Heat-Stress Regions in Israel

Summary

The data of 20 climatic stations have been examined to determine heat-stress regions in Israel. The data was interpolated and a model was developed for the calculation of direct and diffuse solar radiation. Thermal perception was calculated according to the energy-balance model of man which considers all relevant energy fluxes affecting the human thermo-regulatory system. It is based on the ‘Comfort Equation’ of Fanger (1972) and the ‘Klima-Michel-Modell’ of Jendritzky et al. (1990). Earlier approaches for the assessment of thermal environmental conditions have been done by Sohar (1980), based on the discomfort index. The average daily duration of severe heat stress which a person is exposed to during various activities in summer months has been analyzed in order to classify the thermal environmental conditions in Israel. Statistical evaluations have led to six heat-stress clusters and regions, respectively. A model calculating the spatial development of climatic data between two measuring stations was set up and served to determine the location of the distinctions between the regions. The resulting heat-stress map shows the different heat-stress regions in Israel. The regions are characterized by graphs that show the average monthly duration of light, medium and severe heat-stress. The average duration of severe heat-stress varies in July from approximately 3 hours along the coastal strip and in the higher mountain regions to approximately 13 hours in the Arava.