Contrast the different roles of turbulent heat transfers and conduction in modifying the thermal response of a land surface and ocean surface
What will be an ideal response?
Oceans absorb more of the available solar energy than do land surfaces at the same latitude. An ocean surface rapidly transfers heat downward by turbulent mixing and to the atmosphere above by convection. The land surface rapidly loses heat to the atmosphere by convection, but it transfers heat downward relatively slowly by conduction. Water has a high thermal conductivity, whereas land surfaces have low thermal conductivity. The heat capacity of water is about three to four times that of dry soil. Thus, the input of a given amount of energy will raise land temperatures much more than it will raise sea-surface temperatures. Differential absorption of the two surfaces is different. Whereas all the solar radiation falling on the land surface is reflected or absorbed right at the surface, some of the solar radiation falling on the ocean penetrates and is absorbed below the surface. Hence, energy is transferred downward more rapidly through water than through land.
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A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
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