The assessment of outdoor thermal comfort inside oasis settlements in North Africa - Algeria

Abstract

Abstract Oasis settlements are the most common form in the Saharan regions of North Africa, identified by a strong harmony between urban forms and palm groves, which present the economic capital for these regions. On the other hand, these oases are significantly growing and impacting the people’s livelihood and thermal well-being, especially during summer season. This study aims at first to identify the close correlation between cultivated area (palm grove) and the built-up area throughout the Tolga Oasis Complex in Algeria, which is recognised by its palm groves and well-known as one of the largest oasis settlements of the Saharan regions in North Africa. Furthermore, the current work assesses the impact of palm groves by investigating the ‘oasis effect’ on the thermal heat stress levels during July and August daytime hours within 9 conducted stations. Suprisingly, the so-called oasis effect generated by palm groves was insignificant during the extreme hot days. On the other hand, the palm groves were extremly hot affected by a warming effect during daytime hours.