Question

The high specific heat of water means that land masses near the equator are: cooler than predicted because of all the heat carried by ocean waters from low to high latitudes. the same temperature regardless of the presence of water because it is only the amount of solar radiation on the land mass that affects temperature. warmer than predicted because of all the heat in the water being released into the air.

Answer 1

The correct answer is - warmer than projected because of all the heat in the water being released into the air.

The waters around the Equator are the warmest ones on the Earth. They get their warmth from the solar radiation, and since the solar radiation is more concentrated in this part of the planet it delivers more heat. Also, there's no change in seasons, thus there's constant heat coming to these waters. The warm waters influence the temperature of the air because they create warm air masses. These air masses move towards the land, and bring heat to it. Considering that the land is heating up more than the water, when the heat of the water is added too, than the temperatures go very high. The temperatures can reach over 40 or 50 °C, and taken in consideration the high amount of water vapor in the air from the water bodies, it is extremely hard for doing anything, even breathing.