• Journal of Climate Change Research
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.109-120
• /
• 2010

Heat wave is a disaster, which increases morbidity and mortality in temperate regions. Climate model results indicate that both intensity and frequency of heat wave in the future will be increased. This study shows the result about relationship between excess mortality and offensive airmass in 7 metropolitan cities, and an operational Heat-Health Warning System (HHWS) in Korea. Using meteorological observations, the Spatial Synoptic Classification (SSC) has been used to classify each summer day from 1982 to 2007 into specific airmass categories for each city. Through the comparative study analysis of the daily airmass type and the corresponding daily mortality rate, Dry Tropical (DT), and Moist Tropical plus (MT+) were identified as the most offensive airmasses with the highest rates of mortality. Therefore, using the multiple linear regression, forecast algorithm was produced to predict the number of the excess deaths that will occur with each occurrence of the DT and MT+ days. Moreover, each excess death forecast algorithm was implemented for the system warning criteria based on the regional acclimatization differences. HHWS will give warnings to the city's residents under offensive weather situations which can lead to deterioration in public health, under the climate change.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.18 no.7
• /
• pp.767-780
• /
• 2009

This study investigates the standard, duration period and excess mortality of extreme heat using the standardized daily mortality data from 1991 to 2004, establishing a standard threshold Criteria for Heat Health Watch Warning System in Korea. It ultimately aims to provide the guidance in building up Heat Health Watch Warning System for Korea by suggesting the standard to quantify thermal stress from heat. The standard threshold Criteria for Heat Health Watch Warning System for Seoul metropolitan city takes into account both daily maximum temperature and daily maximum heat index(HI) and consists of four phases; caution, extreme caution, danger, and extreme danger. Extreme caution phase and danger phase are used as the advisory and warning of extreme heat, respectively. Since the nationwide distribution of the frequency of extreme heat day and the excess mortality rate shows little difference across regions, the standard threshold Criteria for Heat Health Watch Warning System for Seoul metropolitan city can be used for other regions.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.18 no.7
• /
• pp.781-796
• /
• 2009

The current standard level of Heat Health Watch Warning System consider both daily maximum temperature and daily maximum heat index(HI), but current standard could not consider daily maximum HI due to the difficulties in forecasting when we consider both daily maximum temperature and daily maximum HI and no considering HI because relative humidity could not observed for some regions. So, Newly established standard level of Heat Health Watch Warning System is based on daily maximum temperature exceeding $30^{\circ}C$ for two consecutive days or daily minimum temperature exceeding $25^{\circ}C$ and daily maximum temperature exceeding $30^{\circ}C$. These days are called "extreme heat days". On extreme heat days, the standard of extreme heat advisory is based on daily maximum temperature among exceeding $32.7^{\circ}C$ and not exceeding $34.8^{\circ}C$, and extreme heat warning is based on daily maximum temperature exceeding $34.8^{\circ}C$. ANOVA analysis was carried out using the data of Seoul Metropolitan City in 1994 to check the robustness of the new standard level of Heat Health Watch Warning System from this study, in particular for mortality variable. The results reveal that the new standard specifies excess mortality well, showing significance level of 0.05 in the difference of excess mortality for each phase.