Scientists Studying Temperature at Which Humans Spontaneously Die With Increasing Urgency

[apcalc]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/93ynm5/scientists-studying-temperature-at-which-humans-spontaneously-die-with-increasing-urgency?fbclid=IwAR30GhAnS5lsieRKrRCv0t0BrFmWQRrvoybaKIO4GIo5wZQKMOpgKeyb6Gg

[appalachiablue]

1. From the article:

The conditions aren't actually that hard to imagine: Wet bulb conditions occur when relative humidity is above 95 percent and temperatures are at least 88 degrees F, according to the study. The human body, Horton's study found, is essentially unable to withstand wet bulb conditions at all once temperatures hit 95 degrees F. Under these conditions, it's possible for otherwise healthy people to die.

“Even if they're in perfect health, even if they're sitting in the shade, even if they're wearing clothes that make it easy in principle to sweat, even if they have an endless supply of water,” Horton said. “If there's enough moisture in the air, it's thermodynamically impossible to prevent the body from overheating.”

Horton's research was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, meaning that the U.S. government has been actively studying the weather conditions at which otherwise healthy humans spontaneously die: "Some locations have already reported combined heat and humidity extremes above humans' survivability limit," a NOAA press release stated. NOAA is also supporting a few projects that further study wet bulb conditions.

Sweating is a necessary function for coping with hot days. Once on the surface of the skin, sweat droplets can get hot enough that they turn into a gas and dissolve, eliminating heat and keeping the body’s internal temperature down.

[apcalc]

2. Yes, thank you, both intriguing and scary

[Marrah_Goodman]

3. I get physically ill in the heat, especially in humidity.

I think genetics has a lot to do with it also. I am very pale, freckles, red hair. I hate summer.

[Binkie The Clown]

4. I read a couple years ago that by mid-century there would be death zones

where human habitation is no longer possible. It start in the equatorial regions and slowly spreads out from there.

[Ilsa]

5. That's damn scary.

Imagine the number of refugees flooding into more temperate locations. Or difficulty in growing crops?

[carpetbagger]

6. It's already part of the Central American refugee migration. Nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Happening now.

Countries such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshal Islands are already experiencing sea level rise where ocean flooding has washed saltwater onto agricultural lands and inundated sources of drinking water.
the plight of the people is mostly ignored by other countries so far.

Bangladesh comes to mind also. It's like Louisiana, it's a delta.
India is putting numerous dams on the great Ganges river, which is cutting off access to many villages dependent on the nearby river streams.

As for food problems, they are here now. Drought in the West, esp. California's food basket counties that depend on decreasing irrigation water from the Colorado river, is going from bad to horrible to worse.
Stupidly, there is a planned community of over 250,000 people, 13 golf clubs, lawns, in the SW corner of Utah's desert, which is insisting it has a right to grow and expand using water from the Colorado river, which is running far below normal now.

The mid-west is facing huge crop problems with increasing heat and drought. Esp. corn.

The day of the 3,000 mile salad is pretty much over. So is the pleasure of eating beef, prices are climbing like crazy now.

the impact of climate change is hitting us NOW. Any solutions will only be effective in the long term, even if we applied them today.

[roamer65]

11. That also means kiss the equatorial rainforests good bye.

That ought to be good for a 4-5 pct drop in atmospheric O2.

[apcalc]

14. Good point

[apcalc]

15. Yikes , will look for that article.

[misanthrope]

8. America's Gulf Coast will become uninhabitable

The normal conditions now aren't terribly far from what's described in the article. I've seen evenings with heat indices of more than 10 degrees solely from humidity, nights where the thermometer never drops lower than the mid to upper 70s. Were it not for air conditioning, the population down here would be greatly reduced and mosquito-borne disease would be a bigger problem.

Add to the picture what the greater availability of atmospheric energy will do for hurricane and tornadoes and it becomes clear what such a future holds.

EDIT TO ADD:
The latitudes closer to the poles are warming even faster than those closer to the equator. Loss of albedo and other factors mean their ecosystems are going to be shocked. A friend from an indigenous family in northern Quebec told me nearly a decade ago that her relatives were seeing insect and arachnid life that was previously unknown there.

Part of that warming is the release of methane hydrates, stoking the feedback loop. How that might affect air quality up there has yet to be seen but we could end up with a situation where it creates climate refugees all on its own. That would result in refugee waves moving up from the equator and down from the northern latitudes at the same time. That's a situation ripe for conflict.

[apcalc]

9. Wow

[misanthrope]

13. Conditions at 5 p.m. this afternoon (per Weather Underground)

Ambient temperature: 85º
Dew point: 74º
Wet bulb temperature: 81º
Relative humidity: 74%
Heat index: 95º

That was with cloud cover and threatening showers.

[roamer65]

10. Broasted human.

This means people will literally cook in their own juices.

[apcalc]

12. Yes, You are right.