Open AccessInfluence of Leaf Area Index on the Heat Index of a Tropic Urban Park
Author(s) -
Jonathan Willian Zangeski Novais,
Danielle da Silva Batista,
Renata Luisa Ferreira,
Roberta Daniela de Souza Lauxen da Silva,
Thiago Fernandes,
Carlo Ralph de Musis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
global journal of human social science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2249-460X
DOI - 10.34257/gjhssbvol21is3pg67
Subject(s) - leaf area index , microclimate , environmental science , photosynthetically active radiation , context (archaeology) , atmospheric sciences , index (typography) , urban heat island , climate change , relative humidity , heat index , canopy , population , geography , meteorology , ecology , demography , photosynthesis , botany , archaeology , sociology , geology , world wide web , computer science , biology
In the wake of climate change, cities need to adapt to global warming. In this context, the use of afforestation to improve the microclimate may assist in raising the quality of life for population. This objective requires research that analyzes how the variations in parameters related to canopy dynamics, such as the leaf area index (LAI) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) can influence thermal comfort indices. To contribute to this research, this study measured the air temperature, relative air humidity, PAR, and LAI on a monthly basis from July, 2017, to June, 2018, in an urban park in a tropical region of Brazil. Kriging maps were created for the heat index (HI), and multiple polynomial regression models were adjusted to estimate the HI using PAR and LAI data. After defining the models, positive and negative variations of LAI were tested to observe if any changes in HI occurred. The simulated results showed greater sensitivity to negative variations in LAI, in which a 50% reduction in LAI decreased the HI by 28%, particularly during the dry period.