Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold
something is. It tells us how much heat energy an
object or substance has. When something has a
higher temperature, it means its molecules are
moving faster and have more energy, which
makes it feel hotter. Conversely, lower
temperatures mean slower-moving molecules
and less energy, making things feel colder.
If the Earth was a homogeneous body without the
present land/ ocean distribution, its temperature
distribution would be strictly latitudinal ( Figure
7m-1). However, the Earth is more complex than
this being composed of a mosaic of land and water.
This mosaic causes latitudinal zonation of
temperature to be disrupted spatially
Imagine if the Earth were all the same, like a big
ball with no oceans or continents, just one uniform
surface. In this case, the temperature would vary
only based on how close you are to the equator or
the poles. It would be hotter near the equator and
colder near the poles, with a smooth transition in
between.
But in reality, the Earth is more complicated. It's
made up of both land and water, which absorb and
release heat differently. So instead of a smooth
transition of temperature from the equator to the
poles, the presence of land and water causes
temperature patterns to be disrupted.
For example, land heats up and cools down faster
than water. This means that areas with more land
will experience more extreme temperature
changes, while areas with more water will have
more moderate temperatures. Additionally, land
features like mountains and valleys can further
disrupt temperature patterns by affecting how air
circulates and traps heat.
So, the presence of land and water creates a
patchwork of different temperature zones on Earth,
rather than a simple, smooth transition from hot to
cold based solely on latitude.
The following two factors are important in
influencing the distribution of temperature on the
Earth's surface:
• The latitude of the location determines how much
solar radiation is received. Latitude influences the
angle of incidence and duration of daylength.
• Surface properties - surfaces with high albedo
absorb less incident radiation. In general, land
absorbs less insolation that water because of its
lighter color. Also, even if two surfaces have the
same albedo, a surface's specific heat determines
the amount of heat energy required for a specific
rise in temperature per unit mass. The specific heat
of water is some five times greater than that of rock
and the land surface (see Table 7m-1 below). As a
result, water requires the input of large amounts of
energy to cause a rise in its temperature.
Mainly because of specific heat, land surfaces
behave quite differently from water surfaces. In
general, the surface of any extensive deep body of
water heats more slowly and cools more slowly
than the surface of a large land body. Other factors
influencing the way land and water surfaces heat
and cool include:
• Solar radiation warms an extensive layer in water,
o n land just the immediate surface is heated.
• Water is easily mixed by the process of
convection.
• Evaporation of water removes energy from
water's surface
1. Latitude: This refers to how far north or south
you are from the equator. Places near the equator
get more direct sunlight and longer days, so they're
generally warmer. As you move towards the poles,
sunlight hits the Earth at a more slanted angle and
days become shorter, so it's cooler.
2. Surface properties: This is about the type of The global temperature records and measurements
surface, like land or water, and how they absorb are typically acquired using the satellite or ground
and release heat. instrumental temperature measurements, the
usually compiled using a database or c The true
- Albedo: This is a measure of how much sunlight
daily mean, obtained from a thermograph, is
a surface reflects. Surfaces with high albedo, like
approximated by the mean of 24 hourly readings
ice or snow, reflect more sunlight and absorb less
(which is not the same as the mean of the daily
heat. So, they stay cooler. Land generally has a
minimum and maximum readings). The world‟s
lower albedo than water, meaning it absorbs more
average surface air temperature is about 15ºC
sunlight.
1. Temperature scales: There are different ways
- Specific heat: This is about how much energy it
to measure temperature. The Celsius scale is
takes to raise the temperature of a substance.
commonly used and is based on water freezing at 0
Water needs a lot of energy to get hotter compared
degrees Celsius and boiling at 100 degrees Celsius.
to land because it has a higher specific heat. So,
The Kelvin scale is used in scientific measurements,
even if the same amount of sunlight falls on water
especially in physics, where 0 Kelvin is absolute
and land, the water will heat up more slowly. It also
zero, the coldest possible temperature. The
cools down more slowly.
Rankine scale is similar to Fahrenheit but starts at
- Other factors: absolute zero, mainly used in specialized fields like
engineering.
- Solar radiation penetrates deeper into water
compared to land, which means water heats up a 2. Thermometers: These are instruments used to
thicker layer. measure temperature. They work by using
materials that expand or contract with
- Water can mix easily, distributing heat temperature changes, like liquids such as mercury
throughout its layers, while land doesn't mix as or alcohol, or metals.
much.
3. Global temperature measurements: Scientists
- Evaporation of water takes away heat, cooling use satellites or ground-based instruments to
the surface. measure temperatures around the world. These
So, because of these factors, water and land heat up measurements are compiled into databases. The
and cool down differently, affecting the average surface air temperature of the Earth is
temperature of nearby areas. about 15 degrees Celsius.
4. Daily mean temperature: To find the average
temperature for a day, scientists typically take 24
Temperature is measured with thermometers that hourly readings and find the mean (average)
may be calibrated to a variety of temperature temperature. This is different from just averaging
scales: the daily minimum and maximum temperatures.
• Celsius scale – measure temperature using the
Celsius scale
• Kelvin scale – measure thermodynamics
temperature • Rankine scale – a shifted Fahrenheit
scale, used when working in thermodynamic
related disciplines such as combustion.
A thermometer is an instrument that operates on
the principle of thermal expansion of the material
used, e.g. liquids like mercury and alcohol, metallic
materials, etc.