Spatial analytical methods for deriving a historical map of physiological equivalent temperature of Hong Kong

Poh Chin LAI, C. Y., Crystal CHOI, Pui Yun, Paulina WONG, Thuan Quoc THACH, Man Sing WONG, Wei CHENG, Alexander KRÄMER, Chit Ming WONG

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) has been widely used as an indicator for impacts of climate change on thermal comfort of humans. The effects of thermal stress are often examined using longitudinal observational studies over many years. A major problem in retrospective versus prospective studies is that it is not feasible to go back in time to measure historical data not collected in the past. These data must be reconstructed for the baseline period to enable comparative analysis of change and its human impact. This paper describes a systematic method for constructing a PET map using spatial analytical procedures. The procedures involve estimating PET values (based on the RayMan model and four key parameters of temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity, and mean radiant temperature) at a spatially disaggregated level comprising of a grid of 100 m × 100 m cells. The method can be applied to other geographic locations pending availability of basic meteorological and morphological data of the locations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-28
Number of pages7
JournalBuilding and Environment
Volume99
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2016
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This study was supported by the earmarked grants GRF 780512 and GRF 744113 of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. We thank the Hong Kong Government departments including the Department of Health (Elderly Health Services) for the cohort data and the Hong Kong Observatory for meteorological data. The geocoding of cohort locations was accomplished with support from the Wellcome Trust. The authors are grateful for expert advice on the methodology provided by Professor Lutz Katzschner, Institute for Environmental Meteorology, Kassel University, Kassel, Germany. Wind velocity data at reference height was specially computed and provided by courtesy of Professor Jimmy Fung, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong. RayMan Pro software was provided by courtesy of Professor Andreas Matzarakis, Universität Freiburg, Meteorologisches Institut, Hebelstr, Germany.

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