Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Playa del Carmen, located on the Mexican Caribbean coast, is one of the country’s main tourist destinations with constant growth in population and urban infrastructure. Recent housing developments and land use changes in the city are characterized by sparse vegetation cover, resulting in an increase...
| Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | México |
| Institution: | UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO |
| Repository: | Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía |
| Language: | Spanish |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/2104 |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/2104 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Quintana Roo Restauración ecológica Playa del Carmen Urbanización Caribe (Región) Calefacción del suelo Ecological Restoration Urbanization Caribbean Area Soil heating |
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Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico Estimación de la localización e intensidad de islas de calor superficial en Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, México |
| title |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| spellingShingle |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico Sánchez Rivera, Gabriel Quintana Roo Restauración ecológica Playa del Carmen Urbanización Caribe (Región) Calefacción del suelo Quintana Roo Ecological Restoration Playa del Carmen Urbanization Caribbean Area Soil heating |
| title_short |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| title_full |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| title_fullStr |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| title_sort |
Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Sánchez Rivera, Gabriel Gómez Mendoza, Leticia |
| author |
Sánchez Rivera, Gabriel |
| author_facet |
Sánchez Rivera, Gabriel Gómez Mendoza, Leticia |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Gómez Mendoza, Leticia |
| author2_role |
author |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Quintana Roo Restauración ecológica Playa del Carmen Urbanización Caribe (Región) Calefacción del suelo Quintana Roo Ecological Restoration Playa del Carmen Urbanization Caribbean Area Soil heating |
| topic |
Quintana Roo Restauración ecológica Playa del Carmen Urbanización Caribe (Región) Calefacción del suelo Quintana Roo Ecological Restoration Playa del Carmen Urbanization Caribbean Area Soil heating |
| description |
Playa del Carmen, located on the Mexican Caribbean coast, is one of the country’s main tourist destinations with constant growth in population and urban infrastructure. Recent housing developments and land use changes in the city are characterized by sparse vegetation cover, resulting in an increase in surface soil temperature compared to the still-preserved jungle areas on the city’s outskirts. This study aims to identify the presence, intensity, and extent of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) phenomenon by estimating thermal differences between urban and peripheral areas of the city (both day and night) during extreme surface temperature events. The analysis and characterization of extreme temperatures was done used daily images from the MODIS-Aqua satellite for 2003-2023, which were obtained and processed from the Google Earth Engine platform, and the “exceedance over a relative threshold” statistical model. SUHIs were estimated for the years 2020 to 2023 based on the thresholds obtained to characterize events in extreme categories. The findings show significant differences in thermal change rates between densely urbanized areas (more than 50,000 inhabitants per km²) compared to those with little vegetation and areas in the city’s outskirts where tropical jungle cover still exists. The intensity of the heat islands (SUHI intensity) in May ranges from 6 to 7 °C (the month with the highest temperatures in the region). The maximum SUHI intensity was reported for May 2023 at around 8.4 °C with a maximum recorded temperature towards the city center of 42.6 °C. This study provides a basis for guiding the ecological restoration of the city to reduce the impacts of the heat island in Playa del Carmen and its effects on the population. |
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2025 |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2025-08-07 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículo evaluado por pares |
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article |
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publishedVersion |
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https://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/2104 10.22201/ffyl.26832275e.2025.13.2104 |
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https://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/2104 |
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10.22201/ffyl.26832275e.2025.13.2104 |
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spa |
| language |
spa |
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https://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/2104/2865 |
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Derechos de autor 2025 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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Derechos de autor 2025 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 |
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openAccess |
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras |
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras |
