EFECTOS URBANOS EN LA METEOROLOGÍA DEL VALLE DE ABURRÁ - COLOMBIA

ISLA DE CALOR EN UN TERRENO COMPLEJO Y VARIACIONES MICRO-CLIMÁTICAS

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze urban effects in the meteorology of the Aburrá Valley (northwest of Colombia) through data of a local and microclimatic scale. The complexity of the territory makes inappropriate the use of the traditional scheme for the study of urban heat island effect; therefore, this effect is analyzed through changes of the temperature with altitude (environmental lapse-rate). At the same time, to investigate microclimate variations in the urban canopy we considered two datasets. The first allowed us to perform an analysis in different altitude ranges (Ciudadanos Científicos V2), and with the second one dataset, we studied the contrast of microclimates between sites with similar altitudes (Campaign with multiparameter sensors). The results indicate that the altitudinal and latitudinal location determines the climate types found in the Valley; However, the influence of urbanization is notable through a modification of the altitudinal temperature gradient depending on the measurement environment (both local and micro). The microclimatic measurements made at similar heights showed that there are differences in the thermal behavior (and possibly on thermal sensation) depending mainly on solar access, due to the urban geometry and vegetation located around the sensors. These results indicate that the complexity of the Aburrá Valley (both urban and topographic) could be incorporated into the creation of energy-efficient climate-sensitive design strategies to outdoor spaces. Therefore, these strategies should not only be based on monthly averages, but also on intraday variations.