DEFINING POTENTIAL “CLIMATIC URBAN UNITIES” IN THE URBAN CANOPY LAYER - METHODOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION IN PELOTAS/RS

Abstract

"Urban area", according to the Brazilian law, is the line that separates cities and towns from rural areas. This distinction is not so satisfactory, because economic, political, and tax-(related) interests often prevail in its demarcation. Moreover, the sprawl of the urban phenomenon caused the boundary between "urban" and "rural" areas to be less defined and also more difficult to perceive, requiring a new and more purposeful classification of sites more consistent with this new reality. The best setting is also crucial to the investigation of heat islands. In this study, we made an evaluation based on urban climate literature propositions of “thermal climate zones” for classifying urban heat islands measurement sites, we justified why we chose the proposal of Steward and Oke (2009), we adapted this classification to become applicable to the urban area of Pelotas / RS, and finally presented the process of identifying potential climate units within this urban area using high spatial resolution satellite imagery in a geographic information system.

Keywords

• Perímetro urbano
• Unidades climáticas
• Sensoriamento remoto