High specific heat is one of five properties of water that is important to life. Specific heat is defined as the heat necessary to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. Because water's temperature does not change dramatically when absorbing or losing heat, water can absorb or release exceeding amounts of heat (by breaking and forming hydrogen bonds) without affecting living organisms in the water and at the same time helping terrestrial organisms outside the water live easier. For example, coastal areas are usually cooler than inland areas farther from the ocean. This is because the ocean acts as a water sink and absorbs the heat in the air, making the water warmer and the surrounding temperatures cooler. As a result, people living closer to the ocean have more comfortable living conditions, and fish would practically not be affected because water can take in or give out a lot of heat without changing as much in temperature. It is in this same way that when temperatures are......
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