Tourism climatology past and present: A review of the role of the ISB Commission on Climate, Tourism and Recreation.

The Executive Board of the International Society of Biometeorology (ISB) founded the Commission on Climate, Tourism and Recreation (CCTR) at the 15th International Congress of Biometeorology in Sydney, Australia in 1999. The aims of the CCTR are to bring together researchers from around the world to critically review the current state of knowledge in tourism and recreation climatology and explore possibilities for future research. Almost two decades on, research in tourism climatology has developed and expanded due in large part to the initiatives and activities of the CCTR and several collaborative research projects run under the auspices of the CCTR. This work is reviewed here. Recent CCTR meeting highlighted the fact that, although climate is an essential part of the resource base for tourism, which is one of the world's biggest and fastest growing industries, relatively little is known about the effects of climate on tourist choices and broad demand patterns or the influence climate has on the commercial prospects and sustainability of tourism operators and destinations. The work here reviews what has been done, its conceptual underpinnings and current research frontiers.

A comparison and appraisal of a comprehensive range of human thermal climate indices.

Numerous human thermal climate indices have been proposed. It is a manifestation of the perceived importance of the thermal environment within the scientific community and a desire to quantify it. Schemes used differ in approach according to the number of variables taken into account, the rationale employed, and the particular design for application. They also vary considerably in type and quality, method used to express output, as well as in several other aspects. In light of this, a three-stage project was undertaken to deliver a comprehensive documentation, classification, and overall evaluation of the full range of existing human thermal climate indices. The first stage of the project produced a comprehensive register of as many thermal indices as could be found, 165 in all. The second stage devised a sorting scheme of these human thermal climate indices that grouped them according to eight primary classification categories. This, the third stage of the project, evaluates the indices. Six evaluation criteria, namely validity, usability, transparency, sophistication, completeness, and scope, are used collectively as evaluation criteria to rate each index scheme. The evaluation criteria are used to assign a score that varies between 1 and 5, 5 being the highest. The indices with the highest in each of the eight primary classification categories are discussed. The work is the final stage of a study of the all human thermal climatic indices that could be found in literature. Others have considered the topic, but this study is the first detailed, genuinely comprehensive, and systematic comparison. The results make it simpler to locate and compare indices. It is now easier for users to reflect on the merits of all available thermal indices and decide which is most suitable for a particular application or investigation.

A comprehensive catalogue and classification of human thermal climate indices.

The very large number of human thermal climate indices that have been proposed over the past 100 years or so is a manifestation of the perceived importance within the scientific community of the thermal environment and the desire to quantify it. Schemes used differ in approach according to the number of variables taken into account, the rationale employed, the relative sophistication of the underlying body-atmosphere heat exchange theory and the particular design for application. They also vary considerably in type and quality, as well as in several other aspects. Reviews appear in the literature, but they cover a limited number of indices. A project that produces a comprehensive documentation, classification and overall evaluation of the full range of existing human thermal climate indices has never been attempted. This paper deals with documentation and classification. A subsequent report will focus on evaluation. Here a comprehensive register of 162 thermal indices is assembled and a sorting scheme devised that groups them according to eight primary classification classes. It is the first stage in a project to organise and evaluate the full range of all human thermal climate indices. The work, when completed, will make it easier for users to reflect on the merits of all available thermal indices. It will be simpler to locate and compare indices and decide which is most appropriate for a particular application or investigation.

Weather and place-based human behavior: recreational preferences and sensitivity.

This study examines the links between biometeorological variables and the behavior of beach recreationists along with their rating of overall weather conditions. To identify and describe significance of on-site atmospheric conditions, two separate forms of response are examined. The first is sensory perception of the immediate atmospheric surround expressed verbally, which was the subject of earlier work. In the research reported here, on-site observations of behavior that reflect the effects of weather and climate are examined. By employing, independently, separate indicators of on-site experience, the reliability of each is examined and interpreted and apparent threshold conditions verified. The study site is King's Beach located on the coast of Queensland, Australia. On-site observations of atmospheric variables and beach user behavior are made for the daylight hours of 45 days spread over a 12-month period. The results show that behavioral data provide reliable and meaningful indications of the significance of the atmospheric environment for leisure. Atmospheric conditions within the zone of acceptability are those that the beach users can readily cope with or modify by a range of minor behavioral adjustments. Optimal weather conditions appear to be those requiring no specific behavioral adjustment. Attendance levels reflect only the outer limits of acceptability of the meteorological environment, while duration of visit enables calibration of levels of approval in so far as it reflects rating of on-site weather within a broad zone of tolerance. In a broad theoretical sense, the results add to an understanding of the relationship between weather and human behavior. This information is potentially useful in effective tourism management and planning.

The impact of acclimatization on thermophysiological strain for contrasting regional climates.

During acclimatization to heat and cold, the body experiences additional thermally induced physiological strain. The first signs show up in the respiratory organs because respiration is a continuous heat exchange process in which the body is in closest contact with the ambient air. There are no behavioral or other adjustments to prevent the ambient air from entering into the body's core area through the respiratory tract. The Acclimatization Thermal Strain Index (ATSI) describes the acclimatization thermal loading (ATL) on respiratory organs until full adaptation is achieved. The aim here is to further assess the ATSI scheme using a range of actual but contrasting bioclimatic conditions. To simulate ATL, scenarios of the consequences of acclimatization due to movement to or from five contrasting climates are used. The results show that adjusting to cold comes with greater physiological strain than adjusting to heat, the biggest impact occurring for a change of location from hot-humid to cold-dry climatic conditions. The approach can be used to assess risks due to increases in short-term thermal variability in weather conditions such as encountered during heat waves and cold snaps. The information could also be useful for assessing the need for public health services and measures that might be used to help mitigate impacts.

