Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Human Thermal Comfort in Xinjiang: Based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index from 1981 to 2019
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This article analyzed human thermal comfort, UTCI, in Xinjiang from 1981 to 2019. The results are clear, and the contents are well-explained. After correcting minor concerns listed below, the article can be published.
1. Clarify what kind of temperature is within the sentences in Abstract, e.g. air temperature, surface temperature, or mean radiant temperature.
2. In the Introduction, input a space before the reference numbers, e.g. 1980[1] to 1980 [1].
3. In lines 48 and 61 of page 2 and lines 112, 137 and 138 of page 3, change “temperature” to “air temperature”.
4. In line 145 of page 4, input a space between “GS (2019)” and “1686”.
5. In line 172 of page 4, erase “.” after “Table 1”.
6. Please check equation 2.
7. On page 9, use “air temperature” instead of “temperature”. In line 312, make “-1” in upper case.
8. In line 427 of page 12, check the title of 4.2, implication?
Most sentences were written clearly except for omitting a space before brackets, e.g. ( or [
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
1. It is understood that the results might be novel to the local context (Xinjiang, China), but it is too little to be relevant to a broader audience. The paper might have relevance limitations.
2. Line 391 - 395: The authors write: "This research is the first case study on thermal comfort conditions in Xinjiang using the latest dataset HiTiSEA of UTCI. In comparison to the existing widely used UTCI dataset ERA5-HEAT(0.25° × 0.25°), the HiTiSEA(0.1° × 0.1°) dataset applied in this study has a higher spatial resolution. It provides more details on studying the spatial distribution of UTCI". It seems as the authors believe that the higher resolution of the data used is already a novelty or a certain result of the research. Although it is obvious that the higher resolution of the data, the more detailed the results can be obtained.
3. It is not clear from the Introduction why it is so important to research characteristics of human thermal comfort in Xinjiang. How many people live in Xinjiang? Do they really suffer from heat? Are there some biometeorological research results which describe thermal comfort conditions in Xinjiang as strenuous?
4. Line 88 - 96: the authors analyze thermal comfort or changes in heat stress increasing but in this part of the text authors write about cold stress in Russia. It is inappropriate and does not apply to what is described in this paragraph.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
The paper provides a critical analysis of the methods used to monitor the climate changes in Xinjiang region, China as well as the climate variables and their direct impact on the thermal comfort of the region's inhabitants (seasonal and annual). E
The study provides better results than the previous methods (see comparison between ERA5-HEAT and HiTiSEA) bringing forward more accurate information.
The paper is not meant for a wider pool of readers, but for specialists. However, their result may be used for future studies that impact a large segment of the population.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you for reading our manuscript carefully and giving kind comments on our article. We also hope, as you mentioned, that this article can serve for future research related to climate comfort in Xinjiang.
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors revised the manuscript and now it looks much better, but it is still unclear why in the paragraph about thermal comfort or changes in heat stress (lines 86 - 110) they cited research about thermal comfort conditions in Russia and Iran. In this paragraph, they mentioned research on heat stress in Europe, and southern Africa, and a lot of research on thermal comfort conditions in different parts of China and this is absolutely justified and logical. But why did the authors cite research about Russia and Iran from many studies about thermal comfort conditions in different countries? The authors should add references about other countries (at least 7 - 10 research) or delete references about Russia and Iran from this paragraph.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you once again for your thorough review of our manuscript and for your positive feedback on the previous revisions. We have removed the two references related to Russia and Iran. The ultimate aim of this introductory paragraph is to provide an overview of research concerning UTCI conducted on different continents, encompassing Europe, Africa, the Arctic, and Asia. We hope this response addresses any remaining concerns you may have.
