Review of Biometeorology of Heatwaves and Warm Extremes in Europe

Abstract

Numerous extreme heatwaves producing large impacts on human health, agriculture, water resources, energy demand, regional economies, and forest ecosystems occurred during the first twenty years of the 21st century. The present study strives to provide a systematic review of recent studies of warm biometeorological extremes in Europe. The main aim of this paper is to provide a methodical summary of the observed changes in warm extremes, duration, and variability in different parts of Europe. During the last decade, much attention has been paid to the negative impacts of heat and humidity on human health. Therefore, the human biometeorology is required to appraise the human thermal environment in a way that human thermoregulation is taken into account. In many European countries and regions, future heat exposure will indeed exceed critical levels, and a steep increase in biometeorological heatwaves and warm extremes are expected. The indices that take into account human energy balance along with weather conditions should be used to examine the impacts of extreme heatwaves on human health and should be used as a basis for the determination of acclimatization to high-heat-stress conditions. A detailed description of recent studies that have used biometeorological indices such as Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for the estimation of warm extremes and their influence on human health is provided. Additionally, a short overview of the existence of the heat-health warning systems (HHWS), their conceptualization, and implementation across the European continent is considered, as well as the possibilities for further investigations and implementation of effective measures and programs that could reduce the adverse health impacts.

Evaluation of Tourism-Climate Conditions in the Region of Kłodzko Land (Poland)

“…In the cold season, slight, moderate, and strong cold-stress categories were predominant. Similar conditions are typical for the regions located in the lowlands and the lower mountain zones of Poland and Central Europe [10,23,48,50,51,53,54,[66][67][68][69][89][90][91]. The analysis carried out in the paper showed that the frequency of moderate heat stress in July and August in the lower hypsometric zones of Kłodzko Land was about 5% lower than in the Carpathian region, confirming the results of the previous studies [48].…”

Leaf Shedding and Non-Stomatal Limitations of Photosynthesis Mitigate Hydraulic Conductance Losses in Scots Pine Saplings During Severe Drought Stress

“…Including the proposed processes into ecosystem models would improve water consumption estimates during drought and hot drought events. Because heat waves alongside increased VPD are supposed to increase in intensity and frequency (Basarin et al, 2020), this may potentially improve model projections of forest drought responses. Parametrizing species in order to consider tradeoffs between elongating carbon gain and reducing hydraulic stress via leaf shedding will also enable to better represent the differences in competition strength between tree species under future environmental conditions.…”

The Universal Thermal Climate Index as an Operational Forecasting Tool of Human Biometeorological Conditions in Europe

“…As supported by bioclimate impact research on thermal extremes (see e.g. Basarin et al 2020), UTCI forecasts would be useful to both the general population and target groups, i.e. outdoor workers and sportsmen as well as the vulnerable groups (e.g.…”