How do bodies of water affect weather?
Large bodies of water affect many facets of our daily weather, including temperature, precipitation, and the creation and movement of pressure systems.Differential Heating of Surface MaterialsWater heats and cools down more slowly than land. This differential heating helps to create areas of high and low pressure, or hot spots and cold spots. It is these differences in pressure that create surface winds and help to move pressure systems continually around the globe. In other words, they create our daily weather.Moderate TemperaturesBecause water heats and cools more slowly than land, the air above bodies of water is usually cooler during the day and warmer during the night than air above land. For this reason, coastal areas usually have more moderate temperatures than areas that are landlocked.PrecipitationThe air above large bodies of water has a high degree of moisture because of evaporation. For this reason, coastal areas typically experience more precipitation than continental area
