title: Case study of skin temperature and thermal perception in a hot outdoor environment.
abstract: Focusing on the understanding and the estimation of the biometeorological conditions during summer in outdoor places, a field study was conducted in July 2010 in Athens, Greece over 6 days at three different sites: Syntagma Square, Ermou Street and Flisvos coast. Thermo-physiological measurements of five subjects were carried out from morning to evening for each site, simultaneously with meteorological measurements and subjective assessments of thermal sensation reported by questionnaires. The thermo-physiological variables measured were skin temperature, heat flux and metabolic heat production, while meteorological measurements included air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, globe temperature, ground surface temperature and global radiation. The possible relation of skin temperature with the meteorological parameters was examined. Theoretical values of mean skin temperature and mean radiant temperature were estimated applying the MENEX model and were compared with the measured values. Two biometeorological indices, thermal sensation (TS) and heat load (HL)-were calculated in order to compare the predicted thermal sensation with the actual thermal vote. The theoretically estimated values of skin temperature were underestimated in relation to the measured values, while the theoretical model of mean radiant temperature was more sensitive to variations of solar radiation compared to the experimental values. TS index underestimated the thermal sensation of the five subjects when their thermal vote was 'hot' or 'very hot' and overestimated thermal sensation in the case of 'neutral'. The HL index predicted with greater accuracy thermal sensation tending to overestimate the thermal sensation of the subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, University of Athens, University Campus-Zografou, Building Physics 5, 157 84, Athens, Greece, kpantav@phys.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pantavou
authors.forename: Evriklia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chatzi
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Theoharatos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012881:Skin Temperature; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013697:Thermosensing; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: J Sci Instrum. 1968 Sep;1(9):955-7
references.pmid: 5678492
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2007 Oct;52(1):69-84
references.pmid: 17476533
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2008 Mar;52(4):281-90
references.pmid: 17940808
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2007 Mar;51(4):323-34
references.pmid: 17093907
references.citation: Sci Total Environ. 2011 Jun 1;409(13):2493-502
references.pmid: 21492905
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2011 Sep;55(5):665-80
references.pmid: 21053024
references.citation: J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2007 Sep;1(5):760-7
references.pmid: 19885145
references.citation: Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1987;56(6):686-92
references.pmid: 3678223
references.citation: Epidemiology. 2006 Jan;17(1):75-9
references.pmid: 16357598
references.citation: Environ Res. 2005 Jul;98(3):390-9
references.pmid: 15910795
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2009 Mar;53(2):177-87
references.pmid: 19137329
references.citation: Ind Health. 2006 Jul;44(3):388-98
references.pmid: 16922182
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2012 May;56(3):515-35
references.pmid: 21614619
references.citation: Int J Biometeorol. 2006 May;50(5):258-68
references.pmid: 16541241
references.citation: Environ Res. 2010 Feb;110(2):152-61
references.pmid: 20060520
references.citation: J Appl Physiol. 1974 May;36(5):625-8
references.pmid: 4826328