Influência da topografia e uso da terra nas variações de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar em Vespasiano - MG

Abstract

The demographic growth, intensification of urbanization, and economic practices in the modern world have created socio-environmental demands over natural resources such as water and land use, often leading to environmental degradation. Therefore, insights about the characteristics of a specific location have become an important tool for planning and management. Aiming to assess these changes, the goal of this research was to analyze the variation in temperature and relative humidity from sampling points distributed across areas with different topographical and land use characteristics in the municipality of Vespasiano, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data were collected using automatic temperature and relative humidity recorders, and the local variables were monitored and controlled using data from the A521-Pampulha automatic weather station in Belo Horizonte, operated by the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET). The analysis was based on the temporal comparison of data from two periods: from September 17 to December 16, 2020 (rainy season), and from May 24 to August 13, 2021 (dry season). This allowed for the correlation of the movements of air masses with atmospheric variables, weather patterns, and environmental factors (i.e., topography and land use). The data analysis presented in this research found that the thermal and hygrometric behavior of the field-collected data is influenced by the different topographical configurations as well as the various land uses. The atmospheric dynamics can influence changes in climatic elements, either increasing or minimizing differences between the sampled locations, and under certain circumstances, assuming almost isothermal behaviors.