what is the hydrosphere?
the collective mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of Earth
what is the hydrosphere made of?
water vapour, clouds of water, ice, snow, oceans
how do oceans regulate Earth’s temperatures?
acts as “heat reservoir”; temperature changes slowly and by small amounts
water has a large specific heat capacity
what is specific heat capacity?
amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of substance by one degree Celsius
what is albedo?
the fraction of incident light or electromagnetic radiation that is reflected by the surface of an object
an object’s ability to reflect sunlight