climatology
type: Concept
narrower: differential heating

concepts
type: Collection
type: ConceptGroup
member: differential heating

differential heating
type: Concept
broader: climatology
definition: Land surfaces warm and cool much quicker than water bodies, leading to differential heating of the Earth's surface. Water has a higher specific heat (capacity to hold energy) and circulates energy to greater depth than does land, and so water bodies such as oceans, seas, and large lakes can absorb more energy yet heat more slowly than land surfaces. [Source: Encyclopedia of Geography; Differential Heating]