Examine the air and water temperatures from the WeatherSTEM station located at ___________________ over the last four days. What are some of the patterns and observations you can make about the data?
Land masses and bodies of water heat and cool at different rates.
Land heats and cools more rapidly than water. Land is opaque and absorbs solar radiation quickly. The water absorbs the heat slower, while the land heats up quickly and returns the extra heat back to the air.
Heat is added to water by solar radiation and is distributed over a greater depth than land. When water cools, it becomes heavier and begins to sink, allowing warmer water to rise to the surface. To raise the temperature of a mass of water by 1°C (1.8°F), it takes twice as much energy than that to heat land.