Unit 2: Distance from the Sea

Influence of Distance from the Sea on Climate

• Temperature and rainfall are influenced by a location's distance from the sea.
• Coastal locations remain moderate because the sea cools them in summer and warms them in winter.
• Places located far from the sea generally experience hotter summers and cooler winters than coastal regions.

Differential Heating of Land and Water

• Land (solid) and oceans (liquid) heat up and cool down at different rates.
• Solar radiation heats land surfaces to higher temperatures than bodies of water.
• Solar radiation heats only the surface layer of solids.
• Solar radiation penetrates deep into water, heating a significantly greater volume beneath the surface.

Atmospheric Heating Mechanisms

• Air is warmed or cooled directly by contact with the land or ocean beneath it.
• The measured temperature of a place represents the temperature of this overlying air.

Regional Temperature Variations in Australia

• Geraldton (coastal, Indian Ocean): summer temperature of $24^\text{o}\text{C}$, winter temperature of $16^\text{o}\text{C}$.
• Rockhampton (coastal, Pacific Ocean): summer temperature of $27^\text{o}\text{C}$, winter temperature of $16^\text{o}\text{C}$.
• Alice Springs (inland): summer temperature of $30^\text{o}\text{C}$, winter temperature of $12^\text{o}\text{C}$.