We present a new publicly available daily gridded dataset
of maximum and minimum temperature and precipitation data covering the whole
territory of Slovenia from 1950 to 2018. It represents the great ...variability
of climate at the crossroads between the Mediterranean, Alpine and
continental climatic regimes with altitudes between 0–2864 m a.s.l. We
completely reconstructed (quality control and gap filling) the data for the
three variables from 174 observatories (climatological, precipitation and
automatic stations) with the original records all over the country. A
comprehensive quality control process based on the spatial coherence of the
data was applied to the original dataset, and the missing values were
estimated for each day and location independently. Using the filled data
series, a grid of 1×1 km spatial resolution with 20 998 points was created
by estimating daily temperatures (minimum and maximum) and precipitation,
as well as their corresponding uncertainties at each grid point. In order to show
the potential applications, four daily temperature indices and two on
precipitation were calculated to describe the spatial distribution of (1) the absolute maximum and minimum temperature, (2) the number of frost days,
(3) the number of summer days, (4) the intensity of precipitation and (5) the
maximum number of consecutive dry days. The use of all the available
information, the complete quality control and the high spatial resolution of the grid allowed for an accurate estimate of precipitation and temperature that represents a precise spatial and temporal distribution of daily
temperatures and precipitation in Slovenia. The SLOCLIM dataset is publicly
available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4108543 and
http://www.sloclim.eu (last access: 10 June 2021) and can be cited as Škrk et al. (2020).
To provide perspectives from the HEAT-SHIELD project (www.heat-shield.eu): a multi-national, inter-sectoral, and cross-disciplinary initiative, incorporating twenty European research institutions, as ...well as occupational health and industrial partners, on solutions to combat negative health and productivity effects caused by working on a warmer world.
In this invited review, we focus on the theoretical and methodological advancements developed to combat occupational heat stress during the last five years of operation.
We outline how we created climate forecast models to incorporate humidity, wind and solar radiation to the traditional temperature-based climate projections, providing the basis for timely, policy-relevant, industry-specific and individualized information. Further, we summarise the industry-specific guidelines we developed regarding technical and biophysical cooling solutions considering effectiveness, cost, sustainability, and the practical implementation potential in outdoor and indoor settings, in addition to field-testing of selected solutions with time-motion analyses and biophysical evaluations. All recommendations were adjusted following feedback from workshops with employers, employees, safety officers, and adjacent stakeholders such as local or national health policy makers. The cross-scientific approach was also used for providing policy-relevant information based on socioeconomic analyses and identification of vulnerable regions considered to be more relevant for political actions than average continental recommendations and interventions.
From the HEAT-SHIELD experiences developed within European settings, we discuss how this inter-sectoral approach may be adopted or translated into actionable knowledge across continents where workers and societies are affected by escalating environmental temperatures.
Occupational heat stress has an important negative impact on the well-being, health and productivity of workers and should; therefore, be recognized as a public health issue in Europe. There is no ...comprehensive heat health warning system in Slovenia combining public health measures with meteorological forecasts. The aim of this research was to provide insight into the development of such a system in Slovenia, turning the communication from the current meteoalarm into a broader system that has more information for different social groups. To achieve this goal, the following steps were used: Analysis of summer temperatures and issued meteoalarms, a survey of the general knowledge about heat among the public, organization and management of two stakeholder symposia, and a final survey on workers' opinions on heat stress and measures, supplemented by interviews with employers. Summer average daily temperature distributions in Slovenia changed during the investigated period (1961-2019) and the mean values increased over time by 2-3 °C. Additionally, the number of days with fulfilled yellow (potentially dangerous) and especially orange (dangerous) meteoalarm conditions increased significantly after 1990. The survey of the general public about heat stress and warnings showed that efforts to raise awareness of heat issues need to be intensified and that public health measures should effectively target vulnerable groups. Stakeholder symposia and further surveys have shown that awareness and understanding of the negative effects of heat stress on health and productivity are still quite low, so effective ways of disseminating information to different sectors while striking the best balance between efficiency, feasibility and economic cost have to be found.
