Campo térmico urbano e a sua relação com o uso e cobertura do solo em uma cidade tropical úmida.

Abstract

The changes in the urban climate system in great cities are processes related to urban density and the different forms of use and land cover. The objective of this study was to analyze the thermal urban field and its relation to the various forms of use and land cover in a humid tropical city, specifically Joao Pessoa city, PB, Brazil. Measurements in air temperature and relative humidity were carried out in two distinct periods of three months (dry and wet seasons), using thermo-hygrometer Hobos located in nine representative areas of the city. The level of heat stress was evaluated based on Thom's discomfort index (IDT, in Portuguese), adjusted for tropical regions based on questionnaires for assessing the thermal sensation that people have in function to the parameters that determine the environment in which they live. Mann-Kendall test was used to assess the temporal trends of time series in temperature, relative humidity and IDT for the period from 1963 to 2011. The types of ground cover of each monitored point were classified into nine classes according to the percentage of vegetation coverage and permeable and impermeable materials by utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of the study indicated that the classification range of the Thom’s discomfort index is not suitable for humid tropical regions. The urban heat island is a phenomenon that occurs preferentially during the night while the maximum intensity of the temperature and relative humidity gradients are essentially diurnal phenomena. The scenarios of the thermal comfort levels indicated a strong discomfort for the 2050 and 2060 years during the dry season and uncomfortable condition during the rainy season in the 2060 year throughout the study area.