... c and that of sand is 0.84kj/kg/degree c. This all means that water requires twice as much energy as soil and five times more than sand to raise an equivalent mass to the same temperature. During summer therefore the sae heats up more slowly than the land. In winter, the reverse is the case and land surfaces loose heat energy more rapidly than water. The oceans act as efficient 'thermal reservoirs' this is why coastal environments have a lower annual range of temperature than locations at the centres of continents. Ocean currents are a major factor in the variations of temperatures across the world, due to the process of horizontal transfer of heat energy. Warm currents carry water pole wards and raise the temperature of the maritime environments where they flow. Cold currents carry water towards the equator and so lower the temperatures of coastal areas. The mean difference of one ...

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