The use of meteorological records in estimating the effects of weather on sensible heat loss from sheep

✍ Scribed by L.E. Mount; D. Brown

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1982
• Weight: 748 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0002-1571
• DOI: 10.1016/0002-1571(82)90009-7

✦ Synopsis

Mount, L.E. and Brown, D., 1982

. The use of meteorological records in estimating the effects of weatheron sensible heat loss from sheep. Agric. Meteorol., 27 : 241-255.

The weather components that influence heat loss from an animal out-of-doors include air temperature, wind, sun, cloud and precipitation. An expression is derived that allows an estimate to be made of sensible heat loss from sheep exposed to weather, with particular reference to cool conditions. The environmental variables used in the expression are all obtained directly from standard meteorological data; hourly data are appropriate to the time-scale of adaptation of the sheep to changing conditions.

The expression is based on the ratio of the deep body--air temperature difference to the total insulation of the animal, the latter consists of the tissue, coat and surface insulations acting in series. The effects of sun and cloud are included in the temperature difference and the effects of wind and rain are included in the coat and surface insulations. Changes in heat loss that occur throughout the year are described, including 24-hourly and geographical variations. The influences of individual weather factors and of the animal's fleece depth are quantified.