Transient lateral heat flow due to land-use changes

Subsurface temperatures have been shown to be useful for obtaining robust reconstructions of climatic changes for the last five centuries. Recently, interest has focused on determining the effects of land-use changes on ground surface temperatures (GST), which could potentially create a bias on these records and should thus be considered in the interpretation of GST reconstructions. To date, studies have focused on the one-dimensional effect of land-use changes on heat flow. In this study, temperature anomalies resulting from lateral heat flow were assessed for different scales of land-use change. Numerical simulations indicate that land-use changes over large areas may cause significant changes in subsurface temperatures reaching beyond the extent of the affected area at the surface. We provide guidelines for future surveys and for correcting existing data.