why are ocean coastal areas warmer than the more inland areas?
It depends: in the USA the west coast is colder than inland areas because the ocean temperature is relatively cold whereas the east coast is warmer than the inland areas because the gulf stream (a current that flows up the east coast from the warm Gulf of Mexico). So, it all depends upon the temperature of the water bordering the coastal area: for the west coast the ocean cools down the coastal area but on the east coast the ocean warms the coastal area. Obviously this all depends upon the time of year and the air temperature compared to the water temperature.
