heat

Showering with cold water before sleeping in a heat wave seems like the best idea. Science warns that it is a big mistake

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Heat waves are already with us and in many places in recent days we have seen how they has far exceeded 40 ºC in many parts of our country. But the problem is not only that it is difficult to leave the house, but that sleeping becomes practically impossible for many peoplehaving a very fragmented sleep with different awakenings or even suffering from insomnia due to not being able to fall asleep. A solution. Faced with this great problem, common sense and desperation push us to get under the shower to be able to cool our body as much as possible just before entering bed to at least be a little cooler and try to fall asleep. But the problem here is that showering activates our body and can have a quite different effect than what we are looking for, making it very difficult to fall asleep. The mechanism of sleep. Something that we must keep in mind is that for our brain to understand that it is time to sleep, it needs a very specific physiological signal, which is the drop in the body’s core temperature. But when we take a shower of ice water, we get instant relief on the skin, but we cause our blood vessels to constrict so that our blood does not drop below its precious 36-37 ºC. In other words, the blood vessels They close to protect the internal heat of the body by sending less blood to our skin. The result. Although we get very fresh skin, a few minutes after getting out of the shower, the body experiences a rebound effect, retaining central heat and remaining in a state of alert because for the body there is a threat to which it has had to respond. On the other hand, warm or hot water does just the opposite, since, according to the group of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, hot water stimulates the thermoregulatory system, causing blood to travel from the inner core of the body to the extremities. This facilitates a massive dissipation of body heat once we leave the bathroom, and that subsequent drop in core temperature is the biological switch that induces sleep. The warm water. Knowing all this, we can conclude that we should not use hot or cold water when showering, but that the middle ground is what we should look for. This is what an exhaustive review published in the journal points out. Sleep Medicine, where it was analyzed thousands of data to reach the conclusion that the optimal water temperature to improve sleep quality is between 40 and 42.5 ºC. But in a context of great heat like the one we are experiencing, experts clarify that the ideal is to look for the point of warm water, since the objective is not to roast ourselves, but to relax the blood vessels to promote heat loss from inside the body. The time. Showering and immediately getting into bed (or getting on top of the sheets) doesn’t work at all, since the body needs time to cool down. This same study we were referring to showed that the optimal time to take this shower is between 1 and 2 hours before going to bed. And best of all, it is something that has been shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. These data are reinforced by a large-scale observational study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, where, after analyzing more than 1,000 adultsresearchers confirmed that bathing between 61 and 180 minutes before going to bed is directly associated with faster falling asleep, thanks to physiological changes that are related to body heat. Images | Slaap In Xataka | An expert clarifies the main mistake of sleeping with air conditioning: “It is totally unnatural and we rest worse”

