PPT Slide
3. liquid water’s high specific heat
- Thermal energy required to increase temp 1 ø C
- 4.186 KJ (kilojoules) at 25 ø C
- only two other natural substances have higher specific heats
-ammonia gas (5.85 KJ)
-liquid hydrogen (14.23 KJ
- ALL other substances, including rocks, soils and ice have much lower specific heats
- This resistance to temp change means that aquatic systems tend to damp short-term fluctuations in temp -> act as a thermal buffer
e.g. Diel (day-night) temp variations in terrestrial systems 20-30øC while 5-10øC or less is normal in most aquatic systems
- But, same property leads to more spatial variation in temperature!