Geographia Polonica (2021) vol. 94, iss. 2

UTCI applications in practice (methodological questions)

Krzysztof Błażejczyk, Kuchcik Magdalena

Geographia Polonica (2021) vol. 94, iss. 2, pp. 153-165 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0198

Abstract

UTCI, although it was developed with the participation of scientists from 22 countries, it has shortcomings and people using it face various obstacles. The difficulties include wide range of issues: from different availability of meteorological data in individual countries, through the kind of air temperature which should be properly used in calculations, or the need of recalculation of wind speed. However the biggest subject concern algorithms for mean radiant temperature (Mrt) calculations, different models and programs which simplify calculations of this complex index though introduce different approximations and, as a result, many false results. The paper presents also wide range of UTCI applications in urban bioclimate studies and bioclimatic mapping, climate-human health researches and biometeorological forecasts which were the primary purpose of the index creation, but also applications in tourism and recreation or even in bioclimate change analysis.

Keywords: problems with UTCI in use, data bases, mean radiant temperature, mapping, human health

Krzysztof Błażejczyk [k.blaz@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Kuchcik Magdalena [mkuchcik@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania im. S. Leszczyckiego PAN