the AEMET rule to declare a heat wave in Spain

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We spent the summer talking about heat waves and extreme temperaturesbut sometimes it is difficult for us to differentiate exactly what they are. If we look back to the summer of 2025, we remember that there was constant talk of heat waves. We may have the feeling that July and August were a huge heat wave. However, if we look at the data from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET)we will see that only 3 heat waves were recorded in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands and 2 in the Canary Islands. The key is that they were long heat waves. Without going any further, the first of them extended from June 18 to July 4. The next one arrived on July 15, so we didn’t even have two weeks of respite. Be that as it may, the concept of a heat wave is somewhat diffuse. It is not described the same in some countries as in others, and even has variations in the same country. Of course, no matter what definition we stick to, it is clear that they are becoming more and more intense. That is why it is so important to take measures against global warming. What exactly is a heat wave: the scientific definition Actually, There is no single definition of what a heat wave is.. Broadly speaking, it can be considered a prolonged period of extreme temperatures for a specific region. As we have already seen, each country has its own definition, which usually follows historically selected criteria. Even institutions can have very specific definitions. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) define a heat wave as an unusually hot and dry or hot and humid period in a specific place, with visible effects on nature and people’s health. Contrary to what usually happens with the definitions of different countries, these two institutions include the health of people and the effects on nature as important factors in the definition of a heat wave. The three requirements of the AEMET to declare a heat wave in Spain In the case of Spain, the criteria to describe a heat wave They are provided by the AEMET. According to this, three requirements must be met: Duration of at least 3 consecutive days Detection of extremely high temperatures in at least 10% of the reference observatories Maximums located above the 95th percentile of temperatures measured between July and August from 1971 to 2000. These criteria refer to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.. With the Canary Islands there is an exception, since they only have 6 observatories. If we obeyed the 10% rule, it would be enough to detect extreme temperatures above the guidelines in only one of them. It is too little, so there is a special requirement that at least two observatories detect temperatures above the 95th percentile. How long does a heat wave last? There is no defined duration for a heat wave. As we have seen, in Spain it must last at least 3 consecutive days to be considered as such. And from there to heaven. At the moment, the longest that has been recorded in Spain lasted 26 days and It was produced in 2015. It should be noted that in 2022 the heat waves were shorter, but it stands out for being the year with the most heat wave days added together. A total of 41, to which 2025 came dangerously close, with 33 days under a heat wave. Other countries, according to their criteria, have experienced heat waves that may be shorter, but very surprising due to their location. For example, in 2025, the subarctic regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland recorded their worst heat wave since records exist, with 21 consecutive days and temperatures that exceeded 30°C within the Arctic Circle itself. Why does the temperature threshold change depending on the province? As we have already seen, for the AEMET, one of its criteria when defining a heat wave is that the reference stations register temperatures above the 95th percentile measured in July and August from 1971 to 2000. Logically, each province will have different records. The records of Seville will not be the same as those of Oviedo. The 95th percentile temperature will be much higher in the Andalusian capital than in the Asturian capital. Be that as it may, it should be noted that there is no threshold per province, but rather per reference station. Each province may have several of these seasons, with slightly different temperatures. To give an example based on AEMET datain Jaén there are three seasons, whose thresholds are 39ºC, 40ºC and 42ºC. If we go to colder areas, in A Coruña there are three seasons and their thresholds are 29.2ºC, 30ºC and 31.6ºC. How to know if there is a heat wave alert in your autonomous community The best way to know if there is a heat wave in our autonomous community or an alert for intensely high temperatures is to stay up to date with AEMET updates. In any case, it should be noted that, individually, we are more interested in being up to date with the notices. We may not have a heat wave for a few days, because there are not enough stations in the region that meet the criteria, but there may be temperatures high enough in specific points to put people’s health at risk. Therefore, we must make a monitoring unusually high temperature alerts; which, as with rain or wind, follow a color code (green, yellow, orange or red) to indicate the level of risk and the measures to take. Real-time weather warning map: from yellow alert to red warning Unusually high temperature alerts are defined with three colors. Yellow refers to significant risk, orange to high risk and red to extreme risk.. If the area is colored green (or gray in the case of maps), there is no risk. Every day, the AEMET updates its color warning maps, so it is important … Read more

Experts agree that opening windows at night and closing them during the day is no longer the best strategy against heat.

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For decades, long before air conditioners and the fans will take Every corner of its geography, Spain knew how to handle the heat: during the day, everything was closed tight; at night, everything open and ventilate. It sounds rudimentary, but in 2026 that is still the strategy we recommends the Ministry of Health. And yet, there is a problem. The Spain of the blinds game did not sleep in cities at 26 degrees at four in the morning. Not 26, not 28, not more than 30, as has been happening these days in Almería. The arrival of the ‘hellish nights’ challenges everything we thought we knew about domestic heat management. Therefore, we have asked ourselves… and now what? What we were doing until now. That popular knowledge I was talking about goes viral every time the heat makes an appearance. And, like I say, it makes sense. In a world where it cools down at night, the winning strategy is night cooling and daytime insulation. What he says Health Plan against high temperatures. The central issue here is that that world has ceased to exist. Because the key is not the time, it is the thermometer. In reality, what we are looking for is to open when it is cool and close when it is hot. It’s usually cool at night, but… What if he stops doing it? Summer has stretched on for five weeks and Spain is about two degrees warmer than at the beginning of the eighties. The torrid nights (with minimums of 25 degrees or more) have multiplied by ten since 1984 in the ten most populated capitals and, according to AEMET data, this affects about nine million people. Even the tropical ones (minimums of 20 or more) today add a dozen more a year than decades ago. We can’t sleep… although researchers have not agreed on the ideal temperature for sleeping (some point which is about 18.3ºC, but there is no consensus), they have done so on a fundamental idea: sleeping in the heat is objectively a bad idea. For whatever reason, it is true that our temperature changes between wakefulness and sleep. In fact, “thermal regulation is a significant factor” in sleep control, explained the teacher Cameron Van Den Heuvelfrom the University of Adelaide. “About an hour to thirty minutes before sleep, the body begins to lose body heat. This increases feelings of tiredness in normal healthy adults.” People with insomnia, without going any further, “show that they have a higher basal temperature just before sleeping than people who do not have sleep problems.” Ambient heat does not help this thermal reduction and it seems to be proven that when the temperature is very high, it is more difficult to fall asleep and, when it is achieved, it is of very poor quality. And then what do we do? In the interior of the peninsula, as the thermal amplitude remains high, opening at dawn works. There is nothing to change. The problem is for those who live on the coast or in the big city. When the night exceeds 20 degrees, the strategy is reversed. Ventilating at night is no longer the main technique and the battle is won during the day: you have to seal the house as soon as the street heats up, squeeze out the thermal inertia and use the air conditioning wisely. However, as the nights get warmer the household tricks come to an end. If the trend is confirmed, we will have to assume that the housing stock must be transformed: sun protection, rehabilitation and climate shelters will be the buzzwords in a few years. Image | Fernando Rosado In Xataka | ENT doctors agree: “Sleeping with air conditioning forces the nose to work excessively”

