"Because water is the heavyweight champion of heat storage. Water stores about 4.2 times the amount of energy than air per unit weight. Water is also about 800 times denser than air. That means the same volume of water can store about 3,400 times the energy of the equivalent volume of air. Hot water also evaporates more readily into air, and the amount of water air can hold increases exponentially with temperature."
"Two brutally hot family trips to Europe in a row have me thinking-and concerned-about Mediterranean climates. These climates, which include not only Mediterranean countries but also places like California (where I live), are and have always been projected to receive the short end of the climate change stick. That includes brutal heatwaves and wildfires, but also very wet storms exacerbated by warmer air's ability to hold more moisture."
Two family trips to Europe (July 2023 and July 2025) coincided with brutal heatwaves, including 104°F in Florence, which curtailed outdoor activities with young children. Mediterranean climates, including southern Europe and California, are expected to face intensified heatwaves, wildfires, and heavier storms because warmer air holds more moisture. Ocean water stores vastly more heat and energy than air by both volume and weight, and warm water evaporates readily, supplying moisture to the atmosphere. Phase changes of water release or absorb heat and thus power winds, storms, and temperature shifts, with the ocean as the primary planetary heat and moisture source.
Read at Fast Company
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