The graph above gives the land surface air temperatures and the sea surface water temperatures from 1950 to 2016. Global warming encompasses the changes in climate and temperature around the globe from the oceans to on land. However, when studying the warming of Earth's land and water temperatures, a difference between the two can be observed. From the graph, it can be seen along most of the graph that the water temperature of the sea's surface remained lower than that of the land's surface air temperature. What unique characteristic of water allows for this phenomenon to occur?

Question

Responses
A water's heat of fusionwater's heat of fusion
B water's conductivity of heatwater's conductivity of heat
C water's heat of vaporizationwater's heat of vaporization
D water's specific heat capacity

Answer 1

The unique characteristic of water that allows for sea surface water temperatures to remain lower than land surface air temperatures is:

D. water's specific heat capacity

Water has a high specific heat capacity, which means it can absorb and store a large amount of heat without a significant change in temperature. This property allows oceans to regulate temperature more effectively than land, leading to the observed differences in temperature between land and sea surfaces.