Local Climate Drivers Distribution and Point Measured Temperatures - A Case Study in Postavaru Mountains Road Alignments

Abstract

The paper presents several applications of the geographic information systems (GIS) in studying the spatial distribution of some primary and secondary terrain derivatives that act as important local climate drivers and an exploratory analysis of their reciprocal correlations and the relationships with point measured temperatures. Solar radiation enters the atmosphere system through the ground surface, that influences the climate by its reflective properties and shape that could be effectively analysed in GIS. Among terrain parameters, in the study area, aspect occurs to be strongly correlated with modeled incoming radiation and measured temperatures show a clear altitude effect, shaded under spruce canopies and disturbed on windy summits.