Seguessa gave a lecture last night at the auditorium of the Centro Cultural del Bicentenario, invited by the Fundación Conciencia y Acción Ciudadana, led by accountant Atilio Chara, marking the conclusion of the foundation's conference series for the year.
"Without conducting an in-depth study, we quickly reasoned that perhaps in Santiago there may be hot water very close to the surface because it is evident that the heat is coming from below. For those of us who are not used to it, we perceive it immediately," Seguessa revealed when asked about why the heat is so intense in Santiago.
Multiple causes
He also pointed out that this phenomenon is related to the weakening of the ozone layer, which is quite noticeable in Santiago.
"Ozone not only filters UV rays but also filters heat rays. These rays bounce from the ground upwards, but since the ground is not at its normal temperature due to the presence of hot water underneath, it contributes to increased heat. This is a phenomenon that occurs from the ground to a few meters above," he explained.
He noted that high humidity is also affected for similar reasons: “With the ozone layer weakening, it allows more rays to pass through, increasing evaporation. This is why we are seeing extremely heavy rainfall in many places on the planet—150 millimeters in just a few hours—due to intense evaporation caused by the weakening of the ozone layer."
Longer heat cycles
"Here, the climate is more continental, so heat cycles will extend, but in other areas, it will be the opposite, with colder periods lasting longer. This is because the ozone layer acts like a blanket that regulates thermal differences. In some places, cold zones will become larger, more frequent, and more intense. In other areas, like Santiago, the opposite will happen, with heat zones becoming stronger," he explained.
He also noted that the melting of the South Pole is evident in Punta del Este, as seawater is freezing cold even in January, a phenomenon also linked to the weakening of the ozone layer.