Chinese researchers have discovered that the reduction of marshland could increase the land surface temperature.
The researchers hoped to find out the biophysical effects of wetland, which plays an important role in local, regional and global climate change.
Based on satellite measurements of land surface temperature and observed air temperatures from 2003 to 2014, the researchers from the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed the biophysical effects of marshland conversion on surface temperature in China.
They compared the land surface temperature difference between marshland and nearby construction land, finding that both the daytime and nighttime temperature increased due to the marshland conversion in China, according to their research article published in journal Geophysical Research Letters on Feb. 29.
For marshland conversion to cultivated land, the daytime land surface temperature increase happened in most months throughout the year. In contrast, the nighttime temperature rose in the non-growing seasons from November to March, said the article.
More specifically, the daytime land surface temperature decreased from July to September.
The research highlighted the importance of the biophysical effects of marshland conversions on surface temperature, meanwhile considering the seasonal differences, said the article.