San Francisco and Norfolk

San Francisco and Norfolk

Surface Water and Global Temperatures

1. Thermal Inertia. San Francisco and Norfolk, Virginia are on the same latitude. Why would Norfolk, compared to San Francisco, have warmer summers and cooler winter?

Norfolk has warmer summers and cooler winters because air in Norfolk has approached over land. 

2. Describe the different ways temperatures are "moderated" on Earth. Without moderate temperature, Earth could not support life as we know it. 

The ways temperatures are "moderated" is by liquid water which takes longer than air to heat up and cool because it has higher specific  heat.  When air cools, water slowly releases heat to the atmosphere, raising air temperatures. That is why temperatures along coastlines are cooler in summer and warmer in winter relative to inland areas.