Measurement of Seasonal Air Temperatures Near the Soil Surfaces

Abstract

A study of the maximum air temperature near the soil surface at 11 grassland locations was made during the summer of 1968 using a simple maximum temperature indicator. Maximum temperatures within the first centimeter above the soil were found to exceed 144 F on a number of these locations. Although the range of indicators was not large enough to include the extremes at all locations, a seasonal pattern was identifiable. Large local differences in near-surface temperatures were frequently observed.