With this heat wave, could we fry an egg on the ground already?

Last heat which hovered over Spain, arrived with a shocking temperature, with all that it means for our health. But if those in the atmosphere are frightening, soil temperature they make us feel almost as if we were in hell itself. Namely, according to Satellite Sentinel-3European Space Agency (ESA), in areas such as Extremadura, have reached up to 60°С.

Aside from taking into account considerations such as taking care of our dogs’ pads when we take them out for a walk, there are a few questions that should be asked about this. For example, is it normal that the soil temperature so high? Or why this time they positioned themselves this way away from atmospheric temperatures?

In addition, we could not help but take the opportunity to ask ourselves the question that we all once asked ourselves. Is it true that at such temperatures it could reach fry an egg on the ground?

Ground temperature is not always so high

We are accustomed to very high ground temperatures in places covered with sand, such as beach. This is due to the fact that the sand very low specific heat. That is, it takes very little energy to raise its temperature. With a little heat, when we take our feet out of the towel, we will feel like we are walking on lava.

But what can be seen on the temperature map made using Guardian Data 3 is that the ground temperature will reach very high numbers in places remote from the coast. Let’s return to the example of Extremadura.

Indeed, it can be seen that, as a rule, the highest and most remote from atmospheric temperatures of the soil are in urban areas or areas with sparse vegetation. The reasons are varied. It is clear that vegetation, especially tall trees, help mitigate some of the solar radiation that warms the surface. But that’s not all.

In this case, large differences are also associated with the absence of clouds and wind. This, as explained in NIUS AEMET representative, Ruben del Campopropitiates that the heating of the atmosphere always remains the same and that, consequently, “the layer of air lying immediately above the earth is greatly heated.”

Can we fry an egg in this heat?

When the temperature of the earth becomes as hot as it is now, it is often joked that you can fry an egg on it. In Spain, in fact, we have a case esiha, a Seville city known as the “frying pan of Andalusia”. The reasons why it is called so are obvious. But could you fry some eggs there or in Extremadura at that time? heat?

On the boat, we might soon come to the conclusion that no. Nothing else to look at other than frying scrambled eggs in the kitchen, oil is usually recommended from 120°C to 170°C. However, this can also be achieved at lower temperatures.

After all, when you cook an egg, its proteins lose their structure through a process known as denaturation. This can happen for many reasons, including heat. D about 70°C is enough. We are already much closer to the temperature of the earth, as measured by Guardian 3.

But there’s a problem. Concrete sidewalks and even asphalt roads they keep warm very wellBut they don’t give up so easily. Therefore, it will be difficult to transfer heat from the ground to the egg and cook it.

Now there are tricks to achieve this. Solar Cookers International has spent years looking for ways to cook food simply in the sun, without any artificial energy sources. In an article about them published in Washington PostThey explained that they were dehydrating the pumpkin in the parking lot while baking brownies in the middle of the street.

For this reason, in the same publication, they were asked about how you can fry an egg on asphalt. Indeed, this would not be easy directly, but could be solved with something that reflects heat to guide and absorb it. For example, you can use a cardboard box covered with aluminum foil. Nothing complicated is required.

So yes, you could fry an egg on the floor during this heat wave. We have reached this point.