Air temperature increase and quality of life in an anthropogenically transformed environment: a case study

• Autorzy: Absalon D. , Slesak B.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This paper to assesses the impact of air temperature increase connected with the degree of anthropogenic transformation of an area on the subjectively perceived quality of life. The area under study is the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (Górnośląski Związek Metropolitalny – GZM. We analyzed the average monthly temperatures in different seasons and the human impact ratio of the area. The ratio was determined based on population density, road network density, the amount of waste produced and the number and size of buildings in the analyzed area. The result is a methodology that involves anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors to assess the impact of weather conditions on the quality of life in the analyzed area. The average temperatures in GZM have a similar spatial distribution pattern regardless of the season. The highest temperatures are recorded in the central part of GZM. The spatial fluctuations of the human impact factor are large in the area studied, with values varying from 2.5 to 10.1. These values points to the risk of exposure to harmful factors and a lower quality of life perception. As evidenced by the human impact factor calculated, these are the districts where human influence on the environment is the most noticeable. After analysis of temperature distribution the similarities in the distribution patterns of both factors are evident Therefore, temperature should also be taken into account when identifying sites particularly harmful to human health.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
• Rocznik: 2012
• Tom: 21
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.235-239,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Absalon D.

• Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland

autor

Slesak B.

• Upper Silesian Child Health Center, Medyków 16, 40-752 Katowice, Poland

Bibliografia

• 1. XU Y. QIN Z. WAN H. Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Urban Heat Island and Their Relationship with Land Cover Changes in Urbanization Process: A Case Study in Suzhou, China, J Indian Soc Remote Sens, 38, (4), 654, 2010.
• 2. CAMILLONI I., BARROS V. On the Urban heat islands effect dependence on temperature trends, Climatic Change 37, 665, 1997.
• 3. ŁUPIKASZA E., WIDAWSKI A. Climate conditions in the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (In:) Dulias R. Hibszer A. (Eds) Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, a geographical outline, Polish Geographical Society, Katowice Division, Sosnowiec, 90, 2008 [In Polish].
• 4. ABSALON D., ŚLESAK B. The effects of changes in cadmium and lead air pollution on cancer incidence in children. Sci. Total Environ. 408, (20), 4417, 2010.
• 5. CORBURN J. Urban land use, air toxics and public health: Assessing hazardous exposures at the neighborhood scale. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 27, 145, 2007.
• 6. REN C., TONG S. Temperature modifies the health effects of particulate matter in Brisbane, Australia. Int. J. Biometeorol., 51, 87, 2006.
• 7. AIKAWA M., HIRAKI T., EIHO J., MIYAZAKI H. Characteristic Air Temperature Distributions Observed in Summer and Winter in Urban Area in Japan. Environ Monit Assess, 131, 255, 2007.
• 8. AIKAWA M., HIRAKI T. Characteristic seasonal variation of vertical air temperature profile in urban areas of Japan. Meteorol. Atmos. Phys. 104, 95, 2009.
• 9. HUANG J. Prediction of air temperature for thermal comfort of people in outdoor environments, Int. J. Biometeorol., 51, 375, 2007.
• 10. HU W., MENGERSEN K., MCMICHAEL A., TONG S. Temperature, air pollution and total mortality during summers in Sydney, 1994-2004. Int. J. Biometeorol., 52, 689, 2008.
• 11. KOWALSKA M., ZEJDA J. E., SKRZYPEK M., OŚRÓDKA L., KLEJNOWSKI K., KRAJNY E., WOJTYLAK M., HUBICKI L. Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Urban Katowice, 1994-95 and 2001-02. Pol. J. Environ. Stud., 17, 5, 2008 [In Polish].
• 12. NAFSTAD P., SKRONDAL A., BJERTNESS E. Mortality and temperature in Oslo, Norway, 1990-1995. European Journal of Epidemiology 17, 621, 2001.