SEW - The Ocean and Weather Lesson

 

The Ocean and Weather

Along with wind currents, the ocean is another major contributing factor in defining the weather we see on land. The Earth's surface is roughly covered by 70% of ocean. The oceans are the largest area where water is stored and is very good at absorbing and storing energy radiated by the sun. The exchange of heat between the ocean and the atmosphere drives the water cycle and can influence weather. Even areas that are hundreds of miles away from a coastline can be influenced by the global ocean system.

The ocean doesn't just store radiation; it helps distribute it around the globe. The oceans are in constant motion helping to distribute thermal energy around the world. Though there are many different oceans around the world they are all connected. Warm water will move from the tropics towards the poles cooling the ocean in the process. Cold water near the poles will sink and flow through the ocean floors eventually making its way back to the surface.

When water molecules are heated, they can evaporate into the air. Ocean water is constantly evaporating which increases the humidity and temperature in a certain area. This will help form rain clouds and storms that are carried off by trade winds. Almost all rain that falls