Characterization of the urban heat island at Bucaramanga, Colombia, using real-time temperature monitoring

One of the meteorological effects in cities is the increase in local temperature, which is known as urban heat island (UHI). The objective of this study was to detect and quantify the possible UHI in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia. For this purpose, a real-time temperature measurement network was installed, composed of seven nodes, used to obtain temperature values every minute. Six of the nodes were located in different positions in the city, and the remaining one was used to give the reference measurement. The data collected were processed for elimination of outliers, management of missing data and noise filtering. Analysis of the data allowed detecting differences in the diurnal and nocturnal UHI intensity trends. It was concluded that the UHI intensity during the day varies depending on the Local Climate Zone that represents the location, while the UHI intensity value at night is quite uniform across the city, with a mean value of 1.0 degrees C. It was also possible to conclude that the magnitude of the daytime UHI is lower in the dry season.