Spatio-Temporal Variation of the Urban Heat Island in Santiago, Chile during Summers 2005–2017

Abstract

Urban heat islands (UHIs) can present significant risks to human health. Santiago, Chile has around 7 million residents, concentrated in an average density of 480 people/km2. During the last few summer seasons, the highest extreme maximum temperatures in over 100 years have been recorded. Given the projections in temperature increase for this metropolitan region over the next 50 years, the Santiago UHI could have an important impact on the health and stress of the general population. We studied the presence and spatial variability of UHIs in Santiago during the summer seasons from 2005 to 2017 using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and data from nine meteorological stations. Simple regression models, geographic weighted regression (GWR) models and geostatistical interpolations were used to find nocturnal thermal differences in UHIs of up to 9 °C, as well as increases in the magnitude and extension of the daytime heat island from summer 2014 to 2017. Understanding the behavior of the UHI of Santiago, Chile, is important for urban planners and local decision makers. Additionally, understanding the spatial pattern of the UHI could improve knowledge about how urban areas experience and could mitigate climate change.

Too hot to handle? On the cooling capacity of urban green spaces in a Neotropical Mexican city

“…Our work is the first spatially explicit and continuous SUHI assessment of Xalapa, which employs a clear delineation of the assessed spatial units. The SUHI of Xalapa compared to its extra-urban area (4.95 • C) is within the intensity range of other Latin American areas (i.e., 3-8 • C), such as Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte (Lemoine-Rodríguez et al, 2022;Montaner-Fernández et al, 2020;Monteiro et al, 2021;Sarricolea and Meseguer-Ruiz, 2019). Compared to other Mexican cities, the SUHI of Xalapa is higher than larger cities such as Guadalajara and Monterrey (Roth, 2007).…”

“…Several cities exhibiting intense SUHIs (i.e., ≥ 3 • C annual daytime mean) are distributed in Latin American tropical and subtropical areas (e.g., Sao Paulo, Bogota, Mexico City; Peng et al, 2012). Nevertheless, comparisons with other settlements of similar size and climate are limited due to the lack of information for medium-sized Latin American cities and different methods employed to compute SUHI (Inostroza, 2014;Montaner-Fernández et al, 2020;Monteiro et al, 2021). Moreover, the lack of standardization in the assessment of SUHI and LST, such as the delineation of the urban area and external reference, adds high uncertainty to cross-city comparisons (Lemoine-Rodríguez et al, 2022).…”

Snow Persistence and Snow Line Elevation Trends in a Snowmelt-Driven Basin in the Central Andes and Their Correlations with Hydroclimatic Variables

“…The climate in the basin corresponds to a mild Mediterranean climate, with a snowglacier regime [48]. This region experiences a hot and dry summer season, while winter (May to September) is cold and rainy, primarily influenced by cold fronts [49].…”

Assessment of Urban Land Surface Temperature and Vertical City Associated with Dengue Incidences

“…Recent climate change studies evidence an increase in the intensity of extreme heat temperatures [16]. Urban heat islands can present significant risks to human health [16,17]. Climate change is a major contemporary phenomenon with multiple consequences.…”

“…Multiple studies demonstrate temperature variations between urban and rural areas as well as the satellite capacity to study these phenomena. [17]. At present, there is still a lack of research on the quantitative assessment of the relationship between urban scale and urban expansion and the degree of the urban heat island (UHI) effect, as well as a discussion on mitigation and adaptation of the UHI effect from the perspective of planning [23].…”