CK12 Earth Science

Table 17.1: Average Temperature

Location City July: high (oC/oF) January: low

(oC/oF)

West Coast San Francisco, CA 19/66 8/46

Central United

States

Wichita, KS 33/92 7/20

East Coast Virginia Beach, VA 32/89 1/31

(Source: wikipedia.org)

Ocean Currents

The temperature of the water offshore will influence the temperature of a coastal location,
particularly if the winds come off the sea. The California Current runs from north to south
along the length of the western coast of North America. The cool waters of the California
Current bring cooler temperatures to the California coastal region. Coastal upwelling also
brings cold, deep water up to the ocean surface off of California, which contributes to the
cool, coastal temperatures. Further north, in southern Alaska, the upwelling actually raises
the temperature of the surrounding land because the ocean water is much warmer than the
land.

The California Current is part of the global system of surface ocean currents that spread the
Sun’s heat around the world. These currents bring cool water from high latitudes to the low
latitudes and warm water from low latitudes to the high latitudes. Just as the California
current brings cooler temperatures into the temperate regions, the Gulf Stream raises air
temperatures along the southeastern United States as it brings warm equatorial water north
along the Western Atlantic ocean (Figure17.5).

The Gulf Stream even has a large effect on the climate of Northern Europe. After it travels
past Canada, the current moves eastward across the Atlantic and then splits. One portion
flows northward between Great Britain and Northern Europe, the other moves south along
Europe and northern Africa. These warm waters raise temperatures in the North Sea, which
raises air temperatures over land between 3 to 6oC (5 to 11oF). London, U.K. for example, is
at the same latitude as Quebec, Canada. However, London’s average January temperature
is 3.8oC (38oF), while Quebec’s is only -12oC (10oF). Because air traveling over the warm
water in the Gulf Stream picks up a lot of water, London gets a lot of rain. In contrast,
Quebec is much drier and receives its precipitation as snow.