CR 20:83-94 (2002)  -  doi:10.3354/cr020083

ABSTRACT: An assessment of the summer human thermal climate over the period 1966-1995 for Athens, Greece, was undertaken using the predicted mean vote (PMV). At the seasonal (diurnal) time scale human thermal discomfort reaches a maximum over a 20 d (4 to 6 h) period centred on the end of July (14:00 h LST). Not only are general levels of thermal discomfort variable at the intra- and inter-annual time scales, but the timing of discomfort season onset and cessation is highly variable from year to year. Mann-Kendall tests for trends of discomfort season diagnostics revealed that there has been a tendency towards an increase in the length of the discomfort season over the study period. The implications of Athens¹ harsh human thermal climate for staging athletic events are discussed, and the concept of cool and warm synthetic summers is introduced as a basis for the planning of human activities.

KEY WORDS: Human thermal comfort · Bioclimate · Summer · Onset · Duration · Predicted mean vote · Athens · Greece