Urbanization effects on the microclimate of Manaus: A modeling study

Autor(es)

de Souza, Diego Oliveira ^[1] ; dos Santos Alvala, Regina Celia ^[1] ; do Nascimento, Marilia Guedes ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Minist Sci Technol & Innovat MCTI, Natl Ctr Nat Disasters Monitoring & Alerts CEMADE, BR-12247016 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Natl Inst Space Res INPE, Ctr Weather Forecasting & Climate Res CPTEC, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH; v. 167, p. 237-248, JAN 1 2016.
• Citações Web of Science: 10

Resumo

Activities associated with land use and land cover changes and urbanization induce local impacts, such as changes in atmospheric composition in water and energy balances and changes in the ecosystem. Therefore, more studies are needed to evaluate the possible relationship between urban growth and local and regional changes. In the last 30 years, the population of Manaus grew by over 500%, with approximately 1.9 million inhabitants in 2010. Trying to understand the effects of the urban growth of the city of Manaus on its microclimate and atmospheric processes, the present study aims to evaluate the possible physical mechanisms related to the urbanization process observed through a study of atmospheric modeling. The results allowed to assess that the presence of the urban area significantly modifies the surface energy balance (SEB), generating a thermal gradient between the city and the surrounding regions, favoring the formation and intensification of local atmospheric circulations. The results indicated that with urban growth there is an increase in temperature, decrease in the atmospheric water content and significant changes in the flow at low levels, mainly in the breeze circulations, with significant changes observed in the structure and characteristic of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over the study area. A positive correlation between the increase of the urban area and increased rainfall was also observed. From the results, it was possible to observe that there is a direct relationship between urban growth and changes in the local microclimate in Manaus. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 07/07260-7 - Influência das manchas urbanas de manaus e belém sobre circulações atmosféricas locais
• Beneficiário: Diego Oliveira de Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado