The urban climate of subtropical Atlantic costal cities: The conurbation of Florianopolis

Abstract

This work demonstrates the simultaneous influence of geoecological and urban factors on the variation of temperature and other climatic elements of the Florianópolis conurbation. Data was obtained in various places, following synoptic time series, under different weather types, using a digital thermo hygrometer and visual information. The temperature gradients maps, compared with airport station, demonstrated a significant thermal conservation capacity in places occupied by buildings and dense and intense traffic. Urban heat archipelagos instead of a continuing urban heat island were recorded as a consequence of urban poly nucleus and site morphologic compartments. The most intense heat islands occurred in the central part of the region, when the polar air masses dominate or are under pre-frontal transition. These results are relevant for the evaluation of environmental quality, and should support urban planning diagnostics.