Altitudinal Gradients of Soil Temperatures in Europe

The altitudinal gradient of soil temperature is examined with the aid of observations from ten countries in Europe. It is shown that this altitudinal gradient is always greatest in summer and least in winter, and that only the amplitude of the seasonal variation differs from one region to another. The altitudinal gradient of air temperature does not show the same degree of consistency, but in all cases it is in summer less than that of the soil. The conventional idea of 'continentality' is found to be more applicable to gradients of temperature in the air than in the soil. The significance of these findings in relation to plant growth in the European uplands is briefly discussed.