Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations

Abstract

The surface texture of urbanized regions is altered by the replacement of natural vegetated surfaces with hardened pavement surfaces, which have been described as a heat source for the formation of urban heat islands. Grasslands may store rainfall in their roots and leaves for later cooling, but this has received little attention. This study investigated the radiant flux and temperature of a tropical grassland throughout the summer in order to understand the albedo, long-wave radiation, short-wave radiation, and surface temperature of the grassland over 10 days. The grassland had an albedo of 0.13, which did not fluctuate during the day compared to the albedo of other surfaces in metropolitan areas. Even if the local weather changes considerably, this albedo does not alter significantly. The surface temperature and the air temperature above the grassland increase linearly with the upwelling reflectance, incident solar radiation, and upwelling long-wave radiation. These two temperatures do not correspond with downwelling long-wave radiation, which is influenced by cloud cover in the sky. However, the peaks of these temperatures lag behind the incident shortwave radiation and net radiation that reaches the grassland surface. The finding that the thermal properties of grasslands could be harnessed to reduce the heat absorbed by urban surfaces provides valuable insights into the grasslands’ potential to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on temperature.