Open AccessIdentification of the urban heat islands phenomenon in a small city: the study case of Três Rios/RJ, Brazil
Author(s) -
Yuri Matheus Neves Silva,
Helder Martins Silva,
Raiany Dias De Andrade Silva,
Eduardo Duarte Marques,
Olga Venimar de Oliveira Gomes
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
revista brasileira de ciências ambientais
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2176-9478
pISSN - 1808-4524
DOI - 10.5327/z217694781001
Subject(s) - urban heat island , transect , geography , urban area , rural area , environmental science , vulnerability (computing) , physical geography , meteorology , ecology , medicine , computer security , pathology , computer science , biology
The phenomenon of urban heat islands (UHI) is caused by the increase in temperatures of an urban area as a result of the development of human activities within that area, this phenomenon is usually studied in medium and large cities. This study aims to verify if the phenomenon of UHI occurs in the municipality of Três Rios – RJ, a small sized city. This study included the use of mobile transect, through pre-established data collection points/stations. Five data collection points were selected, from which one was included in a rural area, one in the Parque Natural Municipal (Urban Park, within the city), and three points within the urbanized area. The equipment used was the Brunton® / ADC PRO handheld weather station. The data collection period ranged from September 2018 until July 2019, which included the four seasons. Measurements were taken at 6:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00h, in alternate days during the study period. Considering the temperature measurements, two different indicators of thermal variability were used. Strong magnitude heat islands were detected, taking into consideration the relevant variation of maximum temperatures observed in the urban area when compared to the rural area. The results indicate the most affected populations to be the ones located within urban areas, mostly individuals under socioeconomic vulnerability. The results obtained can be used as support for the development of strategies to minimize the thermal discomfort to populations exposed to the influence of higher magnitude urban heat islands.