Explanatory factors of the spatial distribution of summer air temperature in Santiago of Chile

Abstract

The city of Santiago (Chile) shows signifi cant differences in the distribution of air temperatures within the city due to a set of explanatory factors, such as increased proportions of impermeable surfaces and a reduction in vegetation. This has in turn generated heat islands, which are accentuated and generalized in the summer nights, creating a complex and heterogeneous mosaic of urban landscapes that affect the environment and quality of life of its inhabitants. Based on networks of urban-climate information that link data from fi xed stations, mobile transects and thermal satellite imagery, we estimate signifi cant spatial relationships that have allowed us to construct maps that help to explain the temporal and spatial variability of atmospheric temperatures, and thus to suggest measures for mitigating and adapting to the phenomena at both the macro- and meso-scale.