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Analysis of long- and short-term biometeorological conditions in the Republic of Serbia

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Abstract

Long- and short-term biometeorological conditions in the Republic of Serbia were analyzed using official meteorological data from numerous weather stations located across the country. Selected biometeorological indices HUMIDEX, Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET), and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) are calculated based on air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and cloudiness data from the meteorological stations on annual and summer level as well as during selected heat wave periods during 2000–2020. Application of different biometeorological indices provides similar but somewhat different results. For example, average annual HUMIDEX and UTCI values indicate no thermal stress and no discomfort at all stations, while PET indicates the occurrence of slight to moderate cold stress at all stations. Average summer PET and UTCI indicate the occurrence of slight to moderate heat stress throughout the country, while HUMIDEX indicates no discomfort. Trends of biometeorological indices on annual and summer level show a general increase throughout the country. Furthermore, heat wave analysis indicated that the most populated cities of Serbia are under dangerous and extreme heat stress during these extreme temperature events, which can influence human health and well-being. The obtained biometeorological information can be used for the preparation of climate adaptation strategies that consider the human biometeorological conditions, with a special focus on developing climate-sensitive and comfortable cities.

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Funding

Research is funded by the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) of the American Red Cross, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center and the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Dragan Milošević, Jelena Dunjić & Stevan Savić

  2. Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Rastislav Stojsavljević & Daniela Arsenović

  3. Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 95, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Matej Žgela

Authors
  1. Dragan Milošević
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  2. Jelena Dunjić
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  3. Rastislav Stojsavljević
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  4. Matej Žgela
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  5. Stevan Savić
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Correspondence to Dragan Milošević.

Appendix

Appendix

Tables 7, 8, and 9

Table 7 Occurrence frequency (%) of different categories of PET and UTCI on annual and summer level: a) PET annual; b) UTCI annual; c) PET summer; and d) UTCI summer
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Table 8 Linear trend equations and R-squared values for PET and UTCI for annual and summer period (2000–2020) in Serbia
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Table 9 Average, maximum and minimum PET and UTCI values at 7 h (morning), 14 h (midday) and 21 h (evening) in Serbia during the heat wave periods
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Milošević, D., Dunjić, J., Stojsavljević, R. et al. Analysis of long- and short-term biometeorological conditions in the Republic of Serbia. Int J Biometeorol 67, 1105–1123 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-023-02482-8

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