ESS11
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
How Much
Heat Is Brought Upward By Water
Vapor?
qEarth’s surface lost
heat to the atmosphere when water is evaporated
from oceans to the atmosphere.
qThe evaporation of the
1m of water causes Earth’s surface to lost 83 watts per square meter, almost
half of the sunlight that reaches the
surface.
qWithout the evaporation
process, the global surface temperature would be 67°C instead of the actual 15°C.