Comprehensive analysis of climate-related comfort in southern China: Climatology, trend, and interannual variations

This study investigated the variations of climate-related comfort in Guangdong Province by using a comprehensive comfort index during 1970–2021. The results showed that (1) the comfortable period (extremely comfortable, comfortable, and relatively comfortable types) is distributed from October to the subsequent April, and the uncomfortable period (relatively uncomfortable and uncomfortable types) starts from May to September. The most dominant climate-related comfort in Guangdong is the relatively uncomfortable type. Spatially, more extremely comfortable and comfortable days appear in southeastern Guangdong. However, more relatively uncomfortable and uncomfortable days appear in southwestern Guangdong. (2) The linear trends of annual uncomfortable days in coastal regions are the most significant, which are attributed to increased surface air temperature (SAT) induced by the weakened summer monsoon. (3) Additionally, the extremely comfortable days in central and eastern Guangdong have negative correlations with the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM). However, the uncomfortable days across Guangdong have positive correlations with the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). The former connection is mainly caused by strong EAWM-induced low SAT, and the latter connection is mainly affected by strong EASM-induced less precipitation. Our results could provide some scientific references for urban planning, improvement of the thermal environment, and resident health risk analyses. •Climate-related comfort in southern China were analyzed on different timescales.•The dominant climate-related comfort in Guangdong is the relatively uncomfortable.•Uncomfortable days in coastal regions were in increasing trends due to rising SAT.•The EAWM reduces extremely comfortable days by decreasing SAT.•The EASM increases uncomfortable days by suppressing precipitation.