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Background:Urban populations are highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of heat, with heat-related mortality showing intra-urban variations that are likely due to differences in urban characteristics and socioeconomic status.Objectives:We investigated the influence of urban green and urban blue, that is, urban vegetation and water bodies, on heat-related excess mortality in the elderly > 65 years old in Lisbon, Portugal, between 1998 and 2008.Methods:We used remotely sensed data and geographic information to determine the amount of urban vegetation and the distance to bodies of water (the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus Estuary). Poisson generalized additive models were fitted, allowing for the interaction between equivalent temperature [universal thermal climate index (UTCI)] and quartiles of urban greenness [classified using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)] and proximity to water (≤ 4 km vs. > 4 km), while adjusting for potential confounders.Results:The association between mortality and a 1°C increase in UTCI above the 99th percentile (24.8°C) was stronger for areas in the lowest NDVI quartile (14.7% higher; 95% CI: 1.9, 17.5%) than for areas in the highest quartile (3.0%; 95% CI: 2.0, 4.0%). In areas > 4 km from water, a 1°C increase in UTCI above the 99th percentile was associated with a 7.1% increase in mortality (95% CI: 6.2, 8.1%), whereas in areas ≤ 4 km from water, the estimated increase in mortality was only 2.1% (95% CI: 1.2, 3.0%).Conclusions:Urban green and blue appeared to have a mitigating effect on heat-related mortality in the elderly population in Lisbon. Increasing the amount of vegetation may be a good strategy to counteract the adverse effects of heat in urban areas. Our findings also suggest potential benefits of urban blue that may be present several kilometers from a body of water.Citation:Burkart K, Meier F, Schneider A, Breitner S, Canário P, Alcoforado MJ, Scherer D, Endlicher W. 2016. Modification of heat-related mortality in an elderly urban population by vegetation (urban green) and proximity to water (urban blue): evidence from Lisbon, Portugal. Environ Health Perspect 124:927–934; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409529

In memoriam Henrique andrade abstract -With the aim of implementing climatic guidelines for planning purposes, the urban climate of each particular city must be assessed, particularly the frequency of unwanted climatic features, such as the Urban Heat island (UHi). as the Lisbon "Mesoscale urban meteorological network" (CeG-iGOt-ULisboa) has been running since 2004, it is now possible to present statistical results about the UHi. it was calculated on an hourly basis as the difference between one of the "central" measurement points (restauradores or saldanha) and one of the eccentric points of the network (Carnide or Monsanto). UHi is more intense in summer (maximum hourly averages up to 6.3ºC) than in winter (up to 3.8ºC), and more intense during the night than during the day. in Lisbon, its causes are not only due to the modification of energy balance in urban areas, but also to the shelter effect from the prevailing and cold/cool north winds, due to the topography and the buildings. Alcoforado, A. Lopes, E. Lima Alves and P. Canário o clima urbano de cada cidade, nomeadamente no que diz respeito à frequência de ocorrência de fenómenos considerados indesejáveis, como a ilha de calor (iC) urbana. Depois de 8 anos de funcionamento da "rede de mesoscala" de monitorização meteorológica em Lisboa (CeG-iGOt-ULisboa), é agora possível apresentar resultados estatísticos sobre a iC. É expli cada metodologia de cálculo da intensidade da ilha de calor, pela diferença entre um dos postos "centrais" (restauradores ou saldanha) e um dos postos mais excêntricos (Carnide ou Monsanto). a iC é mais intensa e frequente no Verão (valor máximo horário: 6,3ºC) do que no inverno (valor máximo: 3,8ºC) e é mais intensa de noite do que de dia. em Lisboa, as causas da iC devem-se não só à modificação de parâmetros do balanço energético em meio urbano, como também ao efeito de abrigo de ventos dominantes frios ou frescos do quadrante norte, proporcionado pela topografia e pelos próprios edifícios. Key-words:Palavras-chave: ilha urbana de calor, padrões térmicos, rede mesoclimática, Lisboa, Portugal.résumé -étude StatiStique de l'Îlot de chaleur à liSBonne. La connaissance des climats urbains est nécessaire à une juste appréciation des décisions à prendre dans le cadre de l'aménagement du territoire, et surtout en ce qui concerne la fréquence des phénomènes dits indésirables, comme l'îlot de chaleur urbain (iC). Un réseau «d'échelle moyenne» d'observations météorologiques ayant fonctionné à Lisbonne de 2004 à 2012 (CeG-iGOt-ULisboa), on peut déjà présenter des résultats statistiques concernant l'iC. Le calcul de son intensité est basé sur la différence entre les données d'un poste «central» (restauradores ou saldanha) et celles d'un des postes les plus excentriques (Carnide ou Monsanto). L'îlot de chaleur est plus intense et plus fréquent en été (valeur maximale horaire de 6,3ºC), qu'en hiver (valeur maximale de 3,8ºC) et il est plus fort la nuit que le jour. À Lisbonne, les causes de l'iC sont dues non seulement aux modifications des ...

a b s t r a c tA renewed interest on the impacts of climate change has spurred several studies on climate/health relationships. This study aims to detect and explain any changes in the relationships between climate and mortality in Lisbon from 1835 until 2012. The evaluation of mortality seasonal rhythms over time is based on the 100-Index per decades, annual Winter-Summer ratio, as well as other descriptive statistics. A change in the seasonal rhythm of mortality over the last 177 years was found. In the mid-19th century mortality peaked in summer, whereas in the 1890s and the 1900s there was slight monthly variability. On the contrary, a winter maximum has occurred since the 1940s, although a secondary summer peak of mortality may emerge during the most severe heat-waves. Although long term positive temperature trends were confirmed, no systematic positive mortality trends were found in the last three decades. The results suggest that mortality rhythm changes during the 19th and 20th century are not directly related to climatic reasons alone (except in the case of extreme weather events), but rather to improvements in hygienic, sanitary and nutrition conditions and advances in medicine. However, given the possible increase of summer heat waves in the future, and individuals increasing vulnerability, particularly in urban areas, such secondary peaks of mortality will tend to happen more frequently, unless adaptation of populations to hotter conditions takes place and/or measures are taken to protect people from high temperatures.