Discomfort of weather conditions during winter period in Ukraine

  • L. V. Malytska
Keywords: regional bioclimate changes, weather discomfort, cold stress

Abstract

  • At the end of the XX century and at the beginning of the XXI century climate change was one of the major problems of international community. Today the problem is still relevant. This is due to a significant change of living conditions of population, especially due to thermal regime change which serves as the main factor directly determining comfort of weather and heat balance of a human body.

In winter period weather comfort depends on the combination of low temperature and high wind speed. It enhances a negative impact on human beings and indicates winter severity in general. This article describes discomfort of weather conditions during winter season in Ukraine. Basic characteristics of thermal regime and wind regime reflecting general features of discomfort during this season are discussed. Estimate of discomfort also includes calculation of comfort indexes – special mathematical formulas that formalize the influence of main meteorological parameters on a human body.

Since the beginning of the XXI century there is a tendency to reduction of cold discomfort in Ukraine. Such reduction is associated with reduction of the Bodman index values. The Siple and Passel index (atmosphere cooling capacity) has the same tendency. In most regions of Ukraine the reality of such changes for both indexes constitutes 90–99 %.

References

1. Kalkstein L. S. Biometeorology – Looking at the Links Between Weather, Climate and Health. World Meteorological Organization. Bulletin 2. 2001, vol. 50, pp. 1-6.

2. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. IPCC Working Group I Contribution to AR5: Approved Summary for Policymakers. URL: http://www.climate2013.org/spm.

3. Sari Kovats, Kristie L. Ebi, Bettina Menne (Eds). Methods for assessment of human health and public health adaptation to climate change. URL: http://www.euro.who.int/__ data/assets/pdf_file/0010/91099/E81923R.pdf.

4. Revich B. A., Maleev V. V. Izmeneniya klimata i zdorov'e naseleniya Rossii: analiz situatsii i prognoznye otsenki [Climate change and the health of the Russian population: analysis of the situation and forecast estimates]. Moscow: LENAND, 2011. 208 p.

5. Kalkstein L. S., Davis R. S. Weather and human mortality: An evaluation of demographic and interregional responses in the United States. Annals of association of American geographers, 1989, vol. 79, no. 1, pp. 44-64.

6. Franziska Matthies, Graham Bickler, Neus Cardenosa Marin, Simon Hales (Eds). Action plans for protecting public health from the effects of heat waves. URL: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/147873/E91347R.pdf.

7. Ukraine's Sixth National Communication on Climate Change prepared for execution of articles 4 and 12 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Article 7 of the Kyoto Protocol. Kiev, 2012. 342 p. (In Russian). http://unfccc.int/files/national_reports.

8. Stepanenko S. M., Pol'ovyy А. M. (Eds.) Otsinka vplyvu klimatychnykh zmin na haluzi ekonomiky Ukrainy [The assessment of impact of climate change on the Ukraine industry]. Odessa: Ecology Publ., 2011. 696 p.

9. Stepanenko S. M., Pol'ovyy А. M. (Eds.) Klimatychni zminy ta ikh vplyv na sfery ekonomiky Ukrainy [Climate change and its impact on sectors of the Ukraine economy]. Odessa: TES Publ., 2015. 520 p.

10. Arnol'di I. A. Akklimatizatsiya cheloveka na severe i yuge [Man's acclimatization in the north and south]. Moscow: Medgiz, 1962. 71 p.

11. Nazarova I. V. Experience of computing "severe" weather on tabulating machinery by Bodman's formula. Trudy NII aeroklimatologii [Proc. SRI of aeroclimatology]. Moscow: Gidrometeoizdat, 1959, issue 8, pp. 3-25.

12. Kobysheva N. V., Stadnik V. V., Klyueva M. V. (Eds.) Rukovodstvo po spetsializirovannomu klimatologicheskomu obsluzhivaniyu ekonomiki [Manual of specialized climatological services for economy]. Saint Petersburg, 2008. 336 p.

13. Siple P. A., Passel C. F. Measurements of dry atmospheric cooling in subfreezing temperatures. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. April 1945, vol. 89 (1), pp. 177-199.

14. Balabukh V. O, Lavrynenko O. M., Malytska L. V. Ukr. gìdrometeorol. ž. - Ukr. hydrometeor. j., 2014, no. 14. http://uhmj.odeku.edu.ua/uk/category/2014-uk/14-uk/ (In Ukrainian).

15. Lipіns'kiy V. M., Dyachuk V. A., Babichenko V. M. (Eds.) Klimat Ukrainy [Climate of Ukraine]. Kyiv: Rayevs'kyy Publ., 2003. 343 p.

16. Isaеv A. A. Ekologicheskaya klimatologiya [Ecological climatology]. Moscow: Nauch. mir, 2001. 458 p.

17. Honcharova L. D., Reshetchenko S. I. Ukr. Gìdrometeorol. ž. - Ukr. hydrometeor. j., 2010, no. 7, http://uhmj.odeku.edu.ua/uk/category/2010-uk/07-uk/ (In Ukrainian).
Published
2017-10-29
How to Cite
Malytska, L. V. (2017). Discomfort of weather conditions during winter period in Ukraine. Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Journal, (20), 26-36. https://doi.org/10.31481/uhmj.20.2017.03
Section
Meteorology and Climatology