1.4. Temperature

Like land masses, ocean water varies in temperature from place to place both at the surface and at great depths. Ocean water gets heated by solar energy just as land. The process of heating and cooling of the oceanic water is slower than land. This is due to higher specific heat of water as compared to land as a result of which greater amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of water as compared to land.

1.4.1. Factors Affecting Temperature Distribution 1.4.2. Vertical Distribution of Temperature Figure 3. Variation of temperature with depth in oceans 1.4.3. Horizontal Distribution of Temperature Figure 4. Horizontal Distribution of temperature of oceans around the world 1.5.1. Factors Affecting Ocean Salinity 1.5.2. Vertical Distribution of Salinity 1.5.3. Horizontal Distribution of Salinity