How does the exceptional heat capacity of water affect climate on earth?

1 Answer
Al E.
Jun 24, 2017

"The high specific heat of water affects Earth's climate because it makes the temperatures of the oceans relatively resistant to change."

My comments are below.

Explanation:

See Chemistry: The Essential Science 13e pg. 182

If specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise a substance #1K# then since the Sun's radiation is hitting the sea, and in effect #CO_2# is held within the sea (among other elements). If the oceans theoretically evaporated, we'd have what happened on Venus, which is a runaway greenhouse effect.

In essence, if our oceans were more easily heated, they'd be more easily evaporated, which in turn would produce #CO_2# that would hold in electromagnetic radiation which would cause the temperature to exponentially rise.

This is one perspective, I'm sure there are others.

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