On the mechanism of thermal self-regulation of trees: a kind of homeothermic observation

• Published in: arXiv.org 2024-09
• Main Authors: Boulé, Jean-Baptiste, Jean de Bremond d'Ars, Courtillot, Vincent, Gèze, Marc, Gibert, Dominique, Jean-Louis Le Mouël, Lopes, Fernando, Maineult, Alexis, Zuddas, Pierpaolo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canopies; Surface temperature; Thermal environments; Thermal measurement; Trees; Urban areas; Urban planning; Vegetation
• ISSN: 2331-8422

What is certain is that surface temperatures around the globe vary considerably, regardless of the time scales or underlying causes. Since 1850, we have observed an average increase in global surface temperature anomalies of 1.2\(^{\circ}\) and a median increase of 0.7\(^{\circ}\): this overall difference masks significant regional differences. Nearly 60\% of the world's population now lives in urban areas, where vegetation cover has been significantly reduced, despite the paradoxical fact that vegetation plays an important role in regulating the thermal environment (\textit{eg} through the shading provided by tree canopies). Continuous electrical and thermal measurements of trees in a Parisian grove (France) show and quantify that canopies are not the only protectors against heat waves; we must also consider the role of tree trunks. It is clear that these trunks probably regulate themselves, possibly by modulating the uptake of groundwater, whose geothermal stability is well established at a depth of just one meter. This quantitative observation should not be overlooked in the urban planning of our cities.