Abstract
Mountain areas create specific features of local climates (by modification of air circulation, insolation, air temperature, precipitation, wind regime) and greatly affect ambient weather conditions which influence different kinds of human (climbing, skiing, walking, etc.). However, till now only few studies of human bioclimate in individual mountain ridges in Europe were done. The aim of the present study is to assess thermal stress features represented by Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in nine mountain systems in Central and Eastern Europe. 37 meteorological stations located at altitudes of 237-3580 m above sea level were considered. The data represent midday observational term and cover the period 2000-2017. Mean, highest and lowest annual thermal stress values and annual frequency of cold and heat stress days are analysed The conducted studies have demonstrated that in the examined mountain systems thermal stress conditions are dependent (though to a various extent) mostly on altitude (UTCI values and heat stress days decrease and number of cold stress days rise significantly due to increase of altitude). However, impacts of latitude and longitude is well seen only in altitude belt of 300-1000 m a.s.l.
Highlights
Mountains are important elements of regional and global climate systems
The aim of the present study is to assess thermal stress features represented by Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in nine mountain systems in Central and Eastern Europe. 37 meteorological stations located at altitudes of 237-3580 m above sea level were considered
The lowest UTCIavg and UTCImin values are seen in stations located high above sea level (ZUG, JUN, SNI, Lomnicky Stit (LOS), BYA)
Summary
Mountains are important elements of regional and global climate systems. On the one hand they are influenced by global climate processes and on the other they modify air circulation, insolation, air temperature, precipitation and wind regime. Mountains are key areas for different kinds of human tourist and recreational activity (climbing, skiing, walking, etc.), which are greatly affected by ambient weather conditions. During the last decades tourist activity has been increasing all over the world. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international arrivals have risen from 436 million in 1990 to 1401 million in 2018 (UNWTO, 2019). International tourism involves the necessity of sudden human adaptation to changed climatic conditions (de Freitas & Grigorieva, 2009; Błażejczyk & Vinogradova, 2014)
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