Assessment of bioclimatic comfort of the Krasnodar Territory, Russia through the application of GIS‐technologies

Abstract

Aim. To determine the most and least comfortable zones of the Krasnodar Territory by month.Material and Methods. The bioclimatic indices studied take into account the combined influences of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and solar radiation in various combinations. A geoinformation analysis of the following bioclimatic indices was carried out: effective temperature, equivalent-effective temperature, bioclimatically active temperature, radiation equivalent-effective temperature, and a complex indicator of the level of pathogenic effects of weather in the Krasnodar Territory. The weather pathogenicity index is the only index in the article that takes into account atmospheric pressure. The study also added an assessment of the severity of winter. The following indices of “cold stress” were calculated and mapped: integrated cooling index (frostbite), Bodman climate severity index, Siple-Passel cooling index and wind-cold index.Results. The Krasnodar Territory was divided into 4 comfort zones: Azov-Black Sea, Black Sea, South-Eastern Foothills and Continental.Conclusions. Comfortable months have been established for living in the Krasnodar Territory as a whole, and areas of the Krasnodar Territory favourable for life at any time of the year. The severity of winter in the Krasnodar Territory as shown by the analysis is closely correlated with wind strength.