The heat index reached 152 degrees in the Middle East -- nearly at the limit for human survival

[orthoclad]

cross-posted from
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016357372
at Rhiannon's suggestion in
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=164443
good video there


Washington Post reports extreme heat index temperatures near the Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf airport reported a heat index temperature of 152F. The nearby Persian Gulf has water temperatures around 100F, pumping high humidity into the air, as I recently documented in https://democraticunderground.com/1127164242 .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/18/extreme-heat-record-limits-human-survival/

In recent days, China set an all-time high of nearly 126 degrees Fahrenheit, while Death Valley hit 128 degrees, two shy of the highest reliably measured temperature on Earth. Phoenix was expected to observe a record-breaking 19th consecutive day at or above 110 degrees Tuesday. And in the Middle East, the heat index reached 152 degrees, nearing — or surpassing — levels thought to be the most intense the human body can withstand.

Such conditions are more than enough to overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature, experts said, and offer a glimpse of dangers only expected to become more prevalent as global warming increases extremes in heat and humidity.
“We know these extreme temperatures are killing people right now,” said Cascade Tuholske, an assistant professor at Montana State University.

...

On Sunday at the Persian Gulf International Airport in Iran, air temperatures exceeded 100 degrees, and the air was nearly saturated with humidity. That translated to a wet bulb temperature of 92.7 degrees (33.7 degrees Celsius), according to data and a wet bulb conversion calculator from the National Weather Service.

The heat and humidity were so intense, they translated to a heat index value that was literally off the charts. The heat index is designed to max out at about 136 degrees, but on Sunday it surpassed 150 degrees on the Persian Gulf.

NWS wet bulb calculator is here: https://www.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc_rh

The human body cools by the evaporation of sweat. If the humidity is high, sweat evaporates poorly and doesn't carry off body heat. Wet bulb temperature, a measure of evaporative cooling, is defined by wikipedia as:

The wet-bulb temperature (WBT) is the temperature read by a thermometer covered in water-soaked (water at ambient temperature) cloth (a wet-bulb thermometer) over which air is passed.[1] At 100% relative humidity, the wet-bulb temperature is equal to the air temperature (dry-bulb temperature); at lower humidity the wet-bulb temperature is lower than dry-bulb temperature because of evaporative cooling.

The WaPo article makes the point that seaside breezes sound like they'll cool you off, but high humidity from hot offshore water, like we're seeing in Florida, Greece, Italy and the Persian Gulf, is a partner in the process of dying from heat.

For a fictional but scientifically accurate description of a wet-bulb temperature crisis in India, see Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry For The Future. The chapter describing this event can be read here:
https://www.orbitbooks.net/orbit-excerpts/the-ministry-for-the-future/
To the best of my knowledge, the author has made this chapter available for reading. Warning: it's horrifying.

[Stargazer99]

1. It is not killing the monied-they have air conditioning

while many of you die from the heat

[orthoclad]

2. They think their money will insulate them

Buying bunkers in New Zealand and Wyoming, hiring a bunch of mercs and laborers, and living as warlords. They're beginning to appreciate the Praetorian Guard thing, though:

article:
"Survival of the Richest

The wealthy are plotting to leave us behind

by Douglas Rushkoff
One Zero, July 5, 2018"
https://onezero.medium.com/survival-of-the-richest-9ef6cddd0cc1

and the book: Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires

They brought Rushkoff in as a consultant at a seminar on how to control their security forces, when the center doesn't hold.

[captain queeg]

4. Probably a lot of people don't know how it worked out with the Praetorian Guard

Not so well.

[orthoclad]

6. These tech billionaires knew,

and they were kicking around ideas like locking up the food supply. They take the issue seriously, and they're planning ahead. They called societal collapse The Event.

[captain queeg]

9. Oh shit. What was that term floating around among CT awhile back?

The Reordering or something? That’s not right but something similar. Long range future prospects can be scary.

[orthoclad]

10. Yeah, the people "in the know"

always come up with some dramatic term for their dream of social apocalypse.

But these were VERY successful bizmen - at least successful in terms of capitalism and stealing wealth. They have the resources and luxury to extrapolate the chaos they create. Instead of helping to stabilize the society they've plundered, they plan to squirrel their gains away and stay on top. They're not crazed sterno bums (to quote Firesign Theater), they're well-respected men about town, doing the best things so conservatively (The Kinks).

[captain queeg]

3. Heat index is a little like wind chill. I saw that thing about 152 heat index

The actual temperature was less than 100. I checked Death Valley that day and the heat index was somewhat less than the temperature (I think it was 117 at the time). At any rate, there’s a reason they talk about the heat index temp and I am sure it’s beyond miserable. It’s strange how you can end up with such high relative humidity in the desert. I suppose it’s wind bring moisture in from the sea. I know I thought it was terrible in OK due to the humidity, but sure looked like desert to me, where I was.

[orthoclad]

5. Wet bulb temp was 92.7

That means it's almost impossible for the human body to cool itself. If the wet bulb temp gets to 95F, then the body can't cool by sweating.

"On Sunday at the Persian Gulf International Airport in Iran, air temperatures exceeded 100 degrees" - from WaPo

This was next to the Persian Gulf, where the water temp was around 100F. Humidity was close to 100%.

I suspect a lot of people died, the vulnerable.

[Think. Again.]

7. Thank you for posting...

...the chapter from Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry For The Future. https://www.orbitbooks.net/orbit-excerpts/the-ministry-for-the-future/

[MFM008]

8. I'm dead

When it hits 90.

Once.