Examine the factors that influence the temperature distribution of the oceans.

1. Latitude : The temperature of surface water decreases from equator towards the poles because the sun's rays become more and more inclined and thus the amount of insolation decreases poleward.

2. Unequal distribution of land and water : The oceans in the Northern Hemisphere receive more heat due to their contact with larger extent of land than their counterparts in the Southern Hemisphere.

3. Prevailing winds : The winds blowing from the land towards the ocean drive surface water away from the coasts resulting into upwelling of cold bottom water from below.

4. Ocean Currents : Warm ocean currents increase the temperature in cold areas while cold currents decrease the temperature in warm ocean. Example : gulf stream, a warm current increases the temperature of eastern coast of North America and west coast of Europe.

5. Other factors are local weather conditions like storms, cyclones, etc.