Analysis of thermal discomfort associated with synoptic conditions in the city of Pelotas, southernmost region of Brazil.

Here, we evaluated the influence of outdoor environmental conditions (synoptic weather conditions) on human thermal discomfort in the five macro-regions of Pelotas city, located in the southernmost region of Brazil. To do this, meteorological sensors (HOBO MX2301A) were installed outside the residences to measure the air temperature, dew point temperature, and relative humidity between 18 January and 20 August 2019. Two well-established simplified biometeorological indices were examined seasonally: (i) humidex for the summer months and (ii) effective temperature as a function of wind for the autumn and winter months. Our findings showed seasonal differences related to human thermal discomfort and outdoor environmental conditions. The thermal discomfort was highest in the afternoons during the summer months and at night during the winter months. The seasonal variation in human thermal discomfort was highly associated with the meteorological conditions. In summer, the presence of the South Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone (SASA) contributed to heat stress. The SASA combined with the continent's low humidity contributed to the perceived sensation of thermal discomfort. In the winter, thermal discomfort was associated with the decrease in air humidity caused by high atmospheric pressure systems, which led to a decrease in both air temperature and air moisture content. Our findings suggest that a better understanding of the complex interplay between outdoor environmental factors and human thermal comfort is needed in order to mitigate the negative effects of thermal discomfort.

Analysis of indoor human thermal comfort in Pelotas municipality, extreme southern Brazil.

The indoor human thermal comfort (HTC) was investigated in residences located in the Pelotas City, southern Brazil, by the effective temperature index (ETI). In this study, temperature and relative humidity were measured inside 429 houses, located in different regions of Pelotas city, from January 11 to August 27, 2019. Samples were obtained using HOBO data loggers, indoor sensors, installed in different regions of the municipality, in the context of a cohort study of children between 2 and 4 years old and their respective mothers, led by Epidemiological Research Center of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL). In general, all regions had average hourly values of effective temperature index above the comfort zone in summer and below the comfort zone in the winter. In terms of spatial variability, the indoor HTC was dependent on environmental factors such as lake breeze and indoor behavior factors, such as the use of air conditioning system in the downtown buildings.