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Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía; No. 13 (2025); 6-45 Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía; Núm. 13 (2025); 6-45 2683-2275 10.22201/ffyl.26832275e.2025.13 reponame:Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía instname:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO instacron:UNAM |
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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO |
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UNAM |
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UNAM |
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Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía |
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Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía |
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Estimation of the Placement and Intensity of Surface Heat Islands in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, MexicoEstimación de la localización e intensidad de islas de calor superficial en Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, MéxicoSánchez Rivera, GabrielGómez Mendoza, LeticiaQuintana RooRestauración ecológicaPlaya del CarmenUrbanizaciónCaribe (Región) Calefacción del sueloQuintana RooEcological RestorationPlaya del CarmenUrbanizationCaribbean AreaSoil heatingPlaya del Carmen, located on the Mexican Caribbean coast, is one of the country’s main tourist destinations with constant growth in population and urban infrastructure. Recent housing developments and land use changes in the city are characterized by sparse vegetation cover, resulting in an increase in surface soil temperature compared to the still-preserved jungle areas on the city’s outskirts. This study aims to identify the presence, intensity, and extent of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) phenomenon by estimating thermal differences between urban and peripheral areas of the city (both day and night) during extreme surface temperature events. The analysis and characterization of extreme temperatures was done used daily images from the MODIS-Aqua satellite for 2003-2023, which were obtained and processed from the Google Earth Engine platform, and the “exceedance over a relative threshold” statistical model. SUHIs were estimated for the years 2020 to 2023 based on the thresholds obtained to characterize events in extreme categories. The findings show significant differences in thermal change rates between densely urbanized areas (more than 50,000 inhabitants per km²) compared to those with little vegetation and areas in the city’s outskirts where tropical jungle cover still exists. The intensity of the heat islands (SUHI intensity) in May ranges from 6 to 7 °C (the month with the highest temperatures in the region). The maximum SUHI intensity was reported for May 2023 at around 8.4 °C with a maximum recorded temperature towards the city center of 42.6 °C. This study provides a basis for guiding the ecological restoration of the city to reduce the impacts of the heat island in Playa del Carmen and its effects on the population.Playa del Carmen, en las costas del Caribe mexicano, es uno de los principales destinos turísticos del país con mayor crecimiento constante en población e infraestructura urbana. Los recientes desarrollos habitacionales y los cambios en el uso del suelo en la ciudad se caracterizan por una escasa cobertura vegetal, lo que resulta en un aumento de la temperatura superficial del suelo en comparación con las áreas de selva aún conservadas en la periferia de la ciudad. Este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar la presencia, intensidad y extensión del fenómeno isla de calor urbana superficial (ICUS), a partir de la estimación de las diferencias térmicas entre las zonas urbanas y periféricas de la ciudad (diurnas y nocturnas), ante eventos de aumento de la temperatura superficial en categoría de extremos. Para el análisis y caracterización de las temperaturas extremas se utilizaron imágenes diarias del satélite MODIS-Aqua para 2003-2023, obtenidas y procesadas desde la plataforma Google Earth Engine, y el modelo estadístico “excedente a un umbral relativo”. Con base en los umbrales obtenidos para caracterizar los eventos en categorías de extremos, se estimaron las ICUS para los años 2020 a 2023. Los hallazgos muestran diferencias significativas en las tasas de cambio térmico entre las zonas densamente urbanizadas (más de 50,000 habitantes por km2) y aquellas con poca vegetación y las áreas situadas en la periferia de la ciudad donde aún se cuenta con cobertura de selva tropical. En los meses de mayo (meses con mayores temperaturas en la región), la intensidad de las islas de calor (IICUS) ronda entre los 6 y 7 °C. La máxima IICUS se reporta para mayo de 2023 en el orden de los 8.4 °C, con una temperatura máxima registrada hacia la zona centro de la ciudad de 42.6 °C. Este estudio ofrece una base para orientar la restauración ecológica de la ciudad con el fin de reducir los impactos de la isla de calor en Playa del Carmen y sus efectos en la población.Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras2025-08-07info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArtículo evaluado por pareshttps://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/210410.22201/ffyl.26832275e.2025.13.2104Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía; No. 13 (2025); 6-45Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografía; Núm. 13 (2025); 6-452683-227510.22201/ffyl.26832275e.2025.13reponame:Tlalli. Revista de Investigación en Geografíainstname:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICOinstacron:UNAMspahttps://revistas.filos.unam.mx/index.php/tlalli/article/view/2104/2865Derechos de autor 2025 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Méxicohttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/21042026-01-16T16:44:41Z |
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15.812429 |