Characterization of an urban area in the legal Amazon using Local Climate Zones (LCZ)

Abstract

The growth of agricultural production and the internalization of the industrial sector has led to a significant increase in the populations of small and medium-sized towns in the Midwest region of Brazil. This movement increases the demand for a built environment and promotes the anthropization of the landscape in these cities, altering the ecosystem in general, but especially the local microclimate. This study therefore aims to map and classify the urban perimeter of the municipality of Nova Mutum, located in the north of the state of Mato Grosso, using the Local Climate Zones (LCZ) methodology. To this end, the area studied was divided into 500x500 meter quadrants, which, using satellite images made available, by Google Earth Pro, were analyzed individually, taking into account elements such as densification, land cover and verticalization. Once the existing zones in the study area had been identified, a Climate Zones map was generated, which was analyzed and cross-referenced with data from the municipal urban legislation. As a result, the municipality has an urban perimeter considerably larger than the area occupied by the urban network, so that a large part of the perimeter is occupied by agricultural production, classified as LCZ D, with herbaceous vegetation. In addition, the municipality already has areas of verticalization and medium-sized densification, mainly in the central zones, which requires attention from the public authorities and local urban planning due to the generation of urban heat islands.