Free Nautical Charts

How are the climates of coastal regions affected by the specific heat capacity of water?

i know that water has a very high SHC, so it takes a long time to heat or cool. but could somebody tell me how it affects climate of coastal regions, my brains fryed and its almost 10 :(

Public Comments

1. Inverewe is very far north (latitude 57.8 degrees), about the same latitude as Hudson's Bay in Canada, but because of warm Atlantic currents from the Caribbean is far warmer in winter (coldest winter temperature measured was 14 degrees F (-12C) in 1986) Due to its latitude temperatures are rarely very hot in summer; the highest temperature recorded was 84F (29C) in June 1978 http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/land/inverewe.html The heat of the water is transferred to the coastal areas by wind - thus warm air promotes growth of vegetation. Cold air blowing from land to sea - forms fog Cold currents adhere fog when wind blows the cold air inland Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean. Every day the land heats much faster than the sea, and every night the land cools faster. When the land heats up, the air above it heats up as well. On the other hand, the ocean heats up and cools down relatively slowly. Therefore, areas near the ocean generally stay cooler during the day and have a more moderate temperature range than inland areas. Warm and cold ocean currents can affect the climate of coastal regions, but only when local winds blow in from the sea. Warm currents heat the air over the ocean and bring higher temperatures over land. Cold currents can lower air temperatures and can bring colder temperatures over land. Because the current that runs along the California coastline runs from north to south, it carries cool water. Thus the temperature of California’s coastal cities is relatively cool. On the eastern side of the United States, the Gulf Stream brings warm water north from equatorial regions to about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Thus, the U.S. southeastern coastal cities generally have warmer climates than western coastal cities at that same latitude. HOPE THIS HELPS.