GEOG 1112 Chapter 3: Temperature
28 Nov 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Temperature the kinetic energy of the air molecules. A change in the air"s temperature depends on its net energy budget, speci c heat and phase changes of water. Meteorologists measure temperature at 1. 5 meters (5 feet) above the ground, usually on a grass-covered surface. To avoid solar heating of the thermometer, temperature measurements are taken in the shade. Surface temperature the temperature of the air near the ground, not the temperature of the ground itself. Average surface temperature 15 degrees c (59 degrees f) Transfer of energy and the balance of energy gains and losses determines an object"s temperature. Any system, from earth and its atmosphere all the way down to a volume of air. 1. 5 meters above the ground, is energy balance if its energy gains equal its energy losses. The earth-atmosphere system is in approximate energy balance. If energy gains and losses are equal, the temperature of the system doesn"t change.
