ESS55
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.