Tropical Nights and Public Health: Thomson’s European Research
Dr. Madeleine Thomson’s groundbreaking research on tropical nights in Europe has revealed a significant and growing public health threat that demands immediate attention from policymakers and health officials across the continent. Her analysis of these increasingly frequent weather phenomena provides crucial insights into how climate change is creating new health challenges in regions previously considered temperate.
Thomson defines tropical nights as periods when temperatures fail to drop below 20°C throughout the night, preventing the natural cooling that human bodies require for recovery from daytime heat exposure. Her research documents a dramatic increase in these events across European summer destinations, with southern European locations experiencing a record-breaking 23 tropical nights in 2024, nearly tripling the historical average of eight such nights.
The public health implications of Thomson’s tropical nights research are profound and multifaceted. Her analysis shows that these extended periods of elevated nighttime temperatures prevent the human body from engaging in essential recovery processes that normally occur during cooler evening hours. This disruption leads to cumulative heat stress that can have serious health consequences, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Thomson’s research demonstrates that tropical nights create cascading health effects throughout affected communities. Sleep quality deteriorates significantly when temperatures remain elevated throughout the night, as bodies struggle to achieve the cooler core temperatures necessary for restorative sleep. This sleep disruption leads to decreased cognitive function, reduced immune system effectiveness, and increased susceptibility to various health problems.
Her analysis particularly emphasizes the vulnerability of certain population groups to tropical night conditions. Children face heightened risks because their smaller body size means they warm up more quickly and have less capacity to regulate body temperature effectively. Elderly individuals also face disproportionate dangers due to age-related changes in thermoregulation and higher rates of underlying health conditions that heat can exacerbate.
Thomson’s research reveals that pregnant women represent another particularly vulnerable group during tropical nights. Pregnancy naturally affects the body’s ability to regulate temperature, and extended exposure to elevated nighttime temperatures can increase risks of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. Her work emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to protect these high-risk populations.
The broader public health implications of Thomson’s tropical nights research extend to healthcare system capacity and emergency response planning. Her analysis shows that extended periods of tropical nights can overwhelm healthcare facilities with heat-related admissions, strain emergency services, and require significant resource mobilization to protect community health.
Thomson’s research also documents the economic consequences of increasing tropical nights, including impacts on productivity, healthcare costs, and tourism patterns. Her analysis shows that extreme heat conditions are forcing changes in travel patterns, with some companies eliminating summer trips to traditionally popular European destinations and redirecting bookings to cooler northern locations.
Her work emphasizes that tropical nights represent just one component of broader heat stress challenges facing European populations. Thomson’s analysis shows that these nighttime temperature extremes often coincide with daytime periods of strong heat stress, creating compound health risks that exceed the impacts of either condition alone.
Thomson’s tropical nights research contributes to urgent calls for adaptation measures in European cities and towns. Her work supports recommendations for urban cooling strategies, including the addition of green spaces and waterways that can help reduce nighttime temperatures in urban heat islands where tropical night conditions are most severe.
Through her research, Thomson demonstrates that tropical nights in Europe are not temporary anomalies but represent permanent changes in European climate conditions that require sustained public health responses and adaptation strategies.
Learn more about Dr. Thomson’s research on climate health impacts at https://wellcome.org/about-us/our-people/staff/madeleine-thomson, https://uk.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-thomson-04297825, https://climatehealth.gwu.edu/climate-and-health-seminar-dr-madeleine-thomson-head-climate-impacts-wellcome-trust, and https://www.weforum.org/stories/authors/madeleine-thomson/.