Calibration and validation of the LINGRA-N model were performed using herbage dry matter (DM) yield data from field studies conducted at three locations in Slovenia. Calibration was done by ...minimising root mean square error (RMSE) and validation by using RMSE and Willmott’s index of agreement (dw). Calibration of LINGRA-N was not successful for the experiment conducted on permanent grassland in Ljubljana in the period 1974-1993 (RMSE% = 14%, dw = 0.37). Better results were obtained for grass monocultures in Jablje (J) and Rakičan (R) in the period 1998– 2013, with the best fit for cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.; RMSE% = 12%, dw = 0.84). Fifty-year simulations were performed for cocksfoot (J-DG) and timothy grass (Phleum pratense L.) in Jablje (J-PP) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in Jablje (J-LP) and Rakičan. Outliers with very low simulated herbage DM yield were detected only in the second half of the study period and were associated with drought and/or high maximum air temperatures. A time series analysis of annual potential yield values showed a statistically significant (P=0.05) negative trend for J-LP (–24 kg DM ha–1year–1) and J-PP (–29 kg DM ha–1year–1). A change in the variability of the reduction factor for crop growth due to drought was already noticeable.
Soil temperature regulates the rate of plant growth and tells us much about the climatic characteristics of a particular site. Climate variability and extremes need to be studied and there is a large ...gap in knowledge about soil temperature during heat waves. Agricultural land is highly dependent on heat waves, which are becoming longer, more intense and more frequent, and it is important to monitor soil temperatures in situ to understand their changes during heat waves. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate how soil temperatures change at different depths during and after heat waves. Average daily air and soil temperature data for the 25-year period 1992-2016 were evaluated at four agrometeorological stations in three climate zones in Slovenia and analyzed during heat waves determined according to the Slovenian definition. During the period 1992-2016, 53 (Lesce) to 76 (Ljubljana) heat waves were identified. Analysis of average air and soil temperatures before, during and after heat waves showed higher responsiveness of the upper part of the soils and an increase in the time lag between maximum air temperature and maximum soil temperature with depth. The maximum temperature during the heat wave was reached on average in three to nine days, depending on the depth. Only in Moderate climate of the hilly region, the average daily temperatures at a depth of 100 cm remained below 20°C during and after the heat wave. The temperature rise in the deeper layers of the soil lasts longer than in the shallower layers.
The human population is increasing. The ongoing urbanization process, in conjunction with climate change, is causing larger environmental footprints. Consequently, quality of life in urban systems ...worldwide is under immense pressure. Here, the seasonal characteristics of Maribor’s urban thermal environment were studied from the perspectives of surface urban heat island (SUHI) and urban heat island (UHI) A remote sensing thermal imagery time series and in-situ measurements (stationary and mobile) were combined with select geospatial predictor variables to model this atmospheric phenomenon in its most intensive season (summer). Finally, CMIP6 climate change scenarios and models were considered, to predict future UHI intensity. Results indicate that Maribor’s UHI intensity maximum shifted from winter to spring and summer. The implemented generalized additive model (GAM) underestimates UHI intensity in some built-up parts of the study area and overestimates UHI intensity in green vegetated areas. However, by the end of the century, UHI magnitude could increase by more than 60% in the southern industrial part of the city. Such studies are of particular concern, in regards to the increasing frequency of heat waves due to climate change, which further increases the (already present) heat stress in cities across the globe.
Climate change is expected to exacerbate heat stress at the workplace in temperate regions, such as Slovenia. It is therefore of paramount importance to study present and future summer heat ...conditions and analyze the impact of heat on workers. A set of climate indices based on summer mean (Tmean) and maximum (Tmax) air temperatures, such as the number of hot days (HD: Tmax above 30 °C), and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) were used to account for heat conditions in Slovenia at six locations in the period 1981–2010. Observed trends (1961–2011) of Tmean and Tmax in July were positive, being larger in the eastern part of the country. Climate change projections showed an increase up to 4.5 °C for mean temperature and 35 days for HD by the end of the twenty-first century under the high emission scenario. The increase in WBGT was smaller, although sufficiently high to increase the frequency of days with a high risk of heat stress up to an average of a third of the summer days. A case study performed at a Slovenian automobile parts manufacturing plant revealed non-optimal working conditions during summer 2016 (WBGT mainly between 20 and 25 °C). A survey conducted on 400 workers revealed that 96% perceived the temperature conditions as unsuitable, and 56% experienced headaches and fatigue. Given these conditions and climate change projections, the escalating problem of heat is worrisome. The European Commission initiated a program of research within the Horizon 2020 program to develop a heat warning system for European workers and employers, which will incorporate case-specific solutions to mitigate heat stress.
