Document Type
Article - On Campus Only
Publication Date
2016
Abstract
A human body may be able to adapt to extremes of dry-bulb temperature (commonly referred to as simply temperature) through perspiration and associated evaporative cooling provided that the wet-bulb temperature (a combined measure of temperature and humidity or degree of ‘mugginess’) remains below a threshold of 35 °C. (ref. ). This threshold defines a limit of survivability for a fit human under well-ventilated outdoor conditions and is lower for most people. We project using an ensemble of high-resolution regional climate model simulations that extremes of wet-bulb temperature in the region around the Arabian Gulf are likely to approach and exceed this critical threshold under the business-as-usual scenario of future greenhouse gas concentrations. Our results expose a specific regional hotspot where climate change, in the absence of significant mitigation, is likely to severely impact human habitability in the future.
Digital Commons @ LMU & LLS Citation
Pal, Jeremy S., and Elfatih A. B. Eltahir. “Future Temperature in Southwest Asia Projected to Exceed a Threshold for Human Adaptability.” Nature Climate Change, vol. 6, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 197–200.
