Thermo-Hygrometric Variability on Waterfronts in Negative Radiation Balance: A Case Study of Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil

Abstract

Extensive urbanization around the world has resulted in the consumption of massive vegetated areas and natural resources. To this end, one strategy for urban development is to consolidate urban areas. In Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil, this trend has transformed the city into a vertical built-up area on its coastal strip, accommodating a large amount of buildings both in terms of quantity and number of floors. This research aims to quantify the thermo-hygrometric fluctuation on the waterfront of Balneário Camboriú, in negative radiation balance. To acquire the data on air temperature (Ta) and relative humidity (RH), two mobile transects and measuring at two fixed points were made in a situation of negative radiation balance on 26 August 2019, in the winter period of the Southern Hemisphere. The collection work began at 06:00:00 a.m. (before sunrise, the peak of the negative radiation balance), on Atlântica Avenue (waterfront) and Brasil Avenue (parallel to the waterfront). It was verified that the Ta varied from 16.0 °C to 19.0 °C, and the RH remained over 80% during the entire route. At the meteorological shelters, the temperature presented a variation from 14.4 °C to 17.7 °C, and the RH ranged from 79.6% to 91.3% between the two points. The spatial variability in the Ta and RH along the paths travelled and at the fixed points is directly related to the land cover, represented especially by the buildings’ verticalization and data collection time.