Heat Transfers

What is sensible heat transfer?

It involves the movement of heat through air, where warm air rises, cools at higher altitudes, and then sinks as it becomes denser.

What is convection in heat transfer?

Convection is the process where a thin air layer above the surface is heated, causing less dense gas to rise, cool, and fall, creating a convection cycle.

When might air sink at night?

Air can sink at night in higher latitudes as it cools and becomes denser.

What is conduction in heat transfer?

Conduction is the transfer of heat between the ground and the air when they are in direct contact.

What is latent heat transfer?

Latent heat transfer occurs when water evaporates into vapor or ice melts, absorbing heat from the air.

How does latent heat of condensation affect convection?

It increases the speed and extent of convection as heat is released during the condensation process.

How does evaporation cool the surface?

Evaporation cools the surface as water molecules gain energy, change to gas, and leave the surface, reducing overall surface energy.

What causes dew to form?

Dew forms when water-saturated air contacts a cooler object than the air's dew point, causing condensation.

How is absorbed energy returned to Earth?

Greenhouse gases absorb reradiated longwave radiation, warming the atmosphere.

How does surface temperature change during the day?

The surface heats through radiation, conduction, and convection as surface air moves slowly and rises.

How does surface temperature change at night?

The ground cools without incoming radiation, and heat from soil and rocks rises to warm the surface.