Question

Water has a high heat capacity as a result of the strong propensity for the intermolecular force known as hydrogen bonding. As a result of this property, large bodies of water can absorb and release huge amounts of energy with little fluctuation in temperature, contributing to their ability to moderate climate temperatures. How does heat capacity contribute to regulating global temperatures?

Answer 1

My answer will be that the capacity of heat through the greenhouse phenomenon is the reason for global warming and climate change, due to the increase of greenhouse gases which increases the absorption of heat and in turn generates such changes. As a consequence, the sea level is rising because the polar ice caps are melting at the poles. In some regions, extreme weather events and floods are becoming more frequent, and in others there are heat waves and droughts. It is likely that its consequences will intensify in the coming decades.

Answer 2

Heat capacity is generally referred to as the ratio between amount of heat added to any material with the resultant changes in temperature of material.

Step-by-step explanation:

As mentioned in the question, water has high heat capacity due to strong propensity for the inter-molecular force known as hydrogen bonding.

To answer the question that how, heat capacity contribute to regulating global temperatures, we need to understand a fact first. The heat capacity of water can affect the climate of earth since due to heat capacity of water, the temperature of seas, oceans and other water bodies is relatively resistant to temperature fluctuations.

Example 1:

Just take a very simple example, that a fish is happy with the heat capacity of water because specific heat capacity in water will help the temperature of water to stay relatively constant and fish don't needs to regulate her body temperature a great deal.

Example 2:

Take this example to higher scale on whole globe, All the temperature changes that happen in earth are due to temperature fluctuations that happen in oceans and seas. Now, specific heat helps the oceans to keep temperature relatively constant due to which oceans are less easily heatup, and less evaporation occurs. If seas will be heated more, more water will be evaporated and more carbon di oxide will be produced which ultimately cause the temperature of globe to rise exponentially because CO2 will be hold by electromagnetic radiation.

Example 3:

Similarly, heat capacity can also regulate the temperature of cities. For example, water in premises of lakes of cities take more time to heat up and more time to cool down as well, as compared to the land areas.

So what happens due to this is, so cities near the oceans face less fluctuations in temperature than cities far from the lakes. This is how,heat capacity contribute to regulating global temperatures.

Hope it help!