thermal amplitude

Before proceeding to thoroughly analyze the term thermal amplitude and discover its meaning, we are going to establish the etymological origin of the two words that give it its shape. In this sense, we can expose the following:
-Amplitude derives from Latin, from “amplitudo”, which can be translated as “the quality of being extensive”. It is a term that is made up of two different parts: the adjective “amplus”, which is synonymous with “wide” or “extensive”, and the suffix “-tud”, which is used to indicate “quality”.
-Thermal, on the other hand, is a word that derives from the Greek and that means "related to heat." It is obtained from the union of two elements: the adjective "thermos", which is "hot", and the suffix "-ico", which is equivalent to "relative to".

Among the many uses of the term amplitude, on this occasion we are interested in keeping its meaning as the difference between a minimum value and a maximum value that can be recorded numerically. Amplitude, in this sense, refers to a range or an interval. Thermal, for its part, is an adjective that refers to the temperature or to hot.

From these definitions we can already understand what is the thermal amplitude. It's about the difference between the minimum temperature and the maximum temperature that is recorded in a place during a certain weather. In other words, the thermal amplitude reveals how much the temperature varies in a place during a period.

In general, the thermal amplitude indicates how many degrees of difference there are between the most cold and the warmest moment of a day. Suppose the April 14, 2011, in a city X, the lowest temperature recorded was 6º C (at 7.05 am), while the highest temperature reached the 19º C (at 2:34 pm). The thermal amplitude of said day, in that place, was 13º C.

It is also common for the thermal amplitude to be measured according to the mean values for a long time. In the last decade, in a country an average minimum temperature of 8º C and an average maximum temperature of 23º C. In this way it can be said that the thermal amplitude of the nation is 15ºC.

It should be noted that the thermal amplitude depends on several factors beyond the temperature, Like the winds and the humidity.

In the same way, it must be taken into consideration that the existence of certain elements that are close to the place where the measurement is made also influences this thermal amplitude. We are referring, in particular, to the close existence of large bodies of water, such as the sea, since it interferes with heat conductivity and what is also known as heat capacity.

The cloudiness, in the same way, influences the aforementioned amplitude because it hides the sun and also does the same, for example, what are the mountains and other systems framed within the topography.

In Spain it can be established that the places with a lower thermal amplitude are the Canary Islands, part of Galicia as well as areas of Asturias and Cantabria.