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Assessment of human thermal perception in the hot-humid climate of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

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Abstract

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a typical African city along the Indian Ocean coast, and therefore an important urban area to examine human thermal perception in the hot-humid tropical climate. Earlier research on human bioclimate at Dar es Salaam indicated that heat stress prevails during the hot season from October to March, peaking between December and February, particularly the early afternoons. In order to assess the human thermal perception and adaptation, two popular places, one at an urban park and another at a beach environment, were selected and questionnaire surveys were conducted in August–September 2013 and January 2014, concurrently with local micro-meteorological measurements at survey locations. The thermal conditions were quantified in terms of the thermal index of the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) using the micro-scale climate model RayMan. The thermal comfort range of human thermal comfort and the local thermal adaptive capacity were determined in respect to the thermal index by binning thermal sensation votes. The thermal comfort range was found to be well above that in temperate climates at about 23–31 °C of PET. The study could significantly contribute to urban planning in Dar es Salaam and other coastal cities in the tropics.

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Acknowledgments

The fieldwork survey was facilitated by the financial assistance from DAAD and the Müller-Fahnenberg-Stiftung. The willingness of the people to participate in the interview is highly appreciated. During fieldwork, Mr. Jeremiah F. Masue and Bernard L. Andrea assisted in conducting the interviews and watching over the instruments. Advice to improve the map illustration was kindly given by Ms. Martinelli. Mr. D. Redepenning improvised the screen shield for instruments while Mr. D. Flöhlich assisted in testing the instruments at the urban climate station in Freiburg. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Fahnenbergsplatz 10, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

    Emmanuel L. Ndetto & Andreas Matzarakis

  2. Department of Physical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3038, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Emmanuel L. Ndetto

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  1. Emmanuel L. Ndetto
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  2. Andreas Matzarakis
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Correspondence to Emmanuel L. Ndetto.

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Ndetto, E.L., Matzarakis, A. Assessment of human thermal perception in the hot-humid climate of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Int J Biometeorol 61, 69–85 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-016-1192-1

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