Recent climate warming: Surface air temperature series and geothermal evidence

Long-term (1961-1996) meteorological air temperature series together with t he reconstructed ground surface temperature histories, obtained by invertin g borehole temperature-depth profiles, rr ere used to project regional patt erns of the recent (climate) warming rate on the territory of the Czech Rep ublic. The characteristic magnitude of the warming rate of 0.02 - 0.03 K/yr was confirmed by the results of several years of monitoring the temperatur e in two experimental boreholes. The monitoring of shallow temperatures at depths of about 30-40 m, i.e. below the reach of the seasonal surface tempe rature variations, can serve as an alternative tool of direct quantitative assessment of the present warming rare. The data also seem to sustain a pot ential man-made component contributing to the more pronounced recent warmin g rate observed in the areas of large agglomeration.