Analysis of climate behavior and land use in the city of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Abstract

The city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is located in a tropical zone of the planet, in medium latitude that experiences strong insolation throughout the year. The existence of different geographic factors, and different land uses and covers favor the diversity of existing microclimates. This study aims to analyze the different land uses and covers during the last 30 years that impact the varying climatic conditions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, especially for the development of the urban heat and fresh islands. To accomplish this research, images were used from the satellites Landsat-5 and Landsat-7 to capture the apparent surface temperatures, and land use and land cover maps. Comparing these three decades (1986, 1997 and 2016), an increase in the temperatures of urban areas is noticeable toward the last year, 2016. The neighborhoods located in the West and North zones showed the highest temperatures. The areas near the Pedra Branca, Tijuca and Mendanha massifs showed lower temperatures. Therefore, it is possible to recognize a relationship between land cover and temperature behavior; the greenest areas tend to register lower temperatures, and the urban areas demonstrate higher temperatures.