Air Temperature Increase and Quality of Life in an Anthropogenically Transformed Environment: A Case Study

摘要

This paper to assesses the impact of air temperature increase connected with the degree of anthropogenic transformation of an area on the subjectively perceived quality of life. The area under study is the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia (Gornoslaski Zwiazek Metropolitalny - GZM). We analyzed the average monthly temperatures in different seasons and the human impact ratio of the area. The ratio was determined based on population density, road network density, the amount of waste produced and the number and size of buildings in the analyzed area. The result is a methodology that involves anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors to assess the impact of weather conditions on the quality of life in the analyzed area. The average temperatures in GZM have a similar spatial distribution pattern regardless of the season. The highest temperatures are recorded in the central part of GZM. The spatial fluctuations of the human impact factor are large in the area studied, with values varying from 2.5 to 10.1. These values points to the risk of exposure to harmful factors and a lower quality of life perception. As evidenced by the human impact factor calculated, these are the districts where human influence on the environment is the most noticeable. After analysis of temperature distribution the similarities in the distribution patterns of both factors are evident Therefore, temperature should also be taken into account when identifying sites particularly harmful to human health.