How does soil temperature relate to air temperature?
1 Answer
Aug 24, 2015
Soil temperature directly affects air temperature.
Explanation:
Soil temperature can affect air temperature in a few ways. First is the transfer of heat via conduction. Warm air can warm the soil it touches and warm soil can heat the air that is in contact with it.
A greater impact is the transfer of latent heat from soil to air. Water in the soil can be heated by the temperature from the soil. This water can then evaporate, taking the heat energy it received from the soil with it as it rises into the atmosphere. When that water vapor cools, it releases the latent heat stored in it, into the atmosphere as sensible heat.