ABSTRACT
Changes in agricultural droughts were investigated using simulations of soil water deficit (SWD) and actual evapotranspiration (ETA) from a distributed semi‐empirical soil water balance ...model – swbEWA. At European scale, both SWD and ETA did not change significantly between 1951 and 2011. However, significant increases in SWD were found in southern Europe, except in western Turkey, whereas in northern Europe changes in SWD remain small. ETA increased significantly as a joint response to increased air temperature and precipitation in northern Europe.
Using the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis and the Pearson correlation coefficients (RPearson), we showed that large‐scale agricultural droughts are influenced by the recurrence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and by the atmospheric blocking. Atmospheric blocking in different months throughout the year and extreme NAO index (mainly in winter months) contribute to the severity of agricultural droughts. During a negative phase of NAO, storms over the North Atlantic and Europe are less frequent and as a consequence dry weather in Europe is observed. Positive NAO influences agricultural drought in Europe by shifting storms tracks from the North Atlantic onto European continent to more northerly paths, which in turn decreases the amount of precipitation over central Europe.
Large SWDs are mainly influenced by atmospheric blocking. Notably, winter blocking increases severity of agricultural droughts in southwestern Europe, while summer blocking influences agricultural droughts in southeastern Europe. Notwithstanding, the first three EOFs contribute to less than 40% of the total spatial variability of SWD. This shows that agricultural droughts are complex phenomena that can be only partly explained by extreme NAO or by intensive atmospheric blocking.
Dandanes več kot polovica ljudi živi v ubranih sistemih. Posledično se širijo pozidane površine, ki s svojimi lastnostmi ustvarjajo učinek mestnega toplotnega otoka, ki velja za enega izmed najbolj ...značilnih pojavov urbane gradnje in antropogenih aktivnosti. Pojav se zaradi globalnih podnebnih sprememb značilno krepi, kar dodatno vpliva na psihološko in fiziološko stanje ranljivih skupin ljudi. Njegovi vplivi segajo tudi na področje gospodarstva, še zlasti na porabo energije v mestih. Za uspešno načrtovanje omilitvenih in prilagoditvenih ukrepov, planiranje urbane zasnove ter trajnostni razvoj mest, so ključnega pomena analitične študije pojava mestnega toplotnega otoka, pri katerih se uporablja kombinacija podatkov in-situ meritev in podob daljinskega zaznavanja. Pri uporabi slednjih smo pogosto omejeni s prostorsko ločljivostjo termičnih kanalov.
Pojav mestnega toplotnega otoka (MTO) je posledica antropogenega spreminjanja prostora ter lokalnih podnebnih razmer. Večina študij o MTO obravnava velika metropolitanska območja. Podatki kažejo da ...je jakost pojava MTO lahko velika tudi v malih urbanih sistemih. V študiji smo se osredotočili na jakost pojava MTO v luči povprečnih, maksimalnih in minimalnih dnevnih temperatur zraka v različnih vremenskih tipih po sezonah v mestu Ljutomer. Ob anticiklonalni ali advektivni zračni cirkulaciji, predvsem v poletnih mesecih, je jakost MTO v Ljutomeru primerljiva srednjim in velikim urbanim sistemom (tudi do 8°C). Rezultati študije so še posebej zaskrbljujoči z vidika vse pogostejših vročinskih valov kot posledice podnebnih sprememb, ki še dodatno povečujejo, že tako prisotni, toplotni stres v mestih.
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