- (D) Ocean temperatures increase more slowly than land temperatures
because of the larger effective heat capacity of the oceans and because the
oceans lose more heat by evaporation. Heat capacity tells you how much
heat you can put in before the temperature has risen by 1 degree. If
something has a large heat capacity, then more heat can be absorbed before
it rises in temperature by 1 degree. The heat capacity of ocean water is about
four times that of air. Land temperatures have increased about twice as fast
as ocean temperatures (0.25°C per decade for land vs. 0.13°C per decade for
oceans). The Northern Hemisphere warms faster than the Southern
Hemisphere because there is more land in the Northern Hemisphere.
marvins-underground-k-12
(Marvins-Underground-K-12)
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