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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Impacts of Heatwaves on Health
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Impacts of Heatwaves on Health

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biometeorology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 18224

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Leigh Wilson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Interests: heatwaves; ageing; vulnerable populations; extreme weather; climate; urban environment
Dr. Alana Hansen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Interests: health impacts of extreme heat; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The recent Sixth Assessment Report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021) states that “Each of the last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade that preceded it since 1850” and estimates the global temperature will exceed 1.5 °C of warming averaged over the next 20 years. Evidence suggests that as the Earth warms, adverse impacts on health will increase, with marginalised populations particularly at risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality.

The focus of this Special Issue of the open-access journal Atmosphere is to highlight the impacts of increasing hot weather on health in a global context, by showcasing the latest research into the changing climate and how these impact upon health.

Original results, subjective surveys, models, and review papers related to a warming climate and health are welcomed. Authors are encouraged to include a section highlighting future issues, opportunities or concerns relating to their topics, and how this can be addressed over the next 20 years.

Dr. Leigh Wilson
Dr. Alana Hansen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • extreme heat
  • extreme weather
  • heat and health
  • vulnerable populations
  • urban environment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2668 KiB  
Article
Mortality Burden of Heatwaves in Sydney, Australia Is Exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island and Climate Change: Can Tree Cover Help Mitigate the Health Impacts?
by Timothy B. Chaston, Richard A. Broome, Nathan Cooper, Gerard Duck, Christy Geromboux, Yuming Guo, Fei Ji, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Ying Zhang, Gnanadarsha S. Dissanayake, Geoffrey G. Morgan and Ivan C. Hanigan
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 714; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050714 - 30 Apr 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4925
Abstract
Heatwaves are associated with increased mortality and are exacerbated by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Thus, to inform climate change mitigation and adaptation, we quantified the mortality burden of historical heatwave days in Sydney, Australia, assessed the contribution of the UHI effect [...] Read more.
Heatwaves are associated with increased mortality and are exacerbated by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Thus, to inform climate change mitigation and adaptation, we quantified the mortality burden of historical heatwave days in Sydney, Australia, assessed the contribution of the UHI effect and used climate change projection data to estimate future health impacts. We also assessed the potential for tree cover to mitigate against the UHI effect. Mortality (2006–2018) records were linked with census population data, weather observations (1997–2016) and climate change projections to 2100. Heatwave-attributable excess deaths were calculated based on risk estimates from a published heatwave study of Sydney. High resolution satellite observations of UHI air temperature excesses and green cover were used to determine associated effects on heat-related mortality. These data show that >90% of heatwave days would not breach heatwave thresholds in Sydney if there were no UHI effect and that numbers of heatwave days could increase fourfold under the most extreme climate change scenario. We found that tree canopy reduces urban heat, and that widespread tree planting could offset the increases in heat-attributable deaths as climate warming progresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Heatwaves on Health)
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22 pages, 2462 KiB  
Article
The Thermal Environment of Housing and Its Implications for the Health of Older People in South Australia: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Alana Hansen, Terence Williamson, Dino Pisaniello, Helen Bennetts, Joost van Hoof, Larissa Arakawa Martins, Renuka Visvanathan, Jian Zuo and Veronica Soebarto
Atmosphere 2022, 13(1), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13010096 - 08 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3858
Abstract
Older people are often over-represented in morbidity and mortality statistics associated with hot and cold weather, despite remaining mostly indoors. The study “Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians” focused on assessing the relationships between the indoor environment, building characteristics, thermal comfort [...] Read more.
Older people are often over-represented in morbidity and mortality statistics associated with hot and cold weather, despite remaining mostly indoors. The study “Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians” focused on assessing the relationships between the indoor environment, building characteristics, thermal comfort and perceived health/wellbeing of older South Australians over a study period that included the warmest summer on record. Our findings showed that indoor temperatures in some of the houses reached above 35 °C. With concerns about energy costs, occupants often use adaptive behaviours to achieve thermal comfort instead of using cooling (or heating), although feeling less satisfied with the thermal environment and perceiving health/wellbeing to worsen at above 28 °C (and below 15 °C). Symptoms experienced during hot weather included tiredness, shortness of breath, sleeplessness and dizziness, with coughs and colds, painful joints, shortness of breath and influenza experienced during cold weather. To express the influence of temperature and humidity on perceived health/wellbeing, a Temperature Humidity Health Index (THHI) was developed for this cohort. A health/wellbeing perception of “very good” is achieved between an 18.4 °C and 24.3 °C indoor operative temperature and a 55% relative humidity. The evidence from this research is used to inform guidelines about maintaining home environments to be conducive to the health/wellbeing of older people. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Heatwaves on Health)
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Review

