Moderation of Temperature:

Heat and Temperature -->

The amount of heat in a given body of matter is the average kinetic energy of the object and dependent in part upon the volume of the object.
The amount of temperature of a given body of matter is dependent on the intensity of the average kinetic energy of the object and has no regard to the volume.

Important Concepts:

Achieving Equilibrium
- When an object of a higher heat mixes with one of a lower heat, the cooler objects' molecules take energy from the object of higher heat and its molecules speed up (resulting in higher kinetic energy) at the expense of the object of greater heat.
Atoms and Molecules
- Atoms and Molecules have kinetic energy because they are constantly moving.

Waters High Specific Heat -->

(Specific Heat: the amount of energy required to raise 1g of a substance by 1 degree Celcius)

The specific heat of water is 1 calorie per gram per degree Celsius, abbreviated as 1 cal / g / degree Celcius \
The high specific heat of water is due to hydrogen bonding, heat is only energy and it takes a lot of energy to break every hydrogen bond in a sample of water to raise the temperature.
Due to the excessive energy required to break hydrogen bonds, water can absorb much more heat before rising in temperature.

Important Concepts:

Resisting Temperature Change
- Specific heat can be thought of as a measure of how well a substance resists changing its temperature when it absorbs or releases heat.
- Water is really good at resisting changes in temperature due to hydrogen bonds. When it does change its temperature it absorbs or loses a relatively large quantity of heat for each degree of change.
Oceans and Large Bodies of Water
- A large body of water can absorb and store a huge amount of heat from the sun in the daytime and during summer while only warming up a few degrees. At night and during the winter the gradually cooling water warms the air. (Because of this, costal areas tend to have milder climates than inland regions.)
- Ocean temperatures tend to also be more stable due to the immense amount of heat required to raise their temperatures by even a degree.
Organisms
- Due to organisms being made primarily of water, they are more able to resist changes in their own temperature than if they were made of a liquid of a lower specific heat.

Evaporative Cooling -->

(Evaporation: the process of a substance in a liquid state transforming into one of a gaseous state due to an increase in temperature or pressure)

	Created by Emma Cress about 7 years ago

Notes on Ch.3 Water and the Fitness of the Environment

Ch. 3: Water and the Fitness of the Environment Notes