气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Seasonal and Diurnal Variability in Near-Surface Air and Ground Temperature Regimes of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya

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DOI	10.1029/2023EA003410
	Seasonal and Diurnal Variability in Near-Surface Air and Ground Temperature Regimes of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya
发表日期	2024
EISSN	2333-5084
起始页码	11
结束页码	2
卷号	11 期号:2
英文摘要	Mountains near the equator have very unique temperature regimes due to the tropical latitude and alpine altitude. How climate change will impact these temperature regimes is not clear as there are so few temperature records in these environments. This study attempts to characterize the near-surface air and ground temperature regime for the Teleki Valley (3,200-4,200 m. a.s.l) on the western slope of Mount Kenya using a set of six temperature loggers placed at 200 m elevation intervals. Temperature was recorded at 30 min intervals from September 2021 to October 2022. The mean diurnal temperature range varied from 6 degrees C to 14 degrees C, with maximum daily swings in excess of 25 degrees C. There was a distinct seasonality in temperature, with a hot season during the months of January-March, where it was roughly 3 degrees C warmer than the coolest months. Diurnal temperature swings were also highest in March. This seasonality is driven by radiation and moisture: higher radiation during the vernal equinox combined with clear skies during the dry season made for higher temperatures. Elevation was the dominant spatial gradient determining temperature regimes, but rock and vegetation cover played a large role in modifying near-surface air and ground temperature. The highest elevation logger (4,200 m. a.s.l), measuring ground temperature, showed muted seasonal and diurnal swings, creating for warmer temperatures than lower elevation loggers. This demonstrates the importance of thermal refugia at these high elevations. This also makes predictions of plant and animal responses to climate change difficult, as uniform upward shifts would not necessarily maintain thermal niches. Tropical alpine areas have few detailed records of climate particularly in the zone near the surface where most organisms live. This study investigated the near ground temperature regime of the Teleki Valley of Mount Kenya using loggers placed at 200 m elevation intervals. The results showed that temperature can vary considerably over short distances and over time, with marked daily and seasonal temperature patterns. Elevation, topography and cover drive these differences as do macro-climactic factors of wind patterns and solar radiation. The implication is that biotic responses to climate change will not be straight-forward but may be site- and species-specific. Near-surface temperature regime of the alpine zone of Mount Kenya has a seasonal element that is driven in part by solar radiation changes Elevation and topography drive spatial differences in temperature in the alpine zone There is a diversity of microclimates which may play a crucial role in survival of biotic communities under climate change
英文关键词	temperature regime; tropical alpine; frost days; thermal niche; lapse rate
语种	英语
WOS研究方向	Astronomy & Astrophysics ; Geology
WOS类目	Astronomy & Astrophysics ; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
WOS记录号	WOS:001153288600001
来源期刊	EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/287279
作者单位	University of Nairobi; University of York - UK
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	. Seasonal and Diurnal Variability in Near-Surface Air and Ground Temperature Regimes of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya[J],2024,11(2).
APA	(2024).Seasonal and Diurnal Variability in Near-Surface Air and Ground Temperature Regimes of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya.EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE,11(2).
MLA	"Seasonal and Diurnal Variability in Near-Surface Air and Ground Temperature Regimes of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya".EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE 11.2(2024).

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