Resumen

BUSTOS, María Luján; FERRELLI, Federico  y  PICCOLO, María Cintia. El rol del arbolado urbano sobre la temperatura invernal de la villa balnearia de Pehuen Co (Argentina). Rev. Univ. geogr. [online]. 2016, vol.25, n.1, pp. 57-72. ISSN 1852-4265.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of vegetation on the spatial distribution of winter air temperature in order to determine the appropriate percentage of vegetation necessary to create a more comfortable environment during the coldest months in Pehuén Co (Argentina). The town was sub-divided into three regions according to the amount of vegetation: greater than 80%, between 40 and 80% and less than 40%. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Land Surface Temperature (LST) were applied. Air temperature data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test in order to determine the relationship between air temperature and the vegetation coverage. The heavily vegetated region (>80%) presented an air temperature increase during the morning. The LST presented lower values in regions with more vegetation. It was concluded that the appropriate percentage of vegetation necessary to generate touristic activities in the winter months and/or prevent possible uncomfortably cold situations for people outdoors must be greater than 40%. These results provide a guide to urban planning in sustainable coastal towns.

Palabras llave : Urban Vegetation; NDVI; LST; Urban Climate; Pehuen Co (Argentina).