Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature. A Global Climatology

The WBGT wet-bulb globe temperature is considered the most practical heat stress index characterizing the effect of a heat stress environment on the individual. WBGT was developed because the dry-bulb temperature alone does not provide a realistic guide to the effects of heat, inasmuch as it does not take humidity and heat radiation into consideration. WBGT is so-called because two of its input variables are wet-bulb temperature and a black-globe temperature the third variable is the shielded dry-bulb temperature. The wet-bulb temperature used in computing WBGT is taken from a stationary thermometer exposed to the sun and prevailing wind. WBGT climatology for three major areas of the globe North and South America, Africa, and Asia is provided as isolines plotted on four sets of charts for four months that represent the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Keywords North America Atmospheric temperature Comfort indices, Heat stress physiology Heat stress index.