We are all exposed, but some are more exposed than others

This paper defines functional cold exposure zones that illustrate whether a person is at risk of developing physical performance loss or cold weather injuries. Individual variation in body characteristics, activity level, clothing and protective equipment all contribute to variation in the effective exposure. Nevertheless, with the right...

Introduction: Training is more important than technology (for performance in the cold)

After more than 50 years of studying soldiers in the cold, we are well past the phase of defining the unique problems; the research requirements are known but the solutions have been slow in coming. This requires iterative testing of proposed lab-based solutions with soldiers in the real environment. Representing a renewed effort to produce and...

Human vulnerability and variability in the cold: Establishing individual risks for cold weather injuries

Human tolerance to cold environments is extremely limited and responses between individuals is highly variable. Such physiological and morphological predispositions place them at high risk of developing cold weather injuries [CWI; including hypothermia and/or non-freezing (FCI) and freezing cold injuries (NFCI)]. The present manuscript...

Human performance research for military operations in extreme cold environments

Objectives. Soldier performance in the Arctic depends on planning and training, protective equipment, and human physiological limits. The purpose of this review was to highlight the span of current research on enhancing soldier effectiveness in extreme cold and austere environments. Methods. The practices of seasoned soldiers who train in the...