The term is used in contrast to a latent heat, which is the amount of heat exchanged that is hidden, meaning it occurs without change of temperature. For example, during a phase change such as the melting of ice, the temperature of the system containing the ice and the liquid is constant until all ice has melted. The terms latent and sensible are correlative.
The sensible heat of a thermodynamic process may be calculated as the product of the bodys mass (m) with its specific heat capacity (c') and the change in temperature ():
Sensible heat and latent heat are not special forms of energy. Rather, they describe exchanges of heat under conditions specified in terms of their effect on a material or a thermodynamic system.
In the writings of the early scientists who provided the foundations of thermodynamics, sensible heat had a clear meaning in calorimetry. James Prescott Joule characterized it in 1847 as an energy that was indicated by the thermometer.
Both sensible and latent heats are observed in many processes while transporting energy in nature. Latent heat is associated with changes of state, measured at constant temperature, especially the phase changes of atmospheric water vapor, mostly vaporization and condensation, whereas sensible heat directly affects the temperature of the atmosphere.
In meteorology, the term sensible heat flux means the conductive heat flux from the Earths surface to the atmosphere. It is an important component of Earths surface energy budget. Sensible heat flux is commonly measured with the eddy covariance method.