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Related Concept Videos

Thermal Stress01:09

Thermal Stress

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If the temperature of an object is changed while it is prevented from expanding or contracting, the object is subjected to stress. The stress is compressive if the object expands in the absence of constraint and tensile if it contracts. This stress resulting from temperature change is known as thermal stress. It can be quite large and can cause damage. To avoid this stress, engineers may design components so they can expand and contract freely. For instance, on highways, gaps are deliberately...
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Thermoregulation01:26

Thermoregulation

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The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...
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Decreased Body Temperature01:29

Decreased Body Temperature

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A decreased body temperature can occur in patients with hypothermia and frostbite. Heat loss with extended cold exposure overpowers the body's ability to create heat, resulting in hypothermia. Core temperature readings help classify hypothermia. Mild hypothermia is temperatures between 32 °C (89.6 °F) and 35°C (95 °F) and is caused by impaired thermoregulation. Moderate hypothermia is temperatures between 28 C (82.4 °F) and 32 °C (89.6 °F) caused by...
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Responses to Heat and Cold Stress02:45

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

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Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
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Mechanism of heat transfer01:19

Mechanism of heat transfer

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Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
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Body Temperature01:25

Body Temperature

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The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
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Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

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Forest structure and composition alleviate human thermal stress.

Loïc Gillerot1,2, Dries Landuyt1, Rachel Oh3,4

  • 1Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium.

Global Change Biology
|September 5, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Forests significantly reduce heat stress, especially during extreme heatwaves, by lowering physiologically equivalent temperature (PET). Forest structure, like density and canopy closure, enhances this cooling effect, offering valuable insights for urban forest management.

Keywords:
Dr. Forestforest microclimateheat mitigationheat stressnature-based solutionphysiologically equivalent temperaturethermal comfort

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Climate Change Biology
  • Urban Ecology

Background:

  • Climate change intensifies heat stress, posing significant human health risks.
  • Forests act as natural thermal buffers, but the influence of their ecological characteristics on this mitigation is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the cooling effect of forests across diverse European locations.
  • To investigate how forest ecological characteristics mediate thermal buffering capacity.

Main Methods:

  • Collected hourly microclimate data from 131 forest plots across four European countries over 14 months.
  • Compared forest microclimate data with open-field controls using physiologically equivalent temperature (PET).
  • Analyzed the impact of forest structure (density, canopy height, closure) and species composition on thermal buffering.

Main Results:

  • Forests reduced the occurrence of severe heat stress days by 84.1% under very hot conditions (PET >35°C).
  • Mature forests provided cooling of 12.1–14.5°C PET during strong to extreme heat stress.
  • Increasing stand density, canopy height, and closure significantly enhanced forest cooling capacity.

Conclusions:

  • Forests, regardless of age, are effective thermal stress reducers.
  • Forest structure is a key factor in maximizing cooling potential, with dense, tall, and closed-canopy forests offering the most significant benefits.
  • Targeted urban forest management strategies incorporating these ecological insights can amplify cooling benefits and mitigate heat stress.