Answer: Vegetation and water both can absorb solar radiation quite well. Depending on the angle of the sunlight to the water surface, water can also serve as a good reflector. Waves reduce that reflectivity, however, so large bodies of water generally have high rates of absorption. Water also has a high capacity to store large amounts of heat for extended periods of time. This has to do with molecular bonds, which we won’t get into here. For more detail, refer to the information on water from Los Angeles Pierce College Weather Station.