Relative Influence of Meteorological Variables of Human Thermal Stress in Peninsular Malaysia

Mohamad Rajab Houmsi (), Zulhilmi bin Ismail, Ghaith Falah Ziarh, Mohammed Magdy Hamed, Daeng Siti binti Maimunah Ishak, Mohd Khairul Idlan Muhammad, Muhamad Zulhasif bin Mokhtar, Zulfaqar Sa’adi and Shamsuddin Shahid
Additional contact information
Mohamad Rajab Houmsi: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Zulhilmi bin Ismail: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Ghaith Falah Ziarh: Civil Engineering Department, University of Technology-Iraq, Alsian’s Street, Baghdad 10066, Iraq
Mohammed Magdy Hamed: Construction and Building Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Technology, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), B 2401 Smart Village, Giza 12577, Egypt
Daeng Siti binti Maimunah Ishak: Centre for River and Coastal Engineering (CRCE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Mohd Khairul Idlan Muhammad: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Muhamad Zulhasif bin Mokhtar: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Zulfaqar Sa’adi: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Shamsuddin Shahid: Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: Climate change has significantly increased human thermal stress, particularly in tropical regions, exacerbating associated risks and consequences, such as heat-related illnesses, decreased workability, and economic losses. Understanding the changes in human thermal stress and its drivers is crucial to identify adaptation measures. This study aims to assess various meteorological variables’ spatial and seasonal impact on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature ( WBGT ), an indicator of human thermal stress, in Peninsular Malaysia. The Liljegren method is used to estimate WBGT using ERA5 hourly data from 1959 to the present. The trends in WBGT and its influencing factors are evaluated using a modified Mann-Kendall test to determine the region’s primary driver of WBGT change. The results indicate that air temperature influences WBGT the most, accounting for nearly 60% of the variation. Solar radiation contributes between 20% and 30% in different seasons. Relative humidity, zenith, and wind speed have relatively lesser impacts, ranging from −5% to 20%. Air temperature has the highest influence in the northern areas (>60%) and the lowest in the coastal regions (40%). On the other hand, solar radiation has the highest influence in the southern areas (20–40%) and the least in the north. The study also reveals a significant annual increase in temperature across all seasons, ranging from 0.06 to 0.24 °C. This rapid temperature rise in the study area region has led to a substantial increase in WBGT . The higher increase in WBGT occurred in the coastal regions, particularly densely populated western coastal regions, indicating potential implications for public health. These findings provide valuable insights into the factors driving WBGT and emphasize the importance of considering air temperature as a key variable when assessing heat stress.

Keywords: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature; drivers of thermal stress; Mann-Kendall test; Sobol sensitivity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/12842/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/12842/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:17:p:12842-:d:1224583

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().