The notion of atmospheric temperature refers to the heat level of the air.
Atmospheric temperature is the level of heat that the air has in a specific place and at a specific time. This value is part of the elements that make up the climate , like precipitation, humidity , wind and pressure.
It should be noted that temperature is the magnitude that reveals the amount of heat in a certain environment or a body. Atmospheric , for its part, is that which is linked to the atmosphere (the mantle of gases that surrounds a planet).
About atmospheric temperature
When a person feels that it is cold or that it is hot , they are experiencing a sensation in their body derived from the atmospheric temperature, regardless of the fact that there are other factors that can also affect this sensation. Likewise, when someone utters expressions like "It's very hot this afternoon" or "They have predicted that it will be cold tomorrow," they are referring above all to the atmospheric temperature.
It should be noted that the atmospheric temperature depends on the sun's rays that reach the Earth . These rays manage to pass through the atmosphere without heating the gases, although they increase their wavelength upon reaching the surface. In this way, the sun's rays heat the soil, water and also the lower layers of the atmosphere by bouncing off the surface. This means that our planet's atmosphere is heated indirectly, when infrared rays with a longer wavelength are emitted again, this time by the Earth's surface.
When the atmospheric temperature is high, people feel hot.
Warming of the lower layers of air
The lower layers of air are heated due to two phenomena that are very closely related:
- Up to a certain height, the atmospheric pressure of the air is higher. This occurs because the weight of the air makes it an element capable of being compressed and, once compressed, the air absorbs a much greater amount of heat than in a state of expansion.
- The waves reflected by the Earth's surface have very little range, since they fall into the category of infrared radiation and, once they are emitted, they lose their thermal energy in a very short time. For this reason, mirage occurs, a phenomenon that consists of the air becoming very hot when it hits the ground, reducing its density and producing a kind of mirror capable of refracting sunlight. Mirages make certain ground surfaces appear wet, and in the desert they can confuse explorers into believing they are lakes.
Atmospheric temperature determines much of daily life. If the temperature is 35° C in a city, people should avoid warm clothing whenever possible and try to limit their physical activity to avoid the consequences of excessive heat on the body. On the other hand, when the temperature reaches -5° C , it will be essential to have a coat to stay outdoors.
Concepts related to atmospheric temperature
The following three concepts are also closely linked to atmospheric temperature:
- Maximum temperature : it is the highest that the air can reach in a place throughout a day, a month or a year, so we can speak of maximum daily, monthly or annual temperature, respectively. On the other hand, it can also refer to the highest temperature of a particular area over an extended period of time, so we speak of an absolute maximum.
- Minimum temperature : opposite to the previous case, it is the lowest temperature recorded in a place throughout a day, month or year. It is worth mentioning that the daily minimum is recorded at dawn and the monthly minimums depend on the hemisphere (for the north, in January or February; for the south, in July or August), as long as conditions are normal.
- Average temperature : it is the statistical average obtained between the previous two.