Changing thermal comfort over southern India under warming environment: an analysis of heat index

• Main Authors: Manasi DESAI, A. G. DHORDE
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cluj University Press 2017-03-01
• Series: Aerul şi Apa: Componente ale Mediului
• Subjects: heat index; trend; urban stations; cluster analysis; India
• Online Access: http://aerapa.conference.ubbcluj.ro/2017/PDF/24_Desai_Dhorde_195_202.pdf

In the present study, trends in Heat Index were analyzed to assess heat stress conditions at 41 urban stations of southern peninsular India during monsoon season months (June to September) for the period 1969-2014. Results indicated that, with the exception of insignificant decrease at few stations, almost all stations registered significant increase in heat stress. Change point detection depicted that, increase in heat stress initiated in late 1990's and early years of the decade of 2000 at most of the urban stations. Hierarchical cluster analysis partitioned data in seven spatial units. Accordingly highest magnitude of increase was observed over cities located in northeast part of the study area, followed by cities located at southern tip of peninsular India. The study demands attention on precarious health risks inscriptive to increasing heat stress casualties and developing indigenous thermal stress alerts during persistent climate extremes.