Heat in Germany: Health risks and preventive measures.

Background: Climate change has already led to a significant temperature increase in Germany. The average temperature in the past decade was approximately 2°C above the pre-industrial level and eight of the ten hottest summers since the beginning of systematic weather records in 1881 were recorded in the last 30 years.

Methods: Based on a selective literature search and authors' own results, the article summarises the current state of knowledge on heat and its health impacts for Germany, addresses adaptation measures, and gives an outlook on implementation and research questions.

Heat-Related Mortality in Germany From 1992 to 2021.

Background: 2018-2020 were unusually warm years in Germany, and the summer of 2018 was the second warmest summer since record-keeping began in 1881. Higher temperatures regularly lead to increased mortality, particularly among the elderly.

Methods: We used weekly data on all-cause mortality and mean temperature from the period 1992-2021 and estimated the number of heat-related deaths in all of Germany, and in the northern, central, and southern regions of Germany, employing a generalized additive model (GAM).

Heat-Related Mortality.

Background: As a consequence of global warming, heat waves are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer. The elderly and persons with chronic diseases are especially vulnerable to health problems due to heat. This article is devoted to the question of the extent to which the effects of heat waves in Germany are changing over time, and whether preventive health measures are working.

The response of the ozone layer to quadrupled CO concentrations.

An accurate quantification of the stratospheric ozone feedback in climate change simulations requires knowledge of the ozone response to increased greenhouse gases. Here, we present an analysis of the ozone layer response to an abrupt quadrupling of CO concentrations in four chemistry-climate models. We show that increased CO levels lead to a decrease in ozone concentrations in the tropical lower stratosphere, and an increase over the high latitudes and throughout the upper stratosphere.

The influence of foehn winds on the incidence of severe injuries in southern Bavaria - an analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU®.

Background: Foehn describes a wind which occurs in areas with close proximity to mountains. The presence of foehn wind is associated with worsening health conditions. This study analyzes the correlation between a foehn typical circulation and the incidence for suffering a severe trauma.

[Thermal stress of urban dwellers during heat waves using the example of Freiburg (Breisgau)].

Background: As a result of climate change, people are increasingly affected by heat and the negative health effects of heat. Air temperature is often used as a measurement. However, in order to characterize the effects of heat on humans, other factors must be considered in addition to air temperature.

[Influence of extreme weather conditions on the deployment volume of emergency medical services].

Background: Due to global warming a worldwide increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves have been forecast. In the context of the overall increasing number of emergency service calls, weather-induced effects on the number of calls are highly relevant. We evaluated the influence of extreme temperatures on emergency medical services.

[Estimation of heat-related deaths in Germany between 2001 and 2015].

Background: During the summers of 2003 and 2015, heat was found to be the cause of a substantial number of deaths in Germany. Until now, estimates for the total number of heat-related deaths were only available regionally in Germany. For the summer of 2003, an analysis for Baden-Württemberg was extrapolated to the whole of Germany.

Tambora 1815 as a test case for high impact volcanic eruptions: Earth system effects.

The eruption of Tambora (Indonesia) in April 1815 had substantial effects on global climate and led to the 'Year Without a Summer' of 1816 in Europe and North America. Although a tragic event-tens of thousands of people lost their lives-the eruption also was an 'experiment of nature' from which science has learned until today. The aim of this study is to summarize our current understanding of the Tambora eruption and its effects on climate as expressed in early instrumental observations, climate proxies and geological evidence, climate reconstructions, and model simulations.

A glossary for biometeorology.

Here we present, for the first time, a glossary of biometeorological terms. The glossary aims to address the need for a reliable source of biometeorological definitions, thereby facilitating communication and mutual understanding in this rapidly expanding field. A total of 171 terms are defined, with reference to 234 citations.

Summer climate and mortality in Vienna - a human-biometeorological approach of heat-related mortality during the heat waves in 2003.

Background: Strong heat load has negative impacts on the human health and results in higher mortality during heat waves. In Europe, the summer 2003 was responsible for a high number of heat-related deaths, especially in Western Europe. Vienna was only partially affected.

Climate change and mortality in Vienna--a human biometeorological analysis based on regional climate modeling.

The potential development of heat-related mortality in the 21th century for Vienna (Austria) was assessed by the use of two regional climate models based on the IPCC emissions scenarios A1B and B1. Heat stress was described with the human-biometeorological index PET (Physiologically Equivalent Temperature). Based on the relation between heat stress and mortality in 1970-2007, we developed two approaches to estimate the increases with and without long-term adaptation.