2023-05-31 11:06:48
The Climate Change and Health Reference Unit of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) has published research on the effect of urban heat islands on urgent hospital admissions and short-term deaths in five Spanish cities. The results, obtained after analyzes carried out in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Murciaare published in the magazine Science of the Total Environment.
The urban heat island effect is called a meteorological phenomenon that results in a temperature rise in urban areas, usually at night. This increase is attributed to bills that contribute to the accumulation of heat during the day. Among them, the materials present in cities such as asphalt, the facades of buildings and air conditioning devices. This phenomenon, added to global warming caused by climate change, can affect people’s health by increase the risk of hospitalizations and deaths.
Heat islands are produced by the accumulation of heat during the day on asphalt and facades, as well as by the heat that comes out of the air conditioning devices.
The main results of the work indicate that the thermal heat island effect is observed mainly in minimum temperatures -that is to say, the nocturnal ones- and not so much in the maximum ones, and that their values oscillate a lot depending on the city. In Murcia a difference of 1.2 degrees Celsius is reflected in the city above the periphery, while in Valencia is 4.1 degrees.
In addition, the authors have confirmed that the relationship between the risk of disease and death in inner cities occurs with the maximum temperatures -the daytime-, while this association, in the coastal townsappears with the minima -the nocturnal ones-.
Location and characteristics of each city
This work uses data from meteorological observatories, one located within the cities and another on the periphery, which has allowed confirm thermal differences of the heat island effect. The wider range of values Between the urban interior and the exterior they have a maximum daily range of up to 11.2ºC in Valencia, 9.5ºC in Murcia and 7.1ºC in Madrid.
The results indicate that the geographic location and the characteristics of each zone are key to the possible effect of the urban thermal island, which suggests a need for carry out local studies to determine the greater or lesser importance of this phenomenon according to the type of city.
These heat accumulations pose a greater health risk in coastal cities
The study points out that in inland cities such as Madrid and Murcia the thermal island can cause discomfort in people, but it has fewer potential health effectssince it does not affect deaths or urgent hospital admissions in the short term.
On the other hand, in coastal cities such as Valencia, it is possible to identify increased health risk, with an increase in minimum daily urban temperatures related to deaths and admissions. In the case of Barcelona, both ends of the thermostat seem to have an influence.
The work is led from ISCIII by doctors Julio Diaz y Cristina Linares and the researchers Miguel Ángel Navas and José Antonio López Bueno have participated. Scientists from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the Eduardo Torroja Institute of Construction Sciences of the CSIC and the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service have also collaborated.
Reference:
Cuerdo-Vilches, T. et al. “Impact of urban heat islands on morbidity and mortality in heat waves: Observational time series analysis of Spain’s five cities” Science of the Total Environment (2023)
Rights: Creative Commons.
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