The influence of deforestation of the Atlantic Forest on the microclimate of the mountain Mantiqueira is not yet fully understood. To understand the consequences of deforestation on the highland climate research is needed about the surface radiation balance. The lack of data allows combining satellite images with meteorological data in a Geographic Information System in determining the radiation balance. The study aimed to evaluate the MTCLIM model in cloudless days or cloudy sky and simulate the radiation balance in the Mantiqueira mountain, between São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Daily images, weekly and sixteen days MODIS available in 2003 were used in specific routines from MTCLIM. Specific targets were selected to evaluate the behavior of the radiation balance. It was observed that the radiation balance followed the local topography and is influenced by the type of land use. It follows that the surface temperature contributes to elevate the air temperature, resulting in lesser radiation balance on pasture. The MTCLIM model showed good correlation for air temperature (R² = 0.82) and solar radiation (R² = 0.71).
modis; deforestation; MTCLIM; kriging
