Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois

Illinois is a leading state for agricultural production in the United States, and corn production in the state has rapidly increased since the 1970s. Intensification of agriculture has been shown to have impacts on the atmosphere by altering humidity, and changes in land cover and soil moisture have...

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Main Authors: Chelsea Henry, Alan W. Black
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Meteorology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0494/4/2/12
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author Chelsea Henry
Alan W. Black
author_facet Chelsea Henry
Alan W. Black
author_sort Chelsea Henry
collection DOAJ
description Illinois is a leading state for agricultural production in the United States, and corn production in the state has rapidly increased since the 1970s. Intensification of agriculture has been shown to have impacts on the atmosphere by altering humidity, and changes in land cover and soil moisture have resulted in changes in stability and temperature in the planetary boundary layer. Using descriptive statistics and regression analysis, this study assessed changes in temperature and dew point across different land cover classes, parts of the growing season, and by the geographic location of the station (north vs. south) in Illinois from 2005–2022 using data from 58 hourly weather stations. Overall, dew points are not increasing more rapidly in cultivated agriculture areas compared to other land cover classes in the state. Dew points are increasing across land cover classifications, particularly in the later part of the growing season. Temperatures are not as consistent, with decreases in temperature observed in cultivated agricultural areas and during the peak of the growing season. While dew points are increasing in both the northern and southern regions of the state, temperature increases are only found in the north. Dew point increases in Illinois do not appear to be driven by changing agricultural practices. However, future work should examine additional regions inside and outside of the Corn Belt to determine if changes in land cover and agricultural practices have impacts on the climates of those regions.
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spelling doaj-art-e179a6360c1440af8e76a0706dbc93542025-08-20T03:27:37ZengMDPI AGMeteorology2674-04942025-04-01421210.3390/meteorology4020012Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in IllinoisChelsea Henry0Alan W. Black1Department of Geography & GIS, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USADepartment of Geography & GIS, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USAIllinois is a leading state for agricultural production in the United States, and corn production in the state has rapidly increased since the 1970s. Intensification of agriculture has been shown to have impacts on the atmosphere by altering humidity, and changes in land cover and soil moisture have resulted in changes in stability and temperature in the planetary boundary layer. Using descriptive statistics and regression analysis, this study assessed changes in temperature and dew point across different land cover classes, parts of the growing season, and by the geographic location of the station (north vs. south) in Illinois from 2005–2022 using data from 58 hourly weather stations. Overall, dew points are not increasing more rapidly in cultivated agriculture areas compared to other land cover classes in the state. Dew points are increasing across land cover classifications, particularly in the later part of the growing season. Temperatures are not as consistent, with decreases in temperature observed in cultivated agricultural areas and during the peak of the growing season. While dew points are increasing in both the northern and southern regions of the state, temperature increases are only found in the north. Dew point increases in Illinois do not appear to be driven by changing agricultural practices. However, future work should examine additional regions inside and outside of the Corn Belt to determine if changes in land cover and agricultural practices have impacts on the climates of those regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0494/4/2/12dew pointtemperatureevapotranspirationIllinois
spellingShingle Chelsea Henry
Alan W. Black
Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
Meteorology
dew point
temperature
evapotranspiration
Illinois
title Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
title_full Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
title_fullStr Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
title_full_unstemmed Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
title_short Land Cover and Trends in Temperature and Dew Point in Illinois
title_sort land cover and trends in temperature and dew point in illinois
topic dew point
temperature
evapotranspiration
Illinois
url https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0494/4/2/12
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AT alanwblack landcoverandtrendsintemperatureanddewpointinillinois