ABSTRACT
The above calculations apply only at or near room temperature and will become variable as the ambient temperature changes. As a general rule, the rate of temperature change in a body is proportional to the difference between the temperature of the body and its environment. In other words, if the ambient temperature is below 72° F, the rate of heat loss will be increased from the numbers above. The reverse would be true for temperatures greater than 72° F. Moving air will cool faster than still air, and wet bodies will cool faster than dry bodies. Bodies found in stagnant water, flowing water, or those found buried in the ground will cool at different rates from those in the air and from each other. When the body and environment are at the same temperature, they have reached steady state and estimates of time of death based on temperature are limited to a minimum period of time.
