Why do locations inland heat and cool faster than coastal locations and why do air temperature tend to be more moderate in coastal than inland?
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. This is because land has a smaller “heat capacity” than water, which means it needs less heat to raise its temperature. As such, sand gets heated or cooled more rapidly as compared to water under the similar conditions. Thus a large difference in temperature is developed between the land and the sea due to which land and sea breezes are formed. These breezes make the climate near the sea shore moderate. Inland areas usually have greater temperature extremes from day to night and from season to season because land absorbs and loses heat energy more quickly than water. Locations near the ocean or other large bodies of water usually have more moderate daily and seasonal temperatures.
As such, sand gets heated or cooled more rapidly as compared to water under the similar conditions. Thus a large difference in temperature is developed between the land and the sea due to which land and sea breezes are formed. These breezes make the climate near the sea shore moderate. 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. Inland areas usually have greater temperature extremes from day to night and from season to season because land absorbs and loses heat energy more quickly than water. A sea breeze occurs when the warmer air inland rises and the cooler air from the coast moves in to take its place. It's difficult for the sun to heat up or cool down the sea. Since the sea doesn't get too hot or cold, the air above the sea also doesn't get too hot or cold. Therefore places near the sea usually have temperatures that remain fairly constant throughout the year. They have what is known as a moderate climate. Warm and cold ocean currents can affect the climate of an area along the coast if the winds blow in from ocean. Warm ocean currents are used to heat the air above the water and carry warm air to the land, increasing the temperature of the coastal regions. 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. The specific heat capacity of water is very high. It is about five times that of sand. Hence, temperature change is much less in water than that of land. This is because land has a smaller “heat capacity” than water, which means it needs less heat to raise its temperature. 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.
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