Urban-Rural Temperature Data-relation between land-cover and the Urban Heat Island in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Our objective in this study is to quantify the UHI created by the San Juan Metropolitan Area over space and time using temperature data collected by mobile and fixed-station measurements. We used the fixed-station measurements to examine the relation between average temperature at a given location and the density of vegetation located upwind. We then regressed temperatures against regional land-cover to predict future temperature with projected land-cover change. Our data show the existence of a nocturnal UHI, with average nighttime urban-rural temperature differences (ΔTU-R) of up to 3.02°C. Each of the stations listed in this excel file were used to calculate the urban heat island created by the San Juan Metropolitan Area.

Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.