If you’ve been feeling a little too hot during the nights, you are not the only one.
Observations from the last fifty years have shown us that while the Earth has been witnessing warmer conditions every year, nights, in particular, are getting than days.
As per researchers, the reason for these circumstances is that night time temperatures are more sensitive to the climate forces.
The report also states that while tracking climate change, climate models globally may have been underestimating temperatures.
Looking at the climate data for the last 50 years, the rapid increase in temperatures have been caused due to the planetary boundary layer (PBL), which is the lowest part of the atmosphere. The behavior of the PBL is influenced by its contact with a planetary surface.
The PBL is different from the upper layers of the atmosphere. Its thickness changes in a 24-hour cycle. While during the day, it may be thick in kilometres, during the night it may be as thin as a few metres. The solar radiation which is absorbed during daytime is released into space at night.
However, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the upper atmosphere do not let some of the radiation escape, which results in a temperature increase during the night.
As climate change has led to more carbon dioxide adding up in the atmosphere. Thus, less heat escapes from the atmosphere during the night resulting in warmer conditions.
The report also states that these conditions will continue to remain the same in future as well. So if you are a fan of those chilly nights, good luck to you.
Image Credit: chasingcleanair.com
