After a long period with winds from the east (also known as offshore winds), the wind has been blowing from the southwest again since the end of last week. There was an abrupt change in weather, mainly reflected in higher temperatures and more moisture in the air (both felt and in the form of clouds and rain), which is all related to the influence of the North Sea on our weather and climate. The North Sea is warming, and we also notice this on land.
The Sea Responds Slowly
When the sun shines, we see the temperature of the land and the air above it respond quickly. Above water, its different; the temperature responds much more slowly because it takes a lot of energy to heat water. Water has a much larger heat capacity than land or air. This is why the lowest sea temperatures are reached only at the end of winter and the highest sea temperatures only at the end of summer. Moreover, sea water will never warm up or cool down as much as land, and the variations in temperature from day to day are much smaller.
The Sea Cools Our Summers and Warms Our Winters
Image 1 compares the North Sea temperature at the light island Goeree and the air temperature in De Bilt. Light island Goeree is located about 30 kilometers off the coast southwest of Hoek van Holland. In De Bilt, the average daily temperature varies throughout the year between about -5 and +30 degrees, a range of 35 degrees. The temperature of the North Sea at Goeree varies between about +5 and +20 degrees, a range of only 15 degrees.
The lowest sea temperature occurs at the end of February, the highest at the end of August. Between March and July, the sea water is generally cooler than the temperature in De Bilt, while from August to the end of winter it is warmer. In our (sea) climate, the sea also functions as a heat buffer; cooling in spring and summer and warming in autumn and winter.