Abstract
Wind affects functional state and health of human beings. Physical activity mitigates the risk of hypothermia, but not the discomfort felt in cold winds. Moreover, there appears a risk of body cooling and frostbite. This study aimed to assess the risk to health of a human being associated with the wind chill factor index in the various climatic zones of a Russian region. The calculation relied on the mean monthly daily temperature and wind speed values, minimum temperature and maximum wind values registered in the subarctic and continental climate zones during the two climatological normals determination observation periods, 19611990 (second period) and 1991–2020 (third period). In the third period, a significant decrease in wind strength was registered in the subarctic (8 months) and temperate continental (9 months) climates. The mean monthly temperatures increased in April by 3.5 °C (p = 0.006), April–June by 4.05 °C (p = 0.001) and 3.9 °C (p = 0.001). The maximum wind in the subarctic climate did not change, in the temperate continental zone it decreased within 9 months; the minimum temperature increased in 4 and 1 months. In the subarctic zone, the mean temperature and wind values made the ambient conditions uncomfortable for 6 months (versus 7), with one characterized as "extremely cold"; the cold exposure risk decreased during the "very cold" period; in the temperate climate zone, the potentially uncomfortable conditions period lasted for 4 months (versus 6). With wind at the maximum and temperature at the minimum, in the subarctic climate, the weather remained severe for 8 months a year in each of the determination periods ("uncomfortable, chilly" — 2 months, "cold, skin surface hypothermia" — 1 month, "extremely cold, possible hypothermia of the exposed parts of the body in 10 minutes" — 5 months); in the temperate continental climate zone, it was severe for 5 months of each year ("uncomfortable, chilly" — 2 months, "cold, skin surface hypothermia" — 3 month).
Highlights
Wind affects functional state and health of human beings
Based on the long-term observation data and through the lens of the Siple's wind chill factor [20] (WCF), we assessed the risks the cold peculiar to subarctic and temperate continental climate zones of the Krasnoyarsk Krai presents to a human being upon exposure
Assessing the average monthly wind speeds in the subarctic climate, we noticed that in the second climatological normals determination period (1961–1990) its strength was put at 3 points for 7 months a year (May – October and January): from 4.3 ± 0.2 to 5.1 ± 0.2 m/s (Table 1)
Summary
Wind affects functional state and health of human beings. Physical activity mitigates the risk of hypothermia, but not the discomfort felt in cold winds. The maximum wind in the subarctic climate did not change, in the temperate continental zone it decreased within 9 months; the minimum temperature increased in 4 and 1 months. The mean temperature and wind values made the ambient conditions uncomfortable for 6 months (versus 7), with one characterized as "extremely cold"; the cold exposure risk decreased during the "very cold" period; in the temperate climate zone, the potentially uncomfortable conditions period lasted for 4 months (versus 6). При максимальном ветре и минимальной температуре жесткость погоды в субарктическом климате в каждом периоде сохранялась 8 месяцев в году («дискомфорт, прохлада» — 2, «холодно, переохлаждение поверхности кожи» — 1, «чрезвычайно холодно, обнаженные части тела могут переохладиться за 10 мин» — 5); в умеренном 5 месяцев («дискомфорт, прохлада» — 2, «очень холодно, переохлаждение поверхности кожи» — 3). С. Богомолова — сбор данных литературы, редактирование статьи; Д.
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