Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have discovered a change in what scientists already knew about global warming dynamics.
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have discovered a change in what scientists already knew about global warming dynamics. It had been widely accepted since the 1950s that global temperature rises were not consistent throughout the day and night, with greater nighttime warming being observed. However, the recent study reveals a shift in dynamics: with greater daytime warming taking place since the 1990s. This shift means that the temperature difference between day and night is widening, potentially affecting all life on Earth.
The rise in the global average surface temperature is one of the key characteristics of human-induced climate change. However, the temperature increase is not uniform throughout the day and night, and nighttime temperatures have increased at a faster pace than daytime temperatures in the latter half of the twentieth century. This warming pattern, with variations between day and night is termed “asymmetric warming” and could be due to both human activities and naturally occurring phenomena.
In a new study, published in Nature Communications, an international team of researchers reinvestigated the asymmetric warming phenomenon and found that the pattern has reversed. Between 1961 and 2020, global daytime warming has accelerated, while the warming rate of nighttime temperature is relatively constant. This reversed trend in asymmetric warming has led to an increasing temperature difference between day and night.
Read more at: Chalmers University of Technology
Photo Credit: Chalmers University of Technology | Christian Löwhagen
