Upper Bounds of Maximum Land Surface Temperatures in a Warming Climate and Limits to Plant Growth

Upper Bounds of Maximum Land Surface Temperatures in a Warming Climate and Limits to Plant Growth

Milad Aminzadeh, Dani Or, Bjorn Stevens, Amir AghaKouchak, Nima Shokri

Extreme land surface temperatures (LSTs) can be identified by satellite imagery; however, land and atmospheric conditions for the onset of maximum LST have not yet been globally explored. In this paper, a physically-based analytical model was developed to quantify the extent of maximum LSTs and delineate associated land and atmospheric conditions for the onset of such extremes. The findings reveal that temperature hotspots mostly aggregate in Middle East and North Africa, with maximum temperatures exceeding 85 °C during the study period from 2005 to 2020. The study sheds new light on the present and future hot regions that become ecologically prohibitive for life and primary productivity in unexplored regions of the Earth.

Earth’s Future, 11, e2023EF003755
Corresponding Authors: Milad Aminzadeh and Nima Shokri

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