Urban atmospheric humidity excesses and deficits in two Mexican metropolises: Guadalajara and Puebla

Abstract

Comparative studies of atmospheric humidity between urban and suburban and urban-rural environments are scarce, and their results are very scattered and inconclusive. In this paper, we compare differences in atmospheric temperature, relative humidity and absolute humidity measured at the limits between the urban canopy and the boundary layer in two elevated metropolises in Mexico: Guadalajara and Puebla. Results show that variations in relative humidity contrasts between different environments have an inverse relationship with the temperature variations. In Guadalajara, the urban excesses of absolute humidity are predominant from May to September. In Puebla the urban-suburban contrasts are lower than in Guadalajara, following a daily cycle and being negative between noon and 18:00 LT. From March to September urban-rural differences in Puebla are positive between 10:00 and 18:00 LT, and weak during the nocturnal period.