When experts discuss climate change, we often think about rising air or ocean temperatures, but scientists have noted that soil temperatures are also on the rise.
In fact, soil warming appears to be even more abrupt than atmospheric warming and could exacerbate heatwaves. Monitoring equipment typically does not directly measure soil temperature, but a group of scientists from the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) decided to collect this type of data at sites hosting climate stations.
The findings have been published in the journal “Nature Climate Change” and confirm that temperature increases are faster underground than in the air. Almudena Garcia, the study’s lead, points out that overheated soil releases energy, even at night, and this nighttime atmospheric warming is conducive to heatwaves.
Source: Le Monde