Question

What characteristics of water contribute to the relatively constant temperatures of the oceans?

Answer 1

Water has a relatively high heat capacity. It takes one heat calorie to raise one gram ( or ml ) of water one degree C

Explanation:

The oceans contain billions and billions of grams of water. It takes billions and billions of heat calories to raise the temperature of ocean even `1 C^o`.

In the winter heat flows from the ocean to the colder land. The ocean can release billions and billions of heat calories warming the nearby land and only lower the temperature of the ocean a few degrees C.