Rajmund Przybylak

Abstract This paper provides an assessment of the spatial diversity of biometeorological conditions in Toruń and its suburban area in 2012. The study makes use of meteorological data sourced from 10 automatic weather stations set up at locations differing in terms of land cover and use. The analysis was based on data of hourly resolution comprising the following meteorological elements: air temperature (°C), global solar radiation (W·m–2), relative humidity of the air (%) and wind speed (m·s–1). These elements provided a basis for the calculation of the following biometeorological indices: the universal thermal climate index (the UTCI), physiological subjective temperature (PST), the predicted insulation of clothing (Iclp) and physiological strain (PhS). The greatest differences in biometeorological conditions were found between the centre of Toruń (LO1, situated in the Medieval Old Town) and the suburban area (KON, situated in an agricultural area of Koniczynka). Over the annual course, the greatest differences between the two sites (LO1 and KON) characterised January, in respect of the UTCI (13.6°C), PST (4.7°C) and PhS (–1.3), or else January and February, as regards Iclp (–0.4 clo) at moderate physical activity. The most favourable biothermal conditions are characteristic of the city centre (LO1). For example, where the UTCI is concerned, no heat stress is found to occur through half the year (45%). Similar conditions (UTCI = 42%) were observed at sites where urban green space is a vital factor in the development of biometeorological conditions (BAR, ZOO and RMA). Green space modifies the sky view factor markedly, though first and foremost influencing values recorded for meteorological elements (e.g. by reducing wind speed). Occasionally, unfavourable conditions may occur in the central part of the city in the summer, especially when physical activity is vigorous. On cloudless or sparsely cloudy days, in the daytime or at night, the highest values of the UTCI, for example, were recorded in the street canyon of the Old Town courtyard (LO1). During the day the UTCI exceeded 38°C there (”very strong heat stress”). The most unfavourable conditions in turn characterised the suburban site of KON, where, according to the UTCI, for example, moderate to strong cold stress was observed on 42% of the days in a year. Such conditions differ from the other sites analysed in necessitating clothing with better thermal insulation properties, especially in the winter. During the year as a whole, heat stresses for the human body were most disparate in terms of their diurnal course in residential areas (single-family houses/blocks of flats) with a substantial share of green space (ZOO and RMA). For the residents of Toruń and tourists alike, two-thirds of the year (mainly the warm season) looks favourable from the point of view of heat stress. Conditions prevailing then did not cause excessive stress for the body (“moderate cold stress” or “no thermal stress”). Therefore, regular summer clothing or transitional season clothing is recommended for most of the year in Toruń.

Keywords: bioklimat miast, organizm człowieka, wskaźniki biometeorologiczne, Toruń, Koniczynka

Joanna Uscka-Kowalkowska, Department of Climatology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 9, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Marek Kejna [marek.kejna@umk.pl]
Rajmund Przybylak, Department of Climatology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Gagarina 9, 87-100 Toruń, Poland

Citation

APA: Araźny, A., Uscka-Kowalkowska, J., Kejna, M., Przybylak, R., & Kunz, M. (2016). Zróżnicowanie warunków biometeorologicznych w Toruniu i jego strefie podmiejskiej w 2012 r.. Przegląd Geograficzny, 88(1), 87-108. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2016.1.5
MLA: Araźny, Andrzej, et al. "Zróżnicowanie warunków biometeorologicznych w Toruniu i jego strefie podmiejskiej w 2012 r.". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 88, no. 1, 2016, pp. 87-108. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2016.1.5
Chicago: Araźny, Andrzej, Uscka-Kowalkowska, Joanna, Kejna, Marek, Przybylak, Rajmund, and Kunz, Mieczysław. "Zróżnicowanie warunków biometeorologicznych w Toruniu i jego strefie podmiejskiej w 2012 r.". Przegląd Geograficzny 88, no. 1 (2016): 87-108. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2016.1.5
Harvard: Araźny, A., Uscka-Kowalkowska, J., Kejna, M., Przybylak, R., & Kunz, M. 2016. "Zróżnicowanie warunków biometeorologicznych w Toruniu i jego strefie podmiejskiej w 2012 r.". Przegląd Geograficzny, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 87-108. https://doi.org/10.7163/PrzG.2016.1.5