Vegetation as an urban climate control in the subtropical city of Gaborone, Botswana

The influence of vegetation on the urban climate was studied in the subtropical city Gaborone, the rapidly expanding capital of Botswana with approximately 200000 inhabitants. Temperature records from an urban and a rural station were analysed for the period 1985-96. In an attempt to explain possible seasonal change in vegetation, NOAA satellite normalized difference vegetation index imagery was analysed. The present urban influence was investigated with temperature loggers at selected urban and rural sites. In addition, mobile measurements revealed spatial patterns in temperature and humidity for different land uses. Seasonal patterns of urban-rural differences in minimum temperatures emerge during the period 1994-96, especially during the winter when the heat island effect is largest. It is shown that differences in urban and rural vegetation over the year partly explain this variation. Mobile measurements reveal a weak nocturnal heat island of 2-3 degreesC during clear and calm nights. There are intra-urban temperature differences that are in the same range as the urban-rural relationship due to the role of vegetation. Evapotranspiration lowers the temperature, which was detected by high humidity in areas of lush vegetation. This becomes apparent at midday, when densely vegetated areas were up to 2 degreesC cooler than rural sites. An oasis effect, therefore, only exists on a highly local basis. In contrast, parts of the city with sparse vegetation are warmer than the countryside. There is an apparent opposed effect of rural and urban vegetation, whereby the former is hindering the temperature from falling and the latter is cooling the environment through evapotranspiration. This can be explained by the overwhelming amounts of imported water in the city promoting evaporative cooling. Copyright (C) 2004 Royal Meteorological Society.