Coastal climates tend to have wetter winters and drier summers, whereas inland climates have more humid summers and drier winters. Coastal climates are typically limited to narrow strips along the edges of continents, whereas inland climates tend to occur over broad swaths of continental interiors. Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock, so the ocean takes much longer to heat and to cool than the land. Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean.
Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock, so the ocean takes much longer to heat and to cool than the land. Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean. Continentality or distance from the sea affects the climate of a region. Places close to the sea experience a moderate climate while places farther inland experience extreme weather conditions. Places near the sea or the ocean experience land and sea breezes, which moderate their climate. The ocean warms and cools more slowly than the atmosphere, thus coastal weather tends to be more moderate than continental weather, with fewer hot and cold extremes. Evaporation from the ocean, especially in the tropics, creates most rain clouds, influencing the location of wet and dry zones on land. Because the ocean releases heat more slowly than land, coastal areas tend to be more temperate. Upwelling in many coastal regions, such as California, provides a cool contrast in air temperature over the ocean and land that is conducive to frequent summer fog. Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock, so the ocean takes much longer to heat and to cool than the land. Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean. Coastal climates tend to have wetter winters and drier summers, whereas inland climates have more humid summers and drier winters. Coastal climates are typically limited to narrow strips along the edges of continents, whereas inland climates tend to occur over broad swaths of continental interiors.