Snape

VenusPrincess said that if you averaged the air temperature inside a car with the car’s oil temperature, the result wouldn’t be useful. Duh. You obviously want to look at each measurement separately. Which is why, for example, the GMST and temperatures at the bottom of the ocean are not combined into an average. (She needs to come up with a better analogy)

@VenusPrincess The volume of water in the ocean is determined by the water’s mass, but also in part by the water’s temperature. Obviously, ocean temperature varies by location, which means a weighted average is a better gauge of thermal expansion/volume than the temperature at single location or depth. **** Tbe ambient temperature of air above an area of ocean has an influence on the temperature of the water below. And like the above, atmospheric temperature varies by location, meaning a weighted average is better gauge of the atmosphere’s influence on ocean temperature than the temperature at a singular location.