. OHR Tpe6YlOT HBMepeHHH, KOTOpbI8 B 06rn;eM CJIylJac He rrpOBop;HTCH M8T80pOJIOrMlJeCRHMH CJIyJH.6aMH. 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RESUMEN La conservaci6n de la estabilidad del organismo humano en relaci6n con el medio ambiente atmosferico mediante ajustes fisio16gicos 0 tecno16gicos es una cuesti6n fundamental para la superv.ivencia del hombre en muchas partes de la tierra. La capacidad de adaptaci6n por el proceso de aclimatacion es, sin embargo, limitada. A este res­ pecto, se han establecido varias indices para evaluar los efectos del calor y del frio en los seres humanos. Algunos de ellos son fiUy complejos y comprenden todos··los elementos del balance energetico, por 10 que exigen la realizaci6n de medidas que generalmente no efectuan los Servicios Meteoro16gicos. Sin embargo, cuando las temperaturas "Son fiUy bajas, los sencillos factores tales como el frio producido par el viento (una combinad6n de la temperatura y de la velocidad del viento) a el poder de enfriamiento (en el que tambien intervienen los faetores radiaetivos) y, euando hace mucho calor, la temperatura efectiva (una combinad6n de temperatura, humedad, y, algunas veces, viento) han demostrado ser id6neos para muchos fines biometeorol6gicos. Estos indices pueden obtenerse f:icilmente a partir de medidas ordinarias meteorol6gicas 0 con equipo facilmente disponible. Se ha tratado de establecer cIasificaciones bioclimaticas para caracterizar las condiciones de bienestar en varias localidades 0 para transcribir en mapas estas condiciones para una zona determinada. Estas condiciones se fundan, segun los casos, en diferentes clases de entalpia atmosferica, poder de congelaci6n 0 frio producido por el viento. A este respecto, todavia queda una enorme labor por realizar para cuantificar las amenazas a la salud causadas por el media ambiente atmosferico, bien como parametros etiol6gicos 0 como factores de agravaci6n de los estados patol6gicos existentes. INTRODUCTION The atmospheric environment plays a dominant role in the life of all plants and land animals, and is of great importance for aquaticforms of life. Man has become emancipated from, but not independent of, the atmospheric conditions. Aside from the fact that atmospheric oxygen is indispensable to his survival, he has adapted through clothing and technology to those circumstances which he cannot cope wilh