The preference for local air movement in the facial region during long-term exposure in the tropics

Abstract

Human perception of local air movement under steady state conditions in the Tropics has been relatively little reported. This study explores the thermal and air movement perception of a group of Tropically acclimatized subjects (24 people) after 90 minutes of facial exposure to local air movement. The subjects were exposed to several predefined local air movement and temperature conditions. A clear tendency for thermal sensation to become cooler during the 90 minutes of exposure was observed, and subjects had almost reached their steady state sensation after about an hour of adaptation. There was a tendency for subjects to prefer a thermal sensation between 'neutral' and 'slightly cool', and an air movement sensation that was between 'just right' and 'slightly breezy'.