Urban Heat and Urban Cool Islands of Different Land Use Types in Cuiabá, Brazil

Abstract

Urban heat islands (UHIs), urban cool islands (UCIs), and their varying effects due to land use/land cover types and the local climate were investigated from 2014 to 2015 in three urban zones located in Cuiabá city, Brazil, during hot-humid, and hot-dry periods. All the urban zones were analysed for land use/land cover type, local climate, and rate of warming and cooling based on the difference in air temperature (ΔT) between the urban zones and the rural zone located outside the urban perimeter. The annual UHI effect in all the urban zones exhibited varying intensities during the day, with the highest daytime intensity recorded after the sunrise. The duration of UHI effect varied with land use/land cover type; a consequence of high built-up density, verticalization, waterproof surface, and other peculiarities of urban areas. In the urban zones with high built-up density, the duration of UHI effect was observed for up to 24 h, while in the urban areas with low built-up density, the maximum duration of UHI effect was 8 h. On an average, during the daytime, the urban zone with approximately 70% of vegetation cover and water bodies recorded a UCI value of approximately –8 °C, whereas the urban zones with approximately 80% waterproof surface and bare land recorded a UCI value close to +2 °C during the hot-dry and hot-humid periods. The results indicate that land use and land cover types directly influence UHI intensity.