The Acclimatization Thermal Strain Index (ATSI): a preliminary study of the methodology applied to climatic conditions of the Russian Far East.

Travel to distant places where the climate is different to that at home involves a period of short-term acclimatization adjustment following arrival during which the traveler might experience thermally-induced physiological strain. This may be expressed as an "acclimatization thermal loading" (ATL). The first signs of this show up in the respiratory organs. In the current study, the Acclimatization Thermal Strain Index (ATSI) is developed and used for assessment of ATL for recreational travel over a range of climatic conditions. ATSI estimates the impact of short-term acclimatization calculated as the ratio of a difference between respiratory heat losses at the traveler's home location to respiratory heat losses at the trip destination upon first arriving there. The Russian Far East region is used as a case study. The research focuses on the effects of travel from two locations in the study region. The results show that ATSI values can be significantly different when considering places of trip origin. For example, travel from Anadyr to other locations within the Russian Far East could lead to large ATSI in summer. In contrast, ATSI values are small for travel almost anywhere in the region during winter, but this is against a backdrop of extreme cold for the region as a whole. Here, the diversity of climatic conditions of both heat and cold means short-term adjustment to conditions could be stressful or worse for those who travel to participate in outdoor activities.

A second generation climate index for tourism (CIT): specification and verification.

Climate is a key resource for many types of tourism and as such can be measured and evaluated. An index approach is required for this task because of the multifaceted nature of weather and the complex ways that weather variables come together to give meaning to climate for tourism. Here we address the deficiencies of past indices by devising a theoretically sound and empirically tested method that integrates the various facets of climate and weather into a single index called the Climate Index for Tourism (CIT). CIT rates the climate resource for activities that are highly climate/weather sensitive, specifically, beach "sun, sea and sand" (3S) holidays. CIT integrates thermal (T), aesthetic (A) and physical (P) facets of weather, which are combined in a weather typology matrix to determine a climate satisfaction rating that ranges from very poor (1=unacceptable) to very good (7=optimal). Parameter A refers to sky condition and P to rain or high wind. T is the body-atmosphere energy balance that integrates the environmental and physiological thermal variables, such as solar heat load, heat loss by convection (wind) and by evaporation (sweating), longwave radiation exchange and metabolic heat (activity level). Rather than use T as a net energy (calorific) value, CIT requires that it be expressed as thermal sensation using the standard nine-point ASHRAE scale ("very hot" to "very cold"). In this way, any of the several body-atmosphere energy balance schemes available may be used, maximizing the flexibility of the index. A survey (N=331) was used to validate the initial CIT. Respondents were asked to rate nine thermal states (T) with different sky conditions (A). They were also asked to assess the impact of high winds or prolonged rain on the perceived quality of the overall weather condition. The data was analysed statistically to complete the weather typology matrix, which covered every possible combination of T, A and P. Conditions considered to be optimal (CIT class 6-7) for 3S tourism were those that were "slightly warm" with clear skies or scattered cloud (

Tourism climatology: evaluating environmental information for decision making and business planning in the recreation and tourism sector.

This work grew from initiatives of the International Society of Biometeorology's Commission on Climate, Tourism and Recreation (ISBCCTR). The ISBCCTR was formed during the 15th Congress of the ISB held in November 1999 in Sydney, Australia. The aim of ISBCCTR is to promote research in tourism climatology. The first formal meeting of the Commission took place at the Meliton Resort, Halkidiki, Greece, 5-10 October 2001. The aims were to (1) bring together a selection of scientists and tourism experts to review the current state of knowledge of tourism climatology and (2) explore areas and priorities for future work and the role of the Commission in this. The Workshop highlighted the fact that, although climate is widely recognised as vitally important to tourism, relatively little is known about its effects. Even less is known about the economic impact or significance of climate on commercial prospects for tourism. Important research themes that warrant attention were identified. Among these was the need for a tourism climate index (or indices) that integrates all facets of climate, uses standard data and is objectively tested and verified. Work is also required on developing a better understanding of what climate-related information is required by both tourists and the tourism industry, exploring the distinction between the impact of climate on tourists and the impact on the tourism industry, setting a standard approach to tourism climate assessment, assessing the role of weather forecasts and long-term expectations of climate on choices made by tourists, the risks to tourism caused by extreme atmospheric events, what climate-related criteria people use to make decisions about tourism and recreational choices, how products giving information about weather and climate are currently used by the recreation and tourism industry and what are the existing and future requirements for this climate information.

Perceived change in risk of natural disasters caused by global warming

Natural hazards causing disasters that lead to human suffering are as much a product of the social, political and economic environment as they are of the natural environment. It follows, therefore, that the risk associated with natural hazards is in part a social construct that, as Young (1998) has pointed out, is perceived differently by all of us and must be defined with this mind. For example, risk is defined by Emergency Management Australia (1995) as the perceived likelihood of given levels of harm (AU)

Climate and physiological heat strain during exercise.

A body-atmosphere energy exchange model (BIODEX) using heat transfer theory and empirical relationships is described which predicts the change in body core temperature during exercise as an index of thermal strain. Index values may be interpreted as the length of the period of activity before the heat load on the body causes internal body temperature to rise to critical levels. The performance of the model tested under controlled laboratory conditions using human subjects was found to be reliable. BIODEX is used to show the thermal significance of midsummer climatic conditions in New Zealand for those jogging outdoors.