Resumen

CORDOVA SAEZ, Karenia. Heat Island Impacts, and Urban Heat Islands in the Environment and Human Health: Comparative Seasonal Analysis: Caracas, October 2009, March 2010. Terra [online]. 2011, vol.27, n.42, pp.95-122. ISSN 1012-7089.

In the first quarter of 2010, Caracas was under an intensification of the dry season with elevated temperatures, high incidences of forest fires, haze and smog phenomena intensified by the smoke from vegetation fires. Using geotechnologies, in particular using the thermal band of LANDSAT 7 ETM + sensor had been possible to observe variations in the patterns of urban surface temperature, and determine the intensity and extent of thermal anomalies that could have been related to increased temperatures in the city and the incidence of forest fires. For the purposes of this study, we selected two images, for October, 2009, for the wet period and March 2010, corresponding to the dry period. The LANDSAT-7 ETM + tested, showed significant differences in surface temperature recorded in urban and peri-urban area, between the images of wet period (October 2009) and the dry period (March 2010), recorded a positive anomaly of +10°C in March 2010 compared to October 2009. The areas with surface temperatures between 24 and 27°C, prevalent in the city during the wet period, passed ranges between 28-3°C during the heat event in March 2010. Also, as the areas of west and southwest of the cityI with a temperature range of 28-31°C and some areas of south-east, recorded an increase from 32 to 34°C. Pockets of high temperature associated with forest fires (42-45°C or more), were seen more frequently in peri-urban regions bordering low-income sectors in western and south-west of the city, while image in October 2009, peri-urban areas recorded a temperature range of 21-23°C.

Palabras clave : geotechnology; thermal anomalies; urban climate; heat; island; Caracas.