Answer to Question #202573 in Physics for george

Question

There are three fundamental characteristics related to diurnal and annual soil thermal regimes. Discuss these three fundamental characteristics.

Answer 1

We may identify three fundamental characteristics of diurnal and annual soil thermal regimes. First, because these energy inputs are cyclic, we observe diurnal and annual temperature cycles in response to these fluctuating inputs. Secondly, because much of the heat traveling down through a soil profile is utilized to change the local temperature of the soil, there is a decrease in energy flux at depth. Thus we observe the phenomenon of amplitude damping, or a reduction in the magnitude of these temperature cycles with increasing depth. Finally, because it takes time for heat to travel into and out of the soil, there is a delay in the time at which any specific location on the temperature cycle reaches a given point in the soil, and this time lag becomes more pronounced with increasing distance.