Inland areas usually have greater temperature extremes from day to night and from season to season because land absorbs and loses heat energy more quickly than water. ... For this reason, forecasters in southern California often list three daily temperature ranges�coastal, inland, and valley.
Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock, so the ocean takes much longer to heat and to cool than the land. Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean.
Coastal climates have relatively dry summers and wet winters and are restricted to coastal areas. Inland climates, on the other hand, have dry winters and more humid summers, cover very large areas in continental interiors, and are more distinguished by temperature.
Climate change threatens coastal areas, which are already stressed by human activity, pollution, invasive species, and storms. Sea level rise could erode and inundate coastal ecosystems and eliminate wetlands. Warmer and more acidic oceans are likely to disrupt coastal and marine ecosystems.