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17 pages, 1314 KiB  
Review
The Intersection between Heatwaves, High-Rise Living and the Aged: A Narrative Review of the Literature
by Leigh A. Wilson and Deborah A. Black
Atmosphere 2022, 13(9), 1461; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091461 - 09 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2186
Abstract
High-density living and heatwaves are increasing, at the same time as the population is ageing. The aim of this literature review was to examine the intersection between older and/or vulnerable people, who live in high-density/high-rise situations, and their health during heatwaves. Using electronic [...] Read more.
High-density living and heatwaves are increasing, at the same time as the population is ageing. The aim of this literature review was to examine the intersection between older and/or vulnerable people, who live in high-density/high-rise situations, and their health during heatwaves. Using electronic databases, the literature was examined. Articles were included if they were: (1) published in English, (2) examined the relationship between building, health, and extreme heat, and (3) included older or vulnerable populations. A total of 241 articles were identified of which 15 were duplicates and 209 did not meet the inclusion criteria. Of the 17 studies included in the review, 4 were conducted following heatwaves in Chicago and Europe. These identified a relationship between age, vulnerability, and floor of residence, in people who died because of the heatwave. High-rise living is increasing globally, and residents are getting older. This, in combination with increased heatwave intensity and frequency, highlights the risk of morbidity and mortality in this group, particularly where there is no access to air-conditioning because of power grid overload in the heat. This research benefits older and vulnerable people who live in high-rise buildings, the health professionals who care for them, architects, urban planners, and policy makers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Heatwaves on Health)
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19 pages, 1082 KiB  
Review
Heatwaves in South Asia: Characterization, Consequences on Human Health, and Adaptation Strategies
by Ayushi Sharma, Gerry Andhikaputra and Yu-Chun Wang
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050734 - 04 May 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6054
Abstract
South Asia, with more than one-fifth of the world’s population, is highly vulnerable to heatwaves and associated health consequences. The population experiences considerably higher residential vulnerability due to limited infrastructural capacities, economic resources, and health and environmental quality deficiencies. However, a limited number [...] Read more.
South Asia, with more than one-fifth of the world’s population, is highly vulnerable to heatwaves and associated health consequences. The population experiences considerably higher residential vulnerability due to limited infrastructural capacities, economic resources, and health and environmental quality deficiencies. However, a limited number of studies are available from the region to account for the health effects of heatwaves. Therefore, this study has conducted a comprehensive review to characterize heatwaves across South Asian countries. The review explicitly identifies the population’s vulnerability to heatwaves during recent years and heatwave management policies in the region. The literature review suggests increased heat-related deaths in most South Asian countries, with few exceptions. In addition, the analysis of historical temperature records identified an upward trend in annual average temperature across the South Asian countries. The study highlights various heatwave definitions that have been used in the region to facilitate comparative evidence. The review of policies identified that only a few South Asian countries have functional heatwave management plans and majorly lack community and residential preparedness for heatwaves. Therefore, this study identifies potential community- and residential-based adaptation strategies to mitigate heat discomfort. As prospective solutions, the study recommends adaptation strategies such as blue–green spaces, indoor passive cooling, infrastructural adjustments, heat action plans, etc. However, such adaptation measures require a holistic amalgamation of different stakeholders to fabricate heatwave-resilient cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Heatwaves on Health)
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