Exposures to hot environments and high intensity exercise provide some of the greatest
challenges to the thermoregulatory system. Under such conditions evaporation is the
greatest avenue of heat loss from the body. Whilst regional sweat rate variations in
humans are widely recognised, most studies only measure a small number of sites using
a limited surface area, and generalise this data to larger regions. A consensus in the
literature indicates that the highest sweat rates are on the forehead and torso, and lowest
on the extremities. However, no study has quantitatively measured regional sweat rates
over large surface areas of the body. Since sweating is related to the thermal state of the
body, comparison of regional sweat rates between studies is further complicated by the
use of different environmental conditions, exercise modes and work rates. A good meta-analysis
of existing data is therefore problematic.
The aim of this thesis was to produce detailed whole body sweat maps for male and
female athletes, and untrained males, during two exercise intensities in moderate
environmental conditions (25°C, 50% rh) with a 2 m.s-1 air velocity. [Continues.
