Lee SangHyun, Moriasi Daniel, Cibils Andres, Barker Philip
USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Department of Rural Construction Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, 54896, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 30;15(1):15135. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-99621-5.
Oklahoma, as part of the Southern Plains region and a key contributor to U.S. cattle production, faces increasing heat stress due to climate change, which can adversely influence livestock. We analyzed data from 121 Oklahoma Mesonet stations (1998-2022) to assess the spatio-temporal patterns of heat stress that influence cattle production across the state. Using the temperature humidity index (THI) and comprehensive climate index (CCI), we counted the number of days that exceeded critical thresholds for cattle production. Based on THI, only 12% of stations showed a significant increase in heat stress, while more than 60% did based on CCI, driven mainly by significantly lower summer wind speeds. Statewide cattle and calf inventory data showed a significant decrease in cattle numbers, especially following years with a large number of heat stress days based on CCI. At the county level, decreasing inventory often aligned with increasing heat stress, which suggested a strong relationship between heat stress and cattle health. With the number of heat stress days increasing by up to four days per year, adaptive strategies are crucial to mitigate the negative impacts of heat stress on cattle health and productivity in this region.
俄克拉荷马州作为南部平原地区的一部分以及美国养牛业的重要贡献者，由于气候变化面临着日益严重的热应激问题，这可能会对牲畜产生不利影响。我们分析了来自121个俄克拉荷马州自动气象站（1998 - 2022年）的数据，以评估影响该州养牛业的热应激时空模式。使用温度湿度指数（THI）和综合气候指数（CCI），我们统计了超过养牛关键阈值的天数。基于THI，只有12%的站点热应激显著增加，而基于CCI则超过60%，主要是由于夏季风速显著降低所致。全州的牛和小牛存栏数据显示牛的数量显著减少，尤其是在基于CCI有大量热应激天数的年份之后。在县一级，存栏量下降往往与热应激增加相一致，这表明热应激与牛的健康之间存在密切关系。随着热应激天数每年增加多达四天，适应性策略对于减轻热应激对该地区牛的健康和生产力的负面影响至关重要。
