Come from space the effects of the record heat wave that swept the UK

Images collected by European Space Agency satellites show exaggeratedly high ground temperatures in areas called ‘urban heat islands’.

Researchers from the British University of Leicester, in collaboration with National Earth Observation Center (NCEO), you have Uncover the unprecedented heat wave sweeping the UK With worrying consequences.

Through images obtained by European Space Agency satellites, the researchers were able to detect surface temperatures recorded over the national territory, which were then converted into a map with increasing red hues in the areas most affected by the heat.

One might think that the Earth’s surface temperature is the same as the air temperature we also observe, but these are two different measurements (albeit closely related): The Earth’s surface is warmer than the air It has the ability to influence weather and climate patterns on the planet.

Spatial observations of Earth’s surface temperature provide unprecedented knowledge of the spatial structure of these anomalous and hyperthermic heat waves – explains Professor Darren Gent, NCEO Leader and Researcher in Earth’s Surface Temperature.

@ University of Leicester

The map shows the warmest surface temperatures on the Earth centered around London and other major cities in southeast England. Scientists call these areas “urban heat islands”: they are highly urban, where concrete, buildings, and other dense materials absorb and retain heat at a faster rate than natural environments.

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According to surveys, one of the hottest places in the UK was London Heathrow, with an air temperature of 40.2°C and a surface temperature of 48°C for the first time.

NCEO is working on a project, in collaboration withOrdnance Survey It aims to monitor heat waves (which are expected to be more frequent and extreme in the near future) in the most vulnerable places in the UK.

The project aims to provide important insights for policy makers to manage the impacts of climate change in hotspots in the UK and abroad. Earth observation data used in the pilot project will indicate extreme events and locations that could pose a greater risk to human health, such as cities where heat stress is a problem of particular interest in the scientific community.

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Sources: University of Leicester / National Earth Observation Center

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