Topography: Proximity to oceans, lakes, and rivers

Water absorbs and stores large quantities of heat, with relatively little change in temperature because of the depth to which the heat penetrates, together with the high specific heat of water compared with rocks or dry soil. Its resulting temperature inertia greatly modifies the temperature regimes of adjacent land. Cool air from over the water is drawn to replace heated air rising over the land in the afternoons, while at night a reverse convection results from chilled air descending from the cold land surface and rising over the now relatively warm water. In some vineyard areas, these breezes may, in fact, be very strong winds if they are funnelled by mountains, as in the Salinas Valley in monterey, California. This daily alternating pattern of air circulation makes the climate adjacent to water bodies significantly more constant than it would otherwise be, in terms of both temperature and humidity. Both factors are important in climate and wine quality. There is also a reduced incidence of spring frosts and winter freeze injury in regions liable to these. Examples of this lake effect are found in new york state, in the vineyards of Ontario in canada, and around russia’s Black Sea coast.