on Etna it reached 47 degrees, in Spain 60 – Corriere.it

The new record heat wave affecting Sicily and central-southern Italy can even be seen from space thanks to the European satellite Sentinel-3, of the Copernicus satellite observation program, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Commission. Earth surface temperatures on the slopes of Etna exceeded 47 degrees. In Europe, however, the record heat has recently reached its peak in Spain, where land surface temperatures have exceeded 60 degrees in Extremadura.

The instrument

Regarding the animated reconstruction of the temperatures recorded in the territories on the slopes of Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, the animation was created using data from the Slstr radiometer (Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer) created by Leonardo in Campi Bisenzio, an instrument capable of measuring the surface temperature of the water and the earth with a precision of a tenth of a degree from an operating altitude of about 800 kilometres. The charm of the places and of the ever increasing and sophisticated scientific technology must make us reflect in a rational and balanced way on the increase in temperatures on the globe.

The importance of ground temperatures

The surface temperature of the soil, as Copernicus experts explain in a note, is an important variable in our planet’s climate system. It describes processes such as the exchange of energy and water between the earth’s surface and the atmosphere, and affects the rate and timing of plant growth. Basically, it affects the processes of biology and the ecological system. It is also worth pointing out the difference between the air temperature and the temperature of the earth’s surface. Air temperature, shown in the daily weather forecast, is a measure of the air temperature taken 2 meters above the ground and in the shade. Surface temperature is a measure of how hot the actual surface is to the touch. It should also be remembered that, in terms of air temperature, the European record was instead recorded on 11 August 2021 in Floridia, in the Syracuse area, when the mercury column reached 48.8 degrees.