Application of Remote Sensing for Climatic Vulnerability Analysis of the Urban Area of Lages/SC through the Use of Radiometric Index and Surface Temperature

Abstract

The growth of cities caused by the increase in population and human activities directly resulted in an increase in air temperature in the urban area, which can lead to changes in microclimatic patterns and consequently impact on the quality of life of the population. To mitigate these effects, the need for climate studies in urban areas becomes essential, as it is a measure that can guide public managers to make effective decisions aimed at the pursuit of sustainable urban planning. The objective of the present study was, through remote sensing, to verify possible alterations in the microclimatic patterns of the mountainous region of Santa Catarina, in the long term, through the analysis of data referring to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST). These data were obtained through the use of orbital images from the LANDSAT satellite (centered in 1997, 2009 and 2021) together with the processing carried out by the QGIS software. The results obtained from the NDVI show that there is a significant increase in the exposed soil class of 16.88% (Winter) and 11.63% (Summer) over the analyzed period (1997-2021). The LST also showed a significant increase for both winter and summer, especially the average temperature. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrate the importance of the contribution of Remote Sensing, as a tool that allows the monitoring and spatial analysis of long decades, which can serve as subsidies for public managers to act effectively in their communities, in the issue of urban planning.