Geographic analysis of the distribution of surface temperature, vegetation cover and its relationship with socioeconomic indicators – Cuiabá/MT

Abstract

In Brazil and around the world, the problems resulting from urban planning, changes in land cover and the increase in urban infrastructure influence temperature change. The aim of this research is to understand the difference in temperature over the last 36 years (1985-2021) in the city of Cuiabá/MT, and its relationship with vegetation and socioeconomic and racial-ethnic factors. Annual images (36 images) from the Landsat 5 and 8 satellites between 1985 and 2021 were used, and Google Earth Engine was used to obtain this data for the urban area of the city of Cuiabá. Mapping of the spatial distribution of surface temperature, vegetation and changes in land use and cover was carried out using data from the MapBiomas project and socio-economic data from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in English) 2010 census. The results indicated that over the last 36 years Cuiabá's surface temperature has increased by an average of 13°C, as part of the result of the growth of urban infrastructure and loss of vegetation cover, specifically in the peripheral areas. There is an inequality between the high-income population living in neighborhoods with milder temperatures and the low-income population living in neighborhoods with higher temperatures. In the temperature and skin color data, the white population generally lives in neighborhoods with milder temperatures, unlike the black population, which mostly suffers from high temperatures.