Amazon Prime Day reduces these five fans and air conditioners without work to survive the heat at home

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With the first heat wave of summer already underway (and the next ones just around the corner), stretching out the house is no longer an option if you want to sleep well in the summer. Luckily, today Amazon has kicked off its Prime Day and we have made a selection with the best deals on portable air conditioners and fansso you can survive the summer at home without having to do any work. Of course, you have to keep in mind that these offers are only for Prime members. If you are not yet, you can request the 30 day free trial in this Amazon service. Olimpia Splendid, Dolceclima Slim 10 SWS WiFi The price could vary. We earn commission from these links portable air conditioner Midea Penguin by 429.99 euros: works as a fan, dehumidifier and air conditioner. portable air conditioner Olimpia Splendid Dolceclima Slim 10 SWS by 279 euros: with WiFi connectivity and function Follow Me. Fan and air purifier Rowenta Eclipse QU5030 by 249.99 euros: very quiet and without blades. Standing fan Rowenta Turbo Silence by 75.99 euros: with five blades and 12 speeds. ceiling fan Create Wind Clear Studio S by 60.95 euros: with LED lamp and retractable blades. Midea Penguin portable air conditioner With a discount of 50 euros, this penguin from the Midea firm can be purchased now for 429.99 euros. This model has a cooling power of 3,000 frigories and is a 3 in 1 since serves as a fan, dehumidifier and air conditioner. It includes two transport wheels and a practical window kit so you can start using it right out of the box. In addition, it will also be useful for winter since it comes with a heat pump. MIDEA Penguin Portable Air Conditioner Hot and Cold 3000 Frigories / 12000 BTU The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Olimpia Splendid Dolceclima Slim 10 SWS portable air conditioner Another of the portable air conditioners without works that are worth it on this Prime Day is this one from the firm Olimpia, which you can now buy for 279 euros. has a 10,000 BTU cooling power and also offers fan and dehumidifier functions. Furthermore, its function Follow Me makes the remote control act as a remote thermostat to ensure adequate control of the room. It also has WiFi connectivity so you can control it from the app. Olimpia Splendid, Dolceclima Slim 10 SWS WiFi The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Rowenta Eclipse QU5030 Fan and Air Purifier If you are looking for a bladeless fan, this one from Rowenta is one of the bargains on Amazon Prime Day thanks to the 200 euros discount that he has. Now, you can buy it for 249.99 euros. It is a air purifier and ventilation capable of filtering fine particles up to 99.95% and which is controlled by remote control. It also stands out for being silent, since it operates at 32 dB at minimum speed. Rowenta 2 in 1 Air Purifier and Fan The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Rowenta Turbo Silence Standing Fan If you’re looking for something simpler like a regular fan, this one from Rowenta is now on sale on Prime Day. It has gone from costing 99.99 euros to 75.99 euros. It is perfect for sleeping since operates at only 35 dB in mode Silent Night. It has five blades, offers 12 speeds and you can control it using a digital LED display and remote control, as well as setting a timer. Rowenta Turbo Silence – Standing Fan The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Create Wind Clear Studio S Ceiling Fan The last of the bargains that has caught our attention on Prime Day (as far as air conditioning devices are concerned) is this one. ceiling fan from the brand Create, which you can take with you 60.95 euros. It is a compact fan in an elegant white and wood color combination and has retractable blades and a LED lamp with three light temperatures (warm, neutral and cold white), in addition to having the reverse turning function ideal for winter. CREATE / WIND CLEAR STUDIO S/Ceiling fan with light white and light wood with control The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Note: some of the links posted here are affiliate links and may provide a profit. Images | Olimpia Splendid, Midea, Rowenta and Create In Xataka | Buying guide for connected fans: recommendations for choosing a “smart” model with WiFi and six models from 50 euros In Xataka | Five things to consider before buying a ceiling fan

