A “Hot” Topic: Your body’s (and planet’s) rising temperature

A “Hot” Topic: Your body’s (and planet’s) rising temperature

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We are still in the beginning of the summer season, and we have already experienced record numbers of high heat in many parts of the United States. Globally, scientists warn that 2023 could be one of the hottest years on record due to the impact of global warming and an incoming El Niño (Paddison, 2023).  An El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean every few years that brings warmer than average sea waters temperatures to the surface and which can globally influence the weather.  Hot summers can be extremely dangerous if you’re not prepared, especially as it is the time of year when many people enjoy the outdoors. Heat-related illnesses can not only impact summer plans but can be life threatening.  However, they are preventable, so learn the symptoms and be prepared.

Signs of heat-related illnesses:

Sunburn or heat rash (blistered skin; red, painful, warm skin) can range in severity. Long term exposure to sunlight and tanning may lead to skin cancer. Sunscreen is always recommended as well as staying in shady and cool places as much as possible.

If working or doing any physical activity outside, heat cramps are possible. Signs are muscle pain or spasms and excessive sweating during intense workouts. Drink plenty of water and always wait until cramps go away before returning to activities.

Two of the more dangerous illnesses to look out for are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Signs of heat exhaustion are heavy sweating; cold, pale, clammy skin; fast, weak pulse; muscle cramps; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; weakness or tiredness; headache; fainting. The signs of heat stroke are very similar to heat exhaustion but also include confusion; high body temperature; hot, red, dry, or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; losing consciousness. Heat stroke can cause organ failure.

If there are any signs of any heat related illness, move to a cool place and try to rehydrate. In some instances, if any symptoms persist, seek medical attention. If experiencing any signs of heat stroke, always call 911 immediately. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. In the case of heat stroke, do not try to drink anything – call for help and try to lower body temperature (e.g., move to a shady location, loosen clothing, use damp, cool cloths).  

You can learn more about how to handle the hot weather by accessing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on Extreme Heat. The Washington Post has an interactive visual aid showing “What Extreme Heat Does to the Body.” The Biden Administration launched Heat.gov in the summer of 2022. This is a national integrated heat health information system to help communities reduce the threat of heat related illnesses as well as help build resilient infrastructure to withstand not only extreme heat, but also drought, wildfires, and other heat-related hazards (NOAA, 2022).

Beating the Heat locally:

Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute and Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs launched a two-year program called “Beat the Heat,” that assisted Indiana communities, like Richmond, in creating sustainable projects devoted to helping residents in dealing with the increasingly hot days and avoiding heat-related illnesses. The city of Richmond created a Heat Management Plan which includes 23 strategies to help lower temperatures in Richmond. They also established and promote Cooling Centers, which are air-conditioned public spaces where residents who do not have air conditioning can visit and cool off during periods of high heat. The IU East Campus Library, in Hayes Hall, is a cooling center site, along with Morrisson-Reeves Public Library, Central United Methodist Church, Richmond Senior Recreation Center, and others (City of Richmond, 2023).

Academic Research Resources:

To learn more about heat-related illnesses, including how they can affect the body, who are the most at-risk population, and ways to treat them, you can access a new IU East nursing database Nursing and Allied Health Premium. You can also locate health related articles in PubMed Central.

For academic articles related to climate change’s impact on the weather, you visit PLOS Climate, an open access journal that furthers understanding of climatic patterns, processes, impacts and solutions from diverse and multidisciplinary perspectives.

Other great places to explore the topic of weather patterns and heat waves that provide climate research and data are:

Interested in how heat affects our city? You can explore Richmond’s urban heat island here with an interactive map of the city.  You can also track the heat across the U.S. with the New York Times “Heat Wave Map Tracker.”

If you need help researching this topic further, or any other topic, just Ask Us! at iueref@iue.edu. It’s hot enough this summer as it is, so don’t let your research trouble make you sweat.    

Citations:

Paddison, L. (July 8, 2023). “Global heat in ‘unchartered territory’ as scientist warn 2023 could be the hottest year on record.” CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/08/world/extreme-global-temperature-heat-records-climate/index.html

NOAA. (July 26, 2022). “Biden Administration launches Heat.gov with tools for communities facing extreme heat.” https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/biden-administration-launches-heatgov-with-tools-for-communities-facing-extreme-heat

City of Richmond, Indiana. (2023). “Beat the Heat.” https://www.richmondindiana.gov/resources/beat-the-heat

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