What is a more scientific term for "surrounding temperature"?

A more scientific term for “surrounding temperature” is ambient air temperature. It means the temperature of the air surrounding an object, person, instrument, or system.

In everyday speech, people often say “room temperature,” but that phrase is narrower and less precise. Room temperature usually refers to a comfortable indoor range, while ambient air temperature describes the actual surrounding air under whatever conditions exist. In a laboratory, workshop, outdoor setting, or weather station, ambient air temperature may be measured with a thermometer or electronic sensor.

The phrase matters because temperature readings depend on the environment around the thing being measured. For example, a computer’s ambient air temperature is different from the temperature inside its processor, and an engine’s ambient temperature differs from the temperature of its coolant. “Ambient temperature” is also widely used as a shorter equivalent, while “ambient air temperature” makes clear that the surrounding medium is air rather than water, soil, or another material.