Utilización de imágenes satelitales para el estudio de la distribución térmica en distintas coberturas del suelo de la ciudad de Bahía Blanca (Argentina)

Abstract

The study of the urban climate is relevant to increase the knowledge about the environment where live most of the world’s population. Cities have areas that include buildings, green spaces, un-vegetated soils, transit, among others. Currently, scientists are focusing on the effects of climate change in cities. There is a shortage of studies that analyze the thermal changes that occur in the inner city due to the densification of buildings. For these reasons, the aim of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution of Land Surface Temperature (LST) and its relation with different soil covers in Bahia Blanca city, Argentina. Satellite images from Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ were analyzed with single-channel method. Besides, it was made a soil coverage map through visual interpretation of satellite images and it was validated with field trips. LST data were compared with each soil coverage. In downtown, the LST was heterogeneous and presented spatial variations according to the season and the shadows of the buildings. The maximum values of LST were localized in the periphery (45.1°C) and in urban very sparse (46°C) and the minimum in downtown (2°C). Each soil cover had minor fluctuations in the winter (>5°C) and higher in the summer (15 to 25°C).