In 2014, French television imagined August 2050 as hell. This week’s heat wave has already overcome it

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Looking at the map of Europe this week is terrifying. In the United Kingdom, the Met Office has activated its second red notice for extreme heat in history and expect up to 40°C between Wednesday and Thursday. In France, thermometers They recorded 43 ° C on MondayParis is on red alert and Météo-France compares the severity of the episode with that of August 2003a heat wave that left tens of thousands dead on the continent. The situation is so delirious that it is indistinguishable from what more than 10 years ago, in 2014, the French TF1 He gave as an example for August 2050. In Spain, we take extreme heat almost for granted. Further north it turns Europe into a mousetrap. The disturbing thing about this ‘heat wave’ is, above all, the strength and persistence it has in areas where we would not expect it to have it. And, faced with this stupor, scientists have done what they do best: search scientific journals. And there is one that explained everything in quite detail. In June 2022, ‘Nature Communications’ published a paper that argued that European heat waves have grown three to four times faster than in the rest of the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Europe is one of the hot spots in the temperate part of the world. The jet stream has a lot to do with this. What is the ‘jet stream’… “Jet streams” are large flows of air that distribute heat and cold throughout the entire planet. There are several, but the main one for us is the polar one, which circulates at very northern latitudes. These currents arise in the border zone between two air masses with different properties and, for this reason, they have a crucial role in balancing the climate and meteorological phenomena of the Earth. …and what does it have to do with all this? As the temperature differences between these two air masses decrease, the current loses strength, becomes more erratic, undulates in an exaggerated manner and generates structures like the current one that encapsulates the air of Western Europe without allowing it to cool. It’s good news, right? We know what’s happening. Yes and no. We are clear about the mechanism responsible for, for now, up to 35% variability of temperature in Western Europe; The problem is that we don’t know why the current is changing. The most popular hypothesis, that of Warmer arctic rippling jethas been for years discussed: There are works that see this trend reversed and models that do not reproduce the effect. The rest of the options are varied, but inconclusive: from an effect of aerosols to a collateral impact of the dynamics of the tropical Pacific. Be that as it may, everyone seems to sense that climate change is behind it, but no one is clear how it is. Above all, because all our climate models fall short. And then? What the undulation of the jet guarantees is greater climate variability: enormous heat waves, torrential rains, untimely cold… Europe must prepare. In Xataka | We humans have been discussing what hell is for thousands of years and AEMET already has the answer: France and Spain this weekend

A heat wave is about to “scorch” all of Europe. So France has been the first to open a melon: ban alcohol

