(NLDO) - An analysis of satellite data shows two terrible places on Earth, with surface temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Celsius.
According to a research summary in the scientific journal Science , although Death Valley in the US holds the record for the place with the highest air temperature on Earth (56.7 degrees Celsius), when it comes to surface temperature, there are two places that are even scarier.
A new study used data from a pair of Earth-observing satellites equipped with NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to find two "dead zones."
Lut Desert in Iran - Photo: IRAN ON ADVENTURE
MODIS is a device that measures everything from ozone levels to phytoplankton abundance, scanning the entire surface of the planet day in and day out.
In cloud-free areas, MODIS measures the infrared signal emitted by the surface, which is essentially the temperature we feel from soil, dirt, or ice when we touch it.
These are the Lut Desert in Iran and the Sonoran Desert along the Mexico-US border.
In some areas of these deserts, temperatures have recently reached an unimaginable 80.8 degrees Celsius, which is equivalent to tap water, not quite boiling but hot enough to pour into instant noodles or make coffee.
Surface temperatures tend to be hotter than the air above, especially on sunny days when the surface is heated by both the air and solar radiation, explains ecologist David Mildrexler of the Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands conservation organization.
Previously, this research group also had analyses showing that summer temperatures regularly soared above 60 degrees Celsius in some arid regions of the planet.
In a 2011 survey, the highest surface temperature measured in the Lut Desert was 70.7 degrees Celsius, equivalent to the temperature measured in the Sonoran Desert the following summer.
New analysis shows temperatures of up to 80.8 degrees Celsius recorded at two locations, even though it was only a decade ago, are still completely shocking.
Higher temperatures are bad news for desert creatures, as they are pushed to the brink of their ability to adapt to the heat. Certainly, a 10-degree surface rise in just over a decade is very bad news for ecosystems. Scientists call it a “large-scale sustained warming footprint.”
The new analysis also points to China's Qaidam region, a crescent-shaped depression surrounded by mountains on the Tibetan Plateau, as having the largest daily temperature swings.
There, temperatures can fluctuate up to 81.8 degrees Celsius. For example, on July 29, 2006, the temperature jumped from -23.7 degrees Celsius to 58.1 degrees Celsius. Many days before and after, temperatures also had large fluctuations.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lieu-ve-tinh-tiet-lo-2-hoa-nguc-ngay-tren-be-mat-trai-dat-196240730125342217.htm
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