Ground temperatures in Turkey and Cyprus exceeded 50 degrees Celsius

Forests and agricultural lands and populated areas along the Mediterranean and the Aegean coast, Turkey has been experiencing the worst wildfires in a decade.

“It is clear that the ground temperature in Turkey and Cyprus has again exceeded 50 degrees,” the ESA said in a statement.

The company has released a map of the area where several areas appear in dark red. The map, released on July 2, combined data collected by its Sentinel-3 satellite and provided the same characteristics as from the European Copernicus project.

“Weather forecasts predict air temperature. Data collected by satellite measure the amount of actual energy emitted from the ground, so they represent temperature at ground level,” the ESA said.

According to NASA, these temperatures are perceptible if one touches the ground at a given location.

In recent days, temperatures above 40 degrees (in the air) in many cities in Turkey have caused record power increases, leading to power outages on Monday in major cities such as Ankara and Istanbul.

Neighboring Greece was hit by the largest heat wave since 1987.

According to scientists, these heat waves are a clear indicator of global warming, and are designed to amplify, prolong and intensify.