Question

A city located on the coast of North America has warmer winters and cooler summers than a city at the same elevation and latitude located near the center of North America. Which statement best explains the difference between the cities' climates?
A) Wind speeds are usually greater over land surfaces than over ocean surfaces.
B) Ocean surfaces have a lower specific heat than land surfaces.
C) Warm, moist air raised when it meets cool, dry air.
D) Ocean surfaces change temperature more slowly than land surfaces.

Answer 1

I don't like any of those choices. But if you absolutely have to pick your answer
from this list, then it has to be 'D'.

The ocean is an enormous storage vessel for heat.  It gets heat from the air in
the Summer ... which somewhat cools places near the coast ... and it releases
heat into the air during the Winter ... which warms places near the coast.

So I guess it's true that ocean surfaces change temperature more slowly than
land surfaces do, and they influence the land nearby in the process. But this
ignores the reason for the slow changes in ocean surface temperature. It's a
lot like saying that the loud noise produced by a race car is the result of the
car's ability to appear in a far different location after a short time.