VARIABILIDADE ESPACIAL DO ÍNDICE DE TEMPERATURA E UMIDADE NO RIO GRANDE DO SUL - BRASIL PARA AS DIFERENTES ESTAÇÕES DO ANO

Abstract

The present study aims to perform the bioclimatic analysis of the spatial variability of the temperature and humidity index (ITU) in Rio Grande do Sul. The study was carried out for forty-two municipalities in the state, for which the ITU was calculated from data of average temperature and average relative humidity, referring for the period 2000 to 2020, made available by INMET. Once the spatial dependence was detected, the thematic map of the spatial distribution of the variable was produced by means of ordinary kriging. The exponential model was the one that best adjusted to the experimental semi-variance. The average ITU follows the annual temperature pattern in the state, being maximum (74.77) in January and minimum (50.46) in July and has an inverse relationship with the location's altitude. The spatial variability of the temperature and humidity index made it possible to divide the state of Rio Grande do Sul into up to four classes, depending on the season, which allows establishing criteria for constructive techniques and environmental thermal conditioning practices, contributing to a production environment that minimize thermal stress, which occurs both by cold (autumn and winter) and by heat (summer).