Human Discomfort Due To Environmental Conditions In Urban Thessaloniki, Greece. Part Iv. Heat-Related Mortality (Preliminary Results)

In the present study, an attempt was made to give a preliminary estimate of heat-related mortality in Northern Greece, during the summer period, for the years 1970-2009, with special regard to extreme heat waves. Long-term trends in the human mortality data, for the hot period of the year, can be influenced by different demographic factors (changes in the size and age structure of the population), the population adaptation to the local climate, the temporal fluctuations in extreme heat waves, and the significant increasing trend in cumulative thermal stress on people, at least partially related to anthropogenic climatic change. The plots of summer excess mortality (all causes of death as well as the cardiovascular and respiratory mortality) versus several biometeorological parameters, indicate a pronounced significant increase of mortality rates, with strong and extreme cumulative thermal stress indices.