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From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Thu, 6 Nov 2003 15:23:23 -0500
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Joe said:

> ...[hive] placement on white sand.
> ...these locations were warmer than others that
> were not on sand in the same Geography.

An accurate observation.  I lived on the beach in
Ft. Lauderdale for a decade, and sand above the
high tide mark both heats up quickly, and holds
the heat well long after the sun has gone down.

> My thinking is that white reflects the light
> spectrum and does not absorb heat,

"White sand" is not really white.  It is kinda brownish.
If the sand is dry, it has lots of tiny air pockets between
grains of sand, and it seems to me that both the air and the
sand is warmed (and stays warm), with the "dead air insulation"
holding the heat, and keeping the heat of the gains of sand high.

I am ashamed to say that I never bothered to get out some
thermocouples and test this, despite uncounted days spent
lying on the evidence.  :)

I can say that if one digs down into the sand, it quickly
becomes much less hot, and is more damp.  We can from this
evidence at least eliminate thermal conductivity between
the grains of sand.  (All those sand castles my son and
I built were productive on multiple levels.)

Perhaps the reflection/scattering of the light from the
"crystals" better heats the air between the grains, I dunno.
On the other hand, the grains of sand could be acting as
"brick ovens", keeping the air warm.  Maybe both mechanisms
are at work.  (And on the OTHER hand, I can count to 32 on
the fingers of one hand in binary...)

Wet sand is clearly always cooler than dry sand, as
anyone who has crossed a beach in their bare feet can verify.

> he would be better putting them on something dark colored.
> On the other hand, maybe the sand reflects more light onto
> the hive?  Any colorful thoughts?

Hmmm... now we need data from one of Hawaii's "black sand beaches"
to compare with the data from the white sand beaches.

This looks like a job for a trained professional with proper
equipment and an assistant.  Send me tickets for two to Hawaii,
and my wife and I will leave at once to check out this important
and hitherto, unexamined phenomenon.  :)


                jim (Who, pondering "light and dark", recalls
                     that Duct Tape is just like "The Force"
                 from "Star Wars". It has a light side,
                 and a dark side, and it holds the
                 entire universe together.)

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