Also, even if two surfaces have the same albedo, a surface's specific heat determines the amount of heat energy required for a specific rise in temperature per unit mass. As a result, water requires the input of large amounts of energy to cause a rise in its temperature. Specific Heat of Various Substances. Mainly because of specific heat , land surfaces behave quite differently from water surfaces. In general, the surface of any extensive deep body of water heats more slowly and cools more slowly than the surface of a large land body.
Solar radiation warms an extensive layer in water.
On land just the immediate surface is heated. Water is easily mixed by the process of convection . Evaporation of water removes energy from water's surface. Note that the spatial variations of temperature on these figures is mostly latitudinal. However, the horizontal banding of isotherms is somewhat upset by the fact that water heats up more slowly in the summer and cools down more slowly in the winter when compared to land surfaces.