High School

Consider that the tropical ocean is exposed to direct sunlight for many hours every day. If the top 1 cm layer of water over an area of 100 km by 100 km warms from 25°C to 27°C, how much heat energy has the water absorbed?

Answer :

To calculate the heat energy absorbed by the water, we can use the formula:

Q = mcΔT

Where Q is the heat energy absorbed, m is the mass of the water, c is the specific heat capacity of water, and ΔT is the change in temperature.

First, we need to calculate the mass of the water in the top 1 cm of the area:

Volume of top 1 cm of water = 1 cm x 100 km x 100 km = 1 x 10⁸ m³

Density of water = 1000 kg/m³

Mass of water = Volume x Density = 1 x 10⁸ m x 1000 kg/m³ = 1 x 10¹¹ kg

Next, we can calculate the heat energy absorbed using the specific heat capacity of water (4.184 J/g°C):

ΔT = 27°C - 25°C = 2°C

Q = (1 x 10¹¹ kg) x (4.184 J/g°C) x (2°C) = 8.368 x 10¹¹ J

Therefore, the water in the top 1 cm of the 100 km by 100 km area has absorbed approximately 8.368 x 10¹¹ joules of heat energy.

To know more about heat capacity, visit :

https://brainly.com/question/28302909

#SPJ1