A Climatology of Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature for the Southeastern United States with Implications for Human Health

Author

Derek T. Thompson, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical CollegeFollow

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation investigates wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a heat metric that incorporates temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation, across three studies spanning 1991–2021. The first study presents a WBGT climatology for the southeastern United States and quantifies the spatial and temporal distribution of heat exposure risks for outdoor workers and athletes. The second study analyzes WBGT conditions by synoptic weather type using Spatial Synoptic Classification data and identifies significant trends on days previously linked to heat-related mortality. The third study evaluates Louisiana Department of Health records to characterize heat-related morbidity (emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations) and mortality (fatalities) by demographic and geographic patterns. Results from these studies indicate that portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas experience the highest frequency of hazardous WBGT conditions, while Oklahoma exhibited a statistically significant expansion in the area exceeding the highest athletic safety threshold. WBGT trends varied significantly by weather type, with increasing trends during Moist Tropical days suggesting a potential lengthening of the warm season. In Louisiana, most heat-related morbidity and mortality occurred between April–October, with the highest counts in urban parishes and the highest age-adjusted rates in rural parishes. Male patients experienced substantially higher counts and rates than females. Racially, White patients constituted more cases, but Black patients experienced higher age-adjusted rates. While WBGT integrates more heat-related variables than temperature or heat index, it did not exhibit a stronger statistical relationship with emergency department visits in this analysis, suggesting that temperature and heat index may be sufficient for modeling heat-health outcomes in Louisiana.

Date

7-8-2025

Recommended Citation

Thompson, Derek T., "A Climatology of Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature for the Southeastern United States with Implications for Human Health" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6840.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6840

Committee Chair

Trepanier, Jill C.

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.6840