Спутники зафиксировали, как ветряные электростанции в Китае меняют температуру земли днем и ночью

Satellites have been tracking 675 wind farms in China with thermal sensors. The surface temperatures of more than 90,000 operating turbines were monitored from orbit for years, and the data shows a clear pattern in the microclimates on the ground. During the daylight hours when heat was at its peak, the land under the turbine arrays stayed cooler than nearby unbuilt ground. The pattern flipped at night, with temperatures remaining warmer than undeveloped terrain. What thermal dynamics were at play? How satellites track thermal patterns around wind turbines Wind farming is a massive industry in China, and researchers wanted to analyze the thermal impacts. They collected years’ worth of infrared satellite datasets covering large regions of mainland energy projects. The review involved 675 onshore wind farming arrays, covering around 90,000 turbine units. The thousands of miles of terrain varied between desert basins, agricultural plains, and high-altitude steppes. To maintain the integrity of the findings, scientists compared wind farm temperatures against control plots without energy infrastructure. Satellite radiometers picked up clear thermal signatures linked to operating turbine arrays. The figures showed that temperatures were affected several miles beyond industrial-scale turbine perimeters. Across the 675 wind farms studied, satellite data revealed only a slight national average daytime cooling of −0.05°C and nighttime warming of +0.06°C, with thermal responses varying significantly from site to site. At midnight, the pattern flipped. The ground around the turbines was notably warmer than in the control areas. The thermal impacts were far from uniform across environments, showing strong variation by land cover and season; statistically significant daytime cooling occurred only in spring, while nighttime warming was not statistically significant in summer. The effect of atmospheric stratification on thermal shifts To understand this dual thermal pattern, we must consider how the layers of the lower atmosphere behave between sunrise and sunset. In normal conditions, the Earth is heated by solar radiation during the day. The warm air generated at the surface rises. At night, the ground cools down rapidly, creating a stable temperature inversion, with cooler air at the surface and a layer of warmer air above. Rather than a universal 12-hour thermal reversal, daytime temperature shifts were weak and roughly split between local warming and cooling, leaving nighttime warming—observed at 61.33% of farms—as the main predominant signal. The rotors interact with the air layers differently depending on the level of solar heating in the day. There are variables to consider, however. The satellite radiometers only measure the temperature of the land surface itself, not the ambient air temperature at the average height of a person. The level of moisture in the soil, vegetation coverage, and weather also generate operational complexities. For an accurate understanding of the situation, atmospheric models have to separate surface conditions from turbine-generated turbulence. The mechanics of air mixing and the effect on microclimate boundaries The turbines alter ground surface temperatures through mechanical vertical mixing inside the lower atmospheric boundary layer. At night, when cold air lies near the soil beneath warmer air above, spinning rotors spanning hundreds of feet slice through the stable temperature inversion. This mechanical churning pulls warmer air downward. Cooler surface air is drawn upward, meaning the temperature at the ground is higher at night. During daylight hours, strong solar heating already makes the lower atmosphere unstable. The physical presence and rotation of turbine arrays increase surface friction and turbulent energy exchange. This speeds up heat transport away from sun-baked ground into the upper air, leaving the immediate ground surface measurably cooler. Long-term studies are needed The satellite dataset confirms land surface temperature changes, not broad regional warming or cooling. The thermal impact extends past the immediate wind farm boundary, spreading into downwind areas and gradually dissipating as distance from the turbines increases. Current satellite observations cannot reveal how deep into the soil column these thermal shifts extend. We are also not yet sure how these microclimates affect long-term soil moisture or local plant growth across different ecosystems. Ultimately, the orbital survey of 675 Chinese wind farms shows that spinning turbines function like large vertical mixers, altering ground surface thermal rhythms between the day and the night. All the information in the study can be found here: Li, Z., Li, Y., Qin, Y., Liu, L., Bach, E., Armstrong, A., … & Chen, Z. (2026). National assessment reveals widespread wind farm impacts on land surface temperature and vegetation in China. Geography and Sustainability, 7(3), 100460. Read the whole thing? Get the week's signal, not the noise Our sharpest reporting on energy, climate and nature — free, once a week.