Association between climate indicators and hay fever incidence in children and adolescents in Freiburg, Germany.

Background: Allergic conditions including hay fever are a sentinel measure of environmental impact on human health in early life. In this study we investigated the association between climate indicators and allergic rhinitis (hay fever) incidence in children and adolescents in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), as a representative study site for an urban German environment.

Methods: Data on climate indicators and hay fever incidence in children and adolescents in the period 2013 to 2021 were implemented within the free software environment for statistical computing R using generalized additive Gamma family models.

Machine learning-based forecasting of daily acute ischemic stroke admissions using weather data.

The climate crisis underscores the need for weather-based predictive analytics in healthcare, as weather factors contribute to ~11% of the global stroke burden. Therefore, we developed machine learning models using locoregional weather data to forecast daily acute ischemic stroke (AIS) admissions. An AIS cohort of 7914 patients admitted between 2015 and 2021 at the tertiary University Medical Center Mannheim, Germany, with a 600,000-population catchment area, was geospatially matched to German Weather Service data.

Mitigation potential of urban greening during heatwaves and stormwater events: a modeling study for Karlsruhe, Germany.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of urban heat islands and stormwater flooding. In order to mitigate these threats cities are turning toward green infrastructure to restore the hydrologic cycle in a way that increases the ecosystem services provided by trees. Strategically designed green infrastructure can mitigate runoff volume by rainfall interception through tree canopies and redirect impervious runoff into bioswales that promote infiltration.

Composition of factors for local heat adaptation measures at the local level in cities of the mid-latitude - An approach for the south-west of Germany.

Traditional heat health warning systems focus on severe and extreme heat events at the district or regional level, often overlooking localized risk and protective factors such as healthcare access and urban green spaces. This approach considers less the varying impacts of heat within cities, including the phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and the diverse needs of different populations. To address these shortcomings, a need for the development of an Urban Heat Health Warning and Information System (UHHWIS) that operates within the framework of Heat Health Action Plans is needed.

Assessment of biometeorological conditions in Eastern Mediterranean City Adana, Turkey from past to the future.

Human bioclimatic comfort (HBC) is an important subject of climatology in the field of physical geography. Human bioclimatic comfort (HBC) is the feeling of satisfied and comfortable within the ambient atmospheric thermal environment. Earth climate system has been exposed to changes from the beginning, but since 19 century human - induced factors have contributed to these changes.

Patterns in acute aortic dissection and a connection to meteorological conditions in Germany.

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a dramatic emergency exhibiting a mortality of 50% within the first 48 hours if not operated. This study found an absolute value of cosine-like seasonal variation pattern for Germany with significantly fewer ATAAD events (Wilcoxon test) for the warm months of June, July, and August from 2005 to 2015. Many studies suspect a connection between ATAAD events and weather conditions.

Hourly values of an advanced human-biometeorological index for diverse populations from 1991 to 2020 in Greece.

Existing assessments of the thermal-related impact of the environment on humans are often limited by the use of data that are not representative of the population exposure and/or not consider a human centred approach. Here, we combine high resolution regional retrospective analysis (reanalysis), population data and human energy balance modelling, in order to produce a human thermal bioclimate dataset capable of addressing the above limitations. The dataset consists of hourly, population-weighted values of an advanced human-biometeorological index, namely the modified physiologically equivalent temperature (mPET), at fine-scale administrative level and for 10 different population groups.

Climate change and public health in Germany - A synthesis of options for action from the German status report on climate change and health 2023.

Background: This article represents the conclusion of the updated German status report on climate change and health, which was jointly written by authors from over 30 national institutions and organisations. The objectives are (a) to synthesise the options for action formulated in the report, (b) to combine them into clusters and guiding principles, (c) to address the success factors for implementation, and (d) to combine the options for action into target parameters.

Methods: The options for action from the individual contributions of the status report were systematically recorded and categorised (n=236).

Characteristic of bioclimatic conditions in Poland based on Physiologically Equivalent Temperature.

The aim of the study was to characterise bioclimatic conditions in Poland in the times of progressing warming. This type of research permits the verification whether the progressing climate warming also translates into a change in bioclimatic conditions. This study was based on data obtained for the period 1966-2021 from 37 synoptic stations located in Poland.

Heat in Germany: Health risks and preventive measures.

Background: Climate change has already led to a significant temperature increase in Germany. The average temperature in the past decade was approximately 2°C above the pre-industrial level and eight of the ten hottest summers since the beginning of systematic weather records in 1881 were recorded in the last 30 years.

Methods: Based on a selective literature search and authors' own results, the article summarises the current state of knowledge on heat and its health impacts for Germany, addresses adaptation measures, and gives an outlook on implementation and research questions.

Biometeorological conditions during cold spells in south-east Poland and west Ukraine.

The aim of this research is to analyze the biometeorological conditions, based on the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) thermal index, during cold spells (CSs) in south-east Poland and west Ukraine during the years 1966-2021. The research shows a high variability of the occurrence of CSs in the study period and a clear increase in the frequency and total duration of CSs in the east of the study area. The number of CSs in the analyzed years varies from 6 cases in the west (in Katowice) to 34 in the east of the study area (in Shepetivka).

Investigating the impacts of shaded outdoor spaces on thermal adaptation and cognitive performance of university students in classroom environments.

Shading strategies are effective means to reduce urban risk factors such as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The influence of shaded outdoor spaces on university students' thermal adaptability and cognitive performance is limited researched. The study aims at evaluating the effect of shaded outdoor spaces upon thermal comfort; and, linking such results upon university students' cognitive performance in a classroom environment with natural ventilation.

Evaluation of the relationship between thermal comfort conditions and respiratory diseases in Amasya City, Turkey.

Aim: Studies examining the relationship between thermal comfort conditions-the state of feeling insulated against atmospheric factors in the environment-and diseases have been very limited. In Turkey, which is in the transition zone of air masses in middle latitudes, thermal comfort conditions change frequently due to sudden weather changes. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between thermal comfort conditions and respiratory diseases in Amasya, an exemplary Turkish city in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.

Climate change and public health in Germany - An introduction to the German status report on climate change and health 2023.

Global warming of 1.5°C and even 2°C is likely to be exceeded during the 21 century. Climate change poses a worldwide threat and has direct and indirect effects on infectious diseases, on non-communicable diseases and on mental health.

The extreme heat wave of July-August 2021 in the Athens urban area (Greece): Atmospheric and human-biometeorological analysis exploiting ultra-high resolution numerical modeling and the local climate zone framework.

Greece was affected by a prolonged and extreme heat wave (HW) event (July 28-August 05) during the abnormally hot summer of 2021, with the maximum temperature in Athens, the capital of the country, reaching up to 43.9 °C in the city center. This observation corresponds to the second highest maximum temperature recorded since 1900, based on the historical temperature time series of the National Observatory of Athens weather station at Thissio.

Heat-Related Mortality in Germany From 1992 to 2021.

Background: 2018-2020 were unusually warm years in Germany, and the summer of 2018 was the second warmest summer since record-keeping began in 1881. Higher temperatures regularly lead to increased mortality, particularly among the elderly.

Methods: We used weekly data on all-cause mortality and mean temperature from the period 1992-2021 and estimated the number of heat-related deaths in all of Germany, and in the northern, central, and southern regions of Germany, employing a generalized additive model (GAM).

A systematic review advocating a framework and benchmarks for assessing outdoor human thermal perception.

Since the early 2000's, much attention has been paid to human thermal assessment in urban outdoor environments in different climatic zones. Some previous studies have argued that an absence of an agreed protocol for outdoor human bio-meteorological research causes complexity in comparing the studies' results for several reasons: An abundance of human thermal indices, a variety of interpretations of bio-meteorological terms, an array of procedures for data collection and a lack of agreed methods in determining thermal comfort ranges and index modifications. This study aims to review strategies and methods for human bio-meteorological research and to examine their suitability for thermal perception assessment.

A Low-Cost Sensor Network for Real-Time Thermal Stress Monitoring and Communication in Occupational Contexts.

The MoBiMet (Mobile Biometeorology System) is a low-cost device for thermal comfort monitoring, designed for long-term deployment in indoor or semi-outdoor occupational contexts. It measures air temperature, humidity, globe temperature, brightness temperature, light intensity, and wind, and is capable of calculating thermal indices (e.g.

The complex interplay of climate, TBEV vector dynamics and TBEV infection rates in ticks-Monitoring a natural TBEV focus in Germany, 2009-2018.

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important tick-borne viral disease in Eurasia and causes disease in humans and in a number of animals, among them dogs and horses. There is still no good correlation between tick numbers, weather conditions and human cases. There is the hypothesis that co-feeding due to simultaneous occurrence of larvae and nymphs may be a factor for the increased transmission of the virus in nature and for human disease.

Analysis of air temperature dynamics in the "local climate zones" of Novi Sad (Serbia) based on long-term database from an urban meteorological network.

A comprehensive analysis of air temperature (T) dynamics in "local climate zones" (LCZs) of Novi Sad (Serbia) was based on measurements from 17 stations during 3 years. Hourly changes of T, cooling rates (CR), heating rates (HR), and urban heat island (UHI) intensity were assessed on seasonal and annual level and during heat wave (HW) and cold wave (CW) periods. Substantial differences are observed for minimum (T) and mean temperatures (T) between LCZs.

Heat-Related Mortality.

Background: As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer. The elderly and persons with chronic diseases are especially vulnerable to health problems due to heat. This article is devoted to the question of the extent to which the effects of heat waves in Germany are changing over time, and whether preventive health measures are working.

Approaching environmental human thermophysiological thresholds for the case of Ankara, Turkey.

The disclosed study undertook a 'human centred-approach' that ascertained and categorised environmental human thermophysiological risk factors by relating them to the human biometeorological system through the use of three widely utilised energy balance model (EBM) indices, the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET), the modified PET, and the universal thermal climate index (UTCI). The disclosed assessment was carried out over the past decade (i.e.

The influence of foehn winds on the incidence of severe injuries in southern Bavaria - an analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU®.

Background: Foehn describes a wind which occurs in areas with close proximity to mountains. The presence of foehn wind is associated with worsening health conditions. This study analyzes the correlation between a foehn typical circulation and the incidence for suffering a severe trauma.

Beyond Singular Climatic Variables-Identifying the Dynamics of Wholesome Thermo-Physiological Factors for Existing/Future Human Thermal Comfort during Hot Dry Mediterranean Summers.

Centered on hot dry Mediterranean summer climates, this study assesses the climatic data that was extracted from Lisbon's meteorological station between the years of 2012 and 2016. Focused on the summer period, existing outdoor human thermal comfort levels that are already prone to extreme heat stress thresholds were evaluated. Such an assessment was rooted around identifying the relationship and discrepancies between singular climatic variables (e.