Is a wet-bulb temperature of 35 ∘ C the correct threshold for human survivability
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15548306 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yi-Chuan Lu (0000-0003-3659-1474, University of California, Berkeley, corresponding author), David M Romps (0000-0001-7649-5175, University of California, Berkeley) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 094021-094021 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ace83c |
| OpenAlex | W4384661368 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 64 |
A wet-bulb temperature of 35 ∘ C is widely used as the threshold for human survivability, but the wet-bulb temperature is not a particularly accurate metric for human heat stress. For a person in the shade, a more accurate metric is the heat index, which is based on a model of human thermoregulation that accounts for metabolic heat, radiation, respiratory ventilation, and finite wind speeds. The heat index has two critical values: the highest heat index for which a healthy core temperature can be maintained and the highest heat index that is survivable. It is shown here that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 ∘ C corresponds to conditions between these two critical values. For example, in a world warmer than pre-industrial by 10 ∘ C, about 30% of the world’s population would be exposed once or more per year to a wet-bulb temperature above 35 ∘ C, but the heat index reveals that less than 2% would be exposed to fatal conditions while over 60% would be exposed to conditions that would cause hyperthermia
Atmospheric sciences · Biology · Bulb · Dry-bulb temperature · Heat flow · Heat stress · Humidity · Index (typography · Physics · Population · Thermal · Thermodynamics · Wet-bulb temperature · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Science · Materials Science · Thermal Regulation in Medicine · Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Demography · Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |