1. Heat, land and air Chapter 13

2. Remember Specific Heat Capacity! Near the surface: Air warms easier than water, and soil heats easier than air.

3. Absorption of Heat Most radiation absorbed near top of soil. Radiation absorbs deeper in water and spreads out over the sample.

4. Warm water has molecules that are moving more quickly and have more energy. The more movement causes more space in between the molecules. Warm water (or air) is less dense than cooler water.

5. Cold sinks Cooler water has less energy, little movement and therefore is more dense. So, cold sinks and warm rises but in which direction?

6. Direction of wind (Day) Warm air above ground, rises up, while the warming air above the sea replaces it. The wind blows in from water to the land.

7. Wind direction (night) Water keeps its warmth much longer than the air, so now the warm air is above the water and cooler air above the land. Blows from the land to the sea.

8. Sea Breeze

9. Sea breezes help cool places near oceans Sea breezes form because water heats up much slower than land. Cool air over the ocean is heavier and more dense than the warm air over land.dense The cool air nudges its way inland and can create a strong wind at the surface. The bigger the temperature contrast between the air temperature inland and the water temperature, the better chance of a sea breeze developing and the stronger it will be.

10. Land breeze At night, heat loss through radiation means that the coastal air becomes heavier, pushing the warmer sea air off the coast, giving a land breeze. The strength of these breezes depends on the difference in temperature over land and water, the instability of the warmer air, the upper-air wind, friction, the shape of the shore and the size of the body of water. These are very local phenomena that occur only when prevailing winds are weak. Land breezes are generally much weaker than sea breezes, since the temperature of the air varies more slowly during nighttime, thereby ensuring some stability.