The cooling effect from afforestation as a solution to urban heating: a case study in Teresina, Piauí state, Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i11.9870

Keywords:

Thermal comfort; Heat islands; Solar orientation.

Abstract

Green areas in urban centers can contribute to the thermal control of “urban heat islands.” Within the context of climate change, with rising temperatures, drier climates, and increasingly frequent heat waves, green areas are becoming progressively important, as they can create a cooling effect that might extend into its surrounding areas. This study analyzes within the “health pole” of the city of Teresina, an area with a high urban density, how the afforestation of the region affects the thermal aspect of the selected region. Climatic parameters were measured (ambient temperature, thermal sensation, the relative humidity of the air, wind speed) at selected points within a defined area, starting at the ends of the center of this area, all points had different orientations and exposure to the sun. It was found that in areas where afforestation existed, temperatures were lower in both shade and areas exposed to the sun. Despite local climatic conditions, in particular the low wind speed, solar exposure, and urban geometry are the main factors that influence the found temperatures. The cooling effect caused by urban afforestation can be better understood with additional measurements at different times of the year in the same region.

References

Abreuy-Harbich, L. V., et al. (2015). Effect of tree planting design and tree species on human thermal comfort in the tropics, Landscape Urban Planning, 138, 99-109.

Andrade, P., et al. (2007). Integration of statistics and geographic information systems: The R/Terralib case. VII Brazilian Symposium on Geoinformatics, Campos do Jordão: Brazil, 2007. http://mtc-m16c.sid.inpe.br/col/dpi.inpe.br/geoinfo@80/2006/07.11.14.01/doc/P74.pdf

Alcoforado M. J. et al. (2009). The example of Lisbon (Portugal). Landscape Urban Planning, 90(1–2), 56-65.

Georgi, N. J., & Zafiriadis, K. (2006). The impact of park trees on microclimate in urban areas. Urban Ecosystems, 9, 195–209.

INMET. Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (2020). Consulta dados meteorológicos da estação convencional. Recuperado de http://www.inmet.gov.br/sim/sonabra/dspDadosC odigo.php?ODI5MDA=>

IPCC- International Panel in Climate Change (2007). Synthesis Report. Geneva: IPCC. ISBN 2-9169-122-4 https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ar4_syr_full_report.pdf

Jauregui, E. (1997). Heat island development in Mexico City. Atmospheric Environment, 31(22), 3821-3831.

Mirzaei, P. A., Haghighat, F (2010). Approaches to study urban heat island – Abilities and limitations. Building and Environment, 45(10), 2192-2201.

Morakinyo, T. E., et al. (2013). Comparing the effect of trees on thermal conditions of two typical urban buildings. Urban Climate, 3, 76-93.

Patz, J. A., et al (2005). Impact of regional climate change on human health. Nature, 438, 310–317.

PMT (2015). Prefeitura Municipal de Teresina. Recuperado de <https://semdec.teresina.pi.gov.br/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2016/06/Guia-do-Investidor-2013-2015-28-de-junho-2016-OK2.pdf>

Shomida, Y. (2003). Adaptation measures for climate change and the urban heat island in Japan's built environment. Building Research & Information, 31, 222-230.

Stone B., & Norman, J. M (2006). Land use planning and surface heat island formation: A parcel-based radiation flux approach. Atmospheric Environment 40(19), 3561-3573.

Tan, Z., et al. (2016). Urban tree design approaches for mitigating daytime urban heat island effects in a high-density urban environment. Energy Buildings, 114, 265-274.

Terceiro, A. D. S. et. al. (2018). Paisagem urbana em Teresina: Implicações da distribuição espacial da densidade populacional. Gaia Scientia, 12(1).

Upmanis, H., & Chen, D (1999). Influence of geographical factors and meteorological variables on nocturnal urban e park temperature differences: A case study of summer 1995 in Göteborg, Sweden.

Wong, I., & Baldwin, A. N (2016). Investigating the potential of applying vertical green walls to high-rise residential buildings for energy-saving in sub-tropical region, Building Environment, 97, 34–39.

Weather (2020). Weather.com. Recuperado de < https://weather.com/>

Published

14/11/2020

How to Cite

IBIAPINO, T. R. .; NÄÄS, I. de A. . The cooling effect from afforestation as a solution to urban heating: a case study in Teresina, Piauí state, Brazil. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 9, n. 11, p. e2969119870, 2020. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v9i11.9870. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/9870. Acesso em: 20 apr. 2024.

Issue

Section

Engineerings