 
How Do the Giant Oceans Regulate
Their Temperature Balance?
 Water's
greater latent heat and thermal capacity as compared with
other liquids are the reasons that bodies of water heat up
and cool off more slowly than does the land. On land, the
difference in temperature between the hottest and coldest
places can reach as high as 284 F°; at sea, that difference
varies at most between 59-68 F°. The same situation exists
in the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures:
in arid environments on land, the difference in temperature
can be as much as 68-86F°; at sea, this is never more than
a few degrees. And not only the seas are affected in this
way: the water vapor in the atmosphere is also a big balancing
agent. One result of this is that in desert regions where
there is very little water vapor present, the difference between
daytime and nighttime temperatures is extreme while in regions
where a maritime climate prevails, the difference is much
less.
In addition, the thermal conductivity of water, in other
words its capacity to transmit heat, is at least four times
higher than that of any other known liquid.
Because they are such poor conductors of heat, the layers
of ice and snow keep the heat in the water below from escaping
into the atmosphere. As a result of all this, even if the
air temperature falls to (--58F°, the layer of sea ice will
never be more than a meter or two thick and there will be
many fractures in it. Creatures such as seals and penguins
that dwell in polar regions can take advantage of this to
reach the water beneath the ice.)
Thanks to these unique thermal properties of water, the temperature
differences between summer and winter or between night and
day remain constantly within limits such that human beings
and other living things can survive. If the surface of our
world had less water than it does land, the temperature differences
between night and day would have been much greater, large
tracts of land would have been desert, and life might have
been impossible or, at the very least, much more difficult.
The oceans reflect the sun's rays less than land does, they
receive more sun energy, yet they disperse this heat in a
more balanced way. Therefore, the oceans cool the equatorial
regions and prevent them from becoming excessively hot, and
also warm the waters of the polar regions to prevent them
from freezing completely.
What Would Happen If Water Acted "Normally"?
What would happen if water didn't behave this way and acted
"normally" instead. Suppose water continued to become denser
the lower its temperature became like all other liquids and
ice sank to the bottom. What then?
Well in that case, the freezing process in the oceans and
seas would start from the bottom and continue all the way
to the top because there would be no layer of ice on the surface
to prevent the remaining heat from escaping. In other words,
most of Earth's lakes, seas, and oceans would become solid
ice with a layer of water perhaps a few meters deep on top
of it. Even when the air temperature increased, the ice at
the bottom would never melt completely. In the seas of such
a world, no life could exist and in an ecological system with
dead seas, life on land would also be impossible. In other
words, if water didn't "misbehave" and acted normally, our
planet would be a dead world.
Why doesn't water act normally? Why does it suddenly begin
to expand at 4°C after having contracted the way it should?
That is a question that nobody has ever been able to answer.
All of the physical and chemical features of water, of which
only a few have been given here, show us that this liquid
has been specially created for the needs of human life. It
is surely no coincidence that such water is not available
on any other planet besides the Earth. The Earth, which has
been specially created for human life, has blossomed with
life through water, which has also been specially created.
God, Who has created countless blessings for His servants
and bestowed on them an easy mode of living, has created water
with unique artistry and delicacy. (Harun Yahya, Magnificence
Everywhere, Al-Attique Publishers Inc., Canada: 2002)
The Earth, created around delicate balances that are essential
for human life, has itself been given life with the water
specially created for it.
Have you thought about the water that you drink? Is it
you who sent it down from the clouds or are We the Sender?
If We wished We could have made it bitter, so will you not
give thanks? (Qur'an, 56:68-70)
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