Lämpötilaintegraatiot

Lämpötilaintegraatiot, known in English as temperature integrals or degree-day calculations, are a method used to quantify the accumulation of heat over time, typically in the context of plant growth, building energy performance, or pest development. The fundamental concept involves summing up daily temperature values above a certain threshold or baseline temperature. This summation provides a measure of the "heat units" experienced by an organism or system.

In agriculture, degree-day calculations are widely used to predict plant development stages, such as flowering or maturity, and to estimate the timing of pest life cycles. Different crops and pests have specific base temperatures below which development is considered negligible. By accumulating daily mean temperatures above this base, growers can anticipate when certain events will occur and optimize agricultural practices like planting, fertilizing, and pest control.

For building energy analysis, temperature integrals, often referred to as heating and cooling degree-days, are used to estimate the heating and cooling energy requirements of a building. Heating degree-days are calculated by summing the differences between a base temperature and the daily mean temperature when the daily mean is below the base. Conversely, cooling degree-days are calculated when the daily mean is above the base. These integrals help in assessing building energy efficiency and predicting energy consumption under different climate conditions. The specific base temperature used varies depending on the application and the organism or system being studied.