It has been suggested that a heat engine could be developed that made use of the temperature difference between water at the surface of the ocean and that several hundred meters deep. In the tropics, the temperatures may be 27oC and 4oC, respectively.
(a) What is the maximum efficiency such an engine could have?
(b) Why might such an engine be feasible in spite of the low efficiency?
(c) Can you imagine any adverse environmental effects that might occur?