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. 

The answer is cometm