Wet-bulb globe temperature index estimation using meteorological data from São Paulo State, Brazil

It is well known that excessive heat exposure causes heat disorders and can lead to death in some situations. Evaluation of heat stress on workers performing indoor and outdoor activities is, nowadays, conducted worldwide by wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, which calculation parameters are d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biometeorology 2015-10, Vol.59 (10), p.1395-1403
Main Authors: Maia, Paulo Alves, Ruas, Álvaro Cézar, Bitencourt, Daniel Pires
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Animal Physiology
bioclimatology
Biological and Medical Physics
Biophysics
Brazil
death
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Health
Environmental Monitoring
heat
heat stress
Heat tolerance
Heatstroke
meteorological data
Meteorology
Meteorology - methods
Models, Theoretical
monitoring
Original Paper
Plant Physiology
Solar radiation
Temperature
Weather
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Summary:It is well known that excessive heat exposure causes heat disorders and can lead to death in some situations. Evaluation of heat stress on workers performing indoor and outdoor activities is, nowadays, conducted worldwide by wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, which calculation parameters are dry-bulb, natural wet-bulb, and globe temperatures, which must be measured at the same time and in location where the worker is conducting his/her activities. However, for some activities performed in large outdoor areas such as those of agricultural ones, it is not feasible to measure directly those temperatures in all work periods and locations where there are workers. Taking this into account, this work aims to introduce a WBGT index estimation using atmospheric variables observed by automatic meteorological stations. In order to support our estimation method, we used, as a test-bed, data recorded in the State of São Paulo (SP), Brazil. By adding the cloudiness factor in the calculation through measurement of solar radiation, the algorithm proved to be as efficient as those mentioned in this work. It was found that this method is viable, with WBGT-estimated values obtained from meteorological data measured by stations with a distance of less than 80 km. This estimate can be used for monitoring heat stress in real time as well as to investigate heat-related disorders and agricultural work.
ISSN:0020-7128
1432-1254
DOI:10.1007/s00484-014-0949-7