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Is Heatwave A Risk in Enschede? : A heat-health related assessment

Jiang, Tong (2024) Is Heatwave A Risk in Enschede? : A heat-health related assessment.

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Abstract:Heat poses a significant threat to human health, with an increasing number of people worldwide being exposed to extreme temperatures due to the accelerating impacts of climate change. This trend is particularly concerning in urban areas, where the urban heat island effect exacerbates heat exposure. In the Netherlands, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves have markedly increased since 2000, presenting new challenges that the country faces a warming future. The unusual intensity of these extreme heat events can have severe consequences, particularly for those who are unprepared. Although there is a general consensus in Netherlands that heat is an imminent issue, a critical area that remains under-researched is the impact of heatwave events on local communities, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of how these populations are affected. This thesis focused on heat-related health risks, especially in relation to hazard, exposure, and their effects on liveability and human health through different vulnerabilities (sensitivity and adaptive capacity) at a localised level for the city of Enschede. The overall research objective was to assess the heat-related health risks in the urban area of Enschede and to understand why these areas were at high risk. The research was constructed at two levels: national level and neighbourhood level. Heatwave hazards were assessed at the national level, with hazards evaluated using data from the De Bilt weather station, compared against Enschede records to highlight potential local context deviations. Further spatial and temporal analyses showcased historical heatwave characteristics. In general, the southern and eastern parts of the Netherlands have experienced more frequent and intense heatwaves. Enschede, as one of the heat-prone areas, has faced more intense and prolonged heatwaves than De Bilt due to its higher summer temperatures. A total of 16 heatwaves were identified at Enschede using the KNMI heatwave definition, with 14 heatwave events occurring in De Bilt. The years 2018, 2019, and 2020 saw consecutive intense heatwave events, with an atypical heatwave in 2019 that recorded the highest air temperature of 40.2°C in Enschede. Focusing on the city level, this study identified heat risk across different neighbourhoods. Exposure factors included urban morphology, land use patterns, and population density, while vulnerability factors encompassed demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, health conditions, and the availability of cooling resources and green spaces. There are no neighbourhoods scored as “High” risk. Top 5 neighbourhoods with the higher risk scores are City, Getfert, De Bothoven, Hogeland-Noord, and Veldkamp-Getfert-West. They are all residing in 'Medium to High' risk levels. In all, around 95% of the population in urban neighbourhoods are found at a risk level greater than “Medium”.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation
Subject:38 earth sciences, 43 environmental science
Programme:Spatial Engineering MSc (60962)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/102813
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