Microclimate analysis of different types of urban forest in Curitiba city

Abstract

The vegetation is essential to ensure the quality of life in cities, due to the numerous benefits it provides, especially in climatic aspects. This study aimed to characterize the microclimate of the different types of urban forest existing in Curitiba, PR, in summer and winter. For this, three areas were selected for each type of urban forest: remaining forest, old green area, modern green area, street trees and single tree. The microclimate these areas was analyzed by varying temperature (° C) and relative humidity of air (%), collected by data logger Hobo® model, installed in mini-shelters for 48 hours, with continuous taken at intervals of 1 minutes, starting at 12h, in February and July. The results showed no statistical difference between the remaining forest and other types of urban forest, for both variables and seasons. The average air temperature in the remaining forest was lower than in other areas, while the relative humidity was higher. When compared with the remaining, to single tree was the typology that showed the largest temperature difference (1.22 °C), followed by street trees (1.08 °C), old green area (0.98 °C) and modern green area (0.68 °C). It is concluded that the different types of urban forest have different microclimates, and the remaining forest is what gives lower values of temperature and higher relative humidity.