Relationships between urban heat islands and the concentration of particulate materials in a city with a tropical continental climate

• Grant number: 23/13293-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: December 01, 2023 - November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Physical Geography
• Principal Investigator: Margarete Cristiane de Costa Trindade Amorim
• Grantee: Margarete Cristiane de Costa Trindade Amorim
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Danielle Cardozo Frasca Teixeira ; João Osvaldo Rodrigues Nunes ; Vincent Dubreuil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/01588-6 - Creation and structuring of a climate, particulate matter, and satellite image database for the analysis of heat islands and atmospheric pollution, BP.TT

Abstract

Urbanization causes changes to the urban surface and atmosphere and exposes the population to harmful effects that can affect thermal comfort and human health.The literature shows that urban heat islands have been diagnosed in most cities where studies have been carried out, with high intensities, particularly in those under the effect of continentality. However, no diagnoses have been made associating urban heat islands with the concentration or diffusion of atmospheric pollutants.As studies reveal an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme heat events under climate change scenarios, a growing body of research focuses on the effects of heat islands as potential catalysts of extreme heat, representing an additional threat to human health and urban infrastructure. No research in Brazil quantifies the relationship between urban heat islands and air pollution to propose policies to mitigate high temperatures and improve air quality.The aim is to identify and analyze the correlation between the formation of heat islands and the concentration of atmospheric pollutants in Presidente Prudente/SP, a medium-sized city representative of the continental tropical climate.The hypothesis is that the urban environment has a potential synergistic interaction between heat islands and air pollution, enabling the occurrence and/or intensification of diseases associated with the respiratory system. To achieve the objectives, air temperature and air pollutant records will be recorded using data loggers at sampling points in densely built-up areas and in the surrounding countryside. The results will be analyzed using statistical techniques to understand the role of atmospheric dynamics in the concentration of pollutants and the possible relationship with the heat island phenomenon. (AU)