The strains set up as a result of temperature changes. Hall (1999) Geomorph. 31, 1–4 outlines the importance of thermal stress in cold regions; see also Hall and Andre (2001) Geomorph. 41, 1 on weathering by thermal stress in Antarctica. The term is also used to describe the impact of temperature changes on humans: Auliciems and Kalma (1979) J. Applied Met. 18, 5 propose a climatic classification of human thermal stress in Australia, and Yan (1997) Sing. J. Trop. Geog. 18, 2 analyses climatic thermal stress on the people of Hong Kong.