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The summer of 2026 has started in a big way, with much of Europe charredthermometers climbing to record values and governments wondering how on earth to tackle the risks that the heatwave has for the health of the population. In France they have been clear: declaring war on alcohol. With dozens of regions On red alert due to extreme heat, the French authorities have decided to put limits on the consumption of beer, wine and cocktails. It may seem shocking in a world that usually goes for beers (or drinks) to cool off, but it makes all the sense in the world. And for several reasons. Europe is burning. It may sound exaggerated, but if at any time it is justified to talk about temperatures scorching in Europe it is now. In Spain the first heat wave of the summer has sent the mercury skyrocketing above 40º in several parts of the country and the situation is not much better in other parts of Europe, such as Germany, Italy, United Kingdom or Belgium, where thermometers have reached (or easily exceeded) 30 degrees. Beyond the weather reports, the heat has already forced sports events to be cancelled, interrupt rail services or launch alerts. The objective: avoid episodes like the one in the summer of 2023, when another extreme heat wave left more than 62,000 dead in Europe. This same Sunday, Madrid decided, for example, to suspend the broadcast of the match with Saudi Arabia on the XXL screen in the Plaza de Colón. The reason: the forecast before 39ºC was reached. Like a ‘frying pan’. Another country that has not been spared from the heatwave is France. Over there 53 million people They were yesterday in areas with first or second level heat alerts. In fact, the country left an unpublished image: 35 of its 96 continental departments were on red alert and another 45 on orange. Faced with such a panorama, the authorities have decided to close at least 845 schools and adapt the schedules of hundreds of other centers to avoid the hottest hours. And that is just one of the measures activated by the Government. In Paris, for example, the Prefecture asked to the organizers of outdoor sporting events to cancel their tests in order to avoid unnecessary risks. An “explosive” mix. In France the Government encountered more than just heat. The dog days coincided there, among other events, with the Fête de la Musiquea festive day during which open-air concerts are organized and thousands of people celebrate in style in the streets, squares and parks. “Heat wave and Music Festival: an explosive combination that worries law enforcement agencies,” titled yesterday one of his chronicles on the BFM channel before remembering that Météo-France has extended the red alert to 49 departments. Stop alcohol. That parks are opened, classes suspended or races postponed to combat the heat wave is hardly surprising. What is most striking is another of the measures adopted in France: restrict the alcohol. As reports the France24 networkthe French authorities decided to ban drinking in public spaces in certain departments of the country, especially affected by the extreme heat wave. The sales restrictions lasted between early Sunday and Mondaywith the sight set especially at the Fête de la Musique and other celebrations planned throughout the country. Closed bars. “The prefects will issue decrees prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in public spaces in the departments on red alert,” the Government warned in a statementin which it also warned that events organized by the State itself and its agencies would close their bars. As if the message were not strong enough, the mayor of Paris warned to his neighbors about the risks of excessive drinking: “The combination of alcohol, heat and proximity of water are three factors that do not mix.” But… Why? The decision may seem shocking, but it makes perfect sense. And for several reasons. To begin with, by restricting alcohol consumption, especially during a day marked by street parties and concerts, the Government has wanted “preserve emergency services and medical care” and that “health personnel focus on caring for the most vulnerable.” In short: fewer drinking-related emergencies (falls, drownings, comas, fights…) so as not to neglect the real priority: the heatwave. In Paris, where the alert was activated, consumption was banned of strong drinks, such as high-proof beers, liqueurs or fortified wines, on the banks of the Seine and the Canal Saint-Martin precisely to avoid ‘scares’. Those who wanted to drink had to go to licensed bars, pubs or cafes. “Without realizing it”. There is another reason why the decision of the French authorities is totally logical. As explained on Saturday in France Info the Minister of Health, Stéphanie Rist, by drinking a beer or a glass of wine we may have the impression that we are cooling off, but we are really boycotting the mechanisms our body uses to self-regulate. “You become dehydrated three to four times faster without even realizing it.” Alcohol has a diuretic effect and blocks vasopressin, remember from RFIwhich means that the ‘normal’ functioning of our body is altered. We go to the bathroom more, we sweat less, our body temperature rises and we become dehydrated, something that is not particularly advisable when we live in a region on alert for high temperatures and the thermometer exceeds 35º. “The body’s internal thermostat stops reacting correctly to overheating signals; our body no longer knows when to sweat and dilate blood vessels,” insist the French Institute of Health (Inserm). Images | DAT VO (Unsplash) and Venus Major (Unsplash) In Xataka | We are at 44 degrees and AEMET says that the worst is yet to come. The good news is that we already know when thermal relief arrives.

Today, at 9 p.m., we are going to pay the most expensive kilowatt-hour of all of 2026. And this is just the first heat wave of the year

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On Sunday, June 21 at 2 p.m., electricity was almost given away: it was paid at €0.02592 per kilowatt-hour, the lowest price in months. In a while, at nine at night, we are going to pay it at €0.89142, the most expensive price in all of 2026. Just over 24 hours difference and more than thirty times the price. What is happening here? The price of light. The wholesale market The price of electricity for today has already been determined: an average of 99.89 euros per MWh. That is, 75.96% more expensive than yesterday. Although the average is misleading (there is a huge difference between 32 at noon and 177 at night), the truth is that it helps to understand the problem. And that problem boils down to the fact that we are going to have dinner with energy prices that we have not seen since the cold wave of January 2025. What is this due to? In principle, three different things: the most obvious is the heat wave. It alone will trigger energy demand 6 GW more than normal, according to the consulting firm Optimize Energy. The second is the taxes that returned at the beginning of the month. And the last one is a small technical change that makes the valleys sink lower and the peaks rise higher. Now the market moves every 15 minutes instead of every hour. This, which, on average, should give the same result would allow the system to better match supply with demand. In theory, of course. The important thing is not the energy that comes in, but the energy that comes out. According to the system, due to the heat and the work schedule, demand will barely decrease until 10 pm. However, little by little, the sun will retreat, forcing turn on increasingly expensive plants. The rest is the market functioning: in a marginalist system, the last MW that enters is the one that defines the price of the rest. This Monday we have a ‘perfect storm’ and, consequently, an exorbitant price. And what can we do? If we have a fixed price, it should not affect us. If we have PVPC (and there are 10 million who have it), it is a good idea to spend only what is essential. But above all, think of this heat wave as a proof of concept. The truth is that this situation will occur whenever heat, little air and overpriced gas coincide. It is time to think about a domestic strategy to survive Spain’s great energy problem: the fact of have a huge amount of sun, but have nowhere to store it. Image | Torpical TidBits In Xataka | Renewable, coal or nuclear: where each country in the world gets its electricity from, in a detailed graph

the “secret” heat shield of the Ariane 6 parts that Airbus manufactures in Spain

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We are used to “aerospace” sounding like almost futuristic materials. Titanium, high-strength aluminum, carbon fiber, alloys designed to withstand extreme conditions. The technology industry itself has turned that idea into a sales argument: just remember how some laptops and cell phones They boast of using “aerospace grade” materials.“to convey lightness, resistance and precision. That is why what happened this week during a visit to the Airbus facilities in Getafe caught my attention. In front of one of the pieces, Veronica Villanuevaresponsible for Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing at Airbus Space Systems in Spain, pointed to a yellowish surface and said it bluntly: “What you see here is yellowish, this is corkit is the thermal insulator that is put on, it is super curious, right?” The phrase had some revelation, but it was not an anecdote for visitors. The cork was there for a very specific reason: a launcher must not only be able to take off, it also has to protect its structures in a very demanding physical environment. In this case, Villanueva was talking about pieces linked to the Ariane 6. We are not talking about an “Airbus rocket”, but rather a European launcher in which ArianeGroup occupies the central role and Airbus participates by manufacturing several structures and key elements. The cork we saw in Getafe shows that space engineering also has very everyday surprises To understand why this detail was so striking, it is worth taking a step back in manufacturing. Before reaching the cork, many of these structures go through a process based on composite materials, especially carbon fiber and fiberglass. Villanueva explained during the tour that the carbon fiber used in the plant arrives as a prepreg material, that is, already mixed with resin. From there, the machines place layers on a mold until the desired geometry is built. Then will come the curing, the inspection and everything necessary to turn that stack into a piece capable of being part of a launcher. The underlying reason is easy to understand: in a launch, every kilo counts long before reaching orbit. A launcher must lift its own structure, its systems and the load it carries, so any weight savings can have significant consequences. The manufacturing manager defended during the tour that composite materials are especially interesting due to their low mass, their tensile strength and their ability to adapt to changes in temperature. The downside is that they are not as simple or as cheap to manufacture as metal. View of the Airbus production area in Getafe, where some structures linked to Ariane 6 incorporate cork as part of their thermal protection That complexity appears as soon as the structure begins to take shape. After taping, the pieces go through an autoclavea type of large pressurized oven where temperature and pressure are controlled so that the resin solidifies and the whole is compacted. Villanueva explained that the process includes a vacuum bag to extract any air that may have remained between the layers, an important detail because possible defects are not always visible from the outside. In a composite structure, what happens on the inside can be as relevant as the exterior geometry. Verónica Villanueva, responsible for Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing at Airbus Space Systems in Spain And then, after all that chain of carbon fiber, resin, pressure, vacuum and inspection, the least expected material appears again. Cork is applied to certain areas of the structure as a layer of protection against heat, but not in any way. Raúl Medina, head of launchers at Airbus Space Systems Spain, pointed out the pieces during the visit and gave a very specific measurement: “We can go from 2 millimeters to 5 millimeters thick.” On the indicated pieces, that layer moved within a very specific margin. Detail of an Ariane 6 part manufactured by Airbus in Spain. The light areas show the cork applied as thermal protection; the dark ones, areas without that coating The decision is not made by eye either. Medina summed it up with a very graphic phrase: “This in the end is an art. There are thermal engineers who analyze that you will be exposed to more heat and then, depending on that, more thickness, less thickness or areas without cork“On the surface of the piece, this thermal reading translates into areas with more protection, others with less and others where the material from the cork oak is not directly applied. Raúl Medina, head of launchers at Airbus Space Systems Spain. The idea may sound strange, but it does not appear isolated in the European space industry. In another application, ESA explained it with the Qarman CubeSatdesigned to study atmospheric reentry: its nose was made of cork, although not the kind we find in a champagne bottle, but of an adapted aerospace variety. The difference is in the behavior of the material when heated. First it swells, then chars, and finally flakes off, taking some of the unwanted heat with it. Detail of an Ariane 6 part manufactured by Airbus in Spain. The light areas show the cork applied as thermal protection; the dark ones, areas without that coating The supplier’s lead pointed in the same direction. Villanueva pointed out during the visit that that cork came from Portugal, and Medina added that whoever supplies it to the aerospace industry belongs to the same industrial universe that we associate with the wine and champagne corks. In open sources, that description fits Amorim Cork Solutionspart of the Portuguese group Corticeira Amorim, one of the world’s greatest names in cork. The ESA, in fact, identified Amorim as a supplier of the aerospace variety used in Qarman, although Airbus did not detail there the specific supplier of the parts before us. One of the fascinating things about the space industry is that it always holds some surprises. We can imagine it as a territory dominated by advanced materials, highly controlled processes and pieces designed to the limit, and to a large extent it is. But it … Read more

We have been trying to understand how heat kills us for years. Some Spanish researchers have found their ‘right hand’: pollution

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In August 2003 there was a heat wave. It wasn’t just any heat wave. It was one of the worst in memory. Researchers do not agree, but it is estimated that in Spain there were about 6,600 deaths due to excess mortality only in the first fortnight of the month. Almost 13,000 at the end of the month. However, from heat stroke (the picture we imagine when we think of dying “from heat”) only 141 died. The rest died because the heat aggravated pathologies they already had. In recent years and in the hope of finding ways to fight against “the (natural) phenomenon that kills the most in Europe”, many researchers have tried to understand how heat enhances these diseases. And all roads lead to the same place: pollution. That pollution kills is not news. It is something that, in fact, It is very documented. What is new is being able to see how the disease does its dirty work in the middle of a heat wave. An ISCIII team estimated these days that, on average, 18.7% of excess mortality What today we attribute to temperature corresponds to pollution. That is, one in five. If we add the haze, the percentage would amount to 22.5%. And how does this happen? It is something that is closely related to the atmospheric functioning of a heat wave. In general terms, this type of phenomena occurs in two ways: by an anticyclonic block and the other is by a Saharan advection. In the first case, stability and sunshine prevent pollutants are dispersed and tropospheric ozone is triggered. In the second, the air mass comes with suspended dust. That is, although they work differently. The two major mechanisms destroy air quality and pose a public health threat. Why is this important? Because in Spain Many people die in this ‘perfect storm’ heat and pollution. What’s more, even if they do not die, the loss of quality of life associated with hospital admissions and acute outbreaks is tremendous. And what do we do? The background proposal of the researchers is simpler than it seems: go from an alert and threshold system based only on temperature to one that combines temperature and pollution. This would allow us to adapt better. For example, during a heat wave, we could encourage teleworking, traffic limitations and redirect public activities to areas with less pollution. This does not replace the usual measures, but they allow us to improve the way we think about that silent killer that is heat. Image | János Venczák In Xataka | The heat already kills more than the cold in Spain (despite the fact that we have more protocols to avoid it)

This is how the city combats the scorching summer heat

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Every summer it gets hotter. That is a reality that The AEMET has confirmed for Spain and that also happens in France, as supported by Meteo France. The “micro” solution involves the proliferation of air conditioners in homes, businesses and offices, but that involves a considerable investment and another problem: climate change causes it to be hotter and the hotter it is, the more air conditioners are used. And the more they are used, the more heat they produce and climate change worsens. The fish that bites its tail. Already in 2018, air conditioning and fans represented almost 20% of the total electrical consumption of buildings in the world, according to IEA data. The International Energy Agency collect that global carbon dioxide emissions from air conditioning almost tripled between 1990 and 2022, exceeding one billion tons of carbon dioxide. In cities it is even worse: the urban heat island hits hard. Faced with this reality, Paris has been setting up for decades an answer in the form of infrastructure: a centralized air conditioning for the entire city. The great air conditioning of Paris. Instead of each home or each building solving the thermal problem on its own, the French capital is committed to turning it into an infrastructure such as the sewage network. The system is called Fraîcheur de Paris. The operation it’s simple: a network of buried pipes 120 kilometers long through which very cold water (between 2 and 4 °C) travels to the almost thousand connected buildings. There it absorbs its heat with an exchanger and is cooled again to the 15 production and storage plants. How does it get cold there? With the water of the Seine River as a thermal sink. Of course, the water from the river and the system never mix. This system allows the system to take advantage of the natural temperature of the river to cool without additional electrical consumption in cold seasons. To manage peak demand without installing more plants, the system stores cold at night, when electricity is cheaper and the environment is colder. At that time, the tanks accumulate the cold with ice and release it during the hottest hours of the day, which reduces costs and improves performance. The map of the Fraîcheur de Paris. Fraicheur of Paris Why is it important. Faced with a global problem of rising temperatures, addressing it communally is better than letting everyone go to war on their own in terms of efficiency and use strategy. The numbers back it up: the EU Covenant of Mayors details that the network achieves more than 100% energy efficiency, 35% less electricity, 90% less refrigerant emissions and 50% less CO₂ compared to equivalent autonomous installations. On the other hand, the operating system of standard air conditioning units (with a compressor outside) worsens the problem and adds it to a vicious circle: when there is a lot of urban heat, the air conditioners work longer hours, which increases carbon dioxide emissions and dumps more waste heat into the street, causing the ambient temperature to rise. By directing all that heat into the Seine instead of expelling it into the streets, the network interrupts that cycle. Context. The heat in Paris is not a distant problem: it is already here, as advanced by the official French meteorological agency, which estimates a warming of +2.7 °C in France by 2050, at which time heat waves, droughts and floods will be more frequent and intense. By then, infrastructure should be prepared to withstand them. A couple of examples: Zaragoza is preparing a work against floods and Valencia more of the same. Paris does the same in the face of heat. Thus, in October 2023 he organized “Paris at 50 °C” (Paris at 50 °C), an exercise in which two neighborhoods participated in a crisis simulation in the form of a heat wave. In this futuristic and probable scenario, the cold stops being a luxury typical of hotels and shopping centers and becomes something of a basic necessity. In detail. The system was born as an association of several merchants in the late 70s to air condition their premises, becoming the prelude to a planned municipal project. Back in 1991 there was public service concession to Climespace, a subsidiary of ENGIE, for 30 years. Since 2022 its management is carried out by a joint venture public – private formed by ENGIE and the Autonomous Administration of Parisian Transport. It has a 20-year exploitation contract that covers production, storage, transportation and distribution of cold for a projected value of 2.4 billion euros. This urban air conditioning system has a signed expansion plan: The current concession agreement has among its commitments to extend the network by an additional 158 kilometers, 20 new production plants. The idea is to cover all neighborhoods in Paris and reach more than 3,000 subscribers, including more small businesses, hospitals, daycares, nursing homes, such as explains Raphaëlle Nayralthe general secretary of the Fraicheur de Paris. Yes, but. The Fraicheur de Paris is designed for the French capital and works well there, based on operating numbers and growth expectations, but that does not imply that it is an exportable model for all cities. In fact, it needs three conditions that Paris does meet: a high population density that justifies the investment in buried pipes, a river with sufficient flow to function as a heat sink, and a local administration with the capacity to sign contracts of that size and duration. On the other hand, and despite its expansion, the network still covers only part of the city, so the benefit is only for a part of the population: if everything started in the 90s and a major expansion is expected for 2042, it is clear that it is not an easy project, nor a cheap one, nor one that can be done overnight. In Xataka | Paris has managed to calm its traffic. Now he needs a much more difficult thing: getting his birds back. In Xataka | AEMET … Read more

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