Which characteristic allows the water in aquatic ecosystems to absorb large amounts of energy without a large rise in temperature?

The characteristic of water which allow the water in aquatic ecosystem to absorb large amount of energy without a large rise in temperature is its unusually high specific heat capacity. Specific heat capacity refers to the amount of heat that a substance must absorb or lost for one gram of that substance to experience a one degree change in temperature. Because of its unusually high specific heat capacity, water can release or absorb large amount of heat and change its temperature only slightly.