| Term: | Heat capacity |
| Definition: | The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius or Kelvin. This term is a commonly used abbreviation of Specific Heat Capacity, which does not include the effects of changes in Latent Heat due to the melting of Ice or the freezing of water with changes in temperature. Because the phase change in a frozen soil often occurs gradually over a range of temperatures, the Apparent Heat Capacity (covering both sensible and Latent Heat contents) may vary significantly with temperature. Heat Capacity is commonly expressed in Joules per kg per degree K. |