Specific heat
Topic: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature"
Meaning
Specific heat is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1°C. Water's specific heat is about 4-5 times that of rock and soil. Water also mixes heat downward, lets sunlight pass into it, and loses heat through evaporation. So land heats and cools quickly, while the sea heats and cools slowly. This difference is the root of continentality (big temperature swings far from the sea), land and sea breezes, and the monsoon.
Example
Mumbai, on the Arabian Sea coast, has only small gaps between summer and winter temperatures because the sea warms and cools slowly. Delhi, far inland, has very hot summers and cold winters.
Don't confuse with
- Latent heat: latent heat is heat taken in or given out when water changes state, for example from vapour to liquid, without any change in temperature. Specific heat is about how much a substance's temperature rises for a given amount of energy.