الفهرس 
Title:Impact of urbanization on climate and human comfort in Palestine
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Abstract
This article critically examines the climate and the thermal human comfort in the urban center of Tulkarm (West Bank). Analyses are based on weather data gathered at Tulkarm (urban area), Haifa Airport and Ben-Gurion Airport (as suburban and rural reference sites respectively). Climate projections of ECHAM5, scenario RCP4.5, are compared to observations and their consequences to future thermal comfort are assessed. In result the urban area was warmer than the rural and suburban sites throughout the study period 2000-2014. Wind speed was lower and dew point depression (DPD) was higher in the urban region compared to the suburban and rural sites. Highest physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) values were observed at the urban station especially during summer months (42.3{u00B0}C), while lowest PET we find at rural station during winter (13.7 {u00B0}C). The thermal discomfort index (DI) indicated that, during summer months, more than 50% of the total population felt discomfort in urban and suburban regions; at rural site less than 50% felt discomfort.Climate projections for 2015-2030 indicate that, in future, rural regions are going to suffer from heat similar to urban sites in this region