|
Physical Properties of Water
Water is an enormously efficient heat-sink.
Solar heat absorbed by bodies of water during
the day, or in the summer, is released at night, or in winter. Sites on islands or coasts
benefit from the moderating effect of the ocean and have
"maritime" climates
(like San Francisco).
Sites away from the coast lack this temperature buffering and have extreme
"continental" climates
(like Wichita).
Like the heated air in a hot-air balloon, heated water expands. Solar heat absorbed at
the equator causes water to expand. Such heated water raises the normal level of the sea
surface, and such changed ocean topography can be measured. The heat in the water is
carried to higher latitudes by ocean currents where it is released into the atmosphere.
Water chilled by colder temperatures at high latitudes contracts (thus gets more dense),
sinks, (lowers the local topography) and returns to the equator via the global ocean water
circulation conveyor belt to complete the cycle.
The Global Conveyor Belt
QuickTime movie (3.8 MB)
|
