Human Thermal Climates in China

The clo index, which indicates the amount of clothing required to maintain comfort, is used to evaluate the human thermal climates in China. Daily clo values for 200 stations were computed using daily air temperature, wind speed, and cloud-cover data from 1960 to 1998, and they were reduced and grouped into seasonal values. In winter, the roughly zonal pattern of thermal stress reflects the influence of latitude. In summer, the spatial pattern becomes more meridional. In eastern China, seasonal monsoon and maritime effects are crucial factors determining spatial variations of physioclimates. In western China, altitude and local topography play an important role in shaping the bioclimatic patterns. For the regional patterns of severe thermal stress, during the winter months, the northeast and northwest experience the highest percent of stressful time. In summer, the most oppressive heat stress is located in areas east of the Sichuan Basin and south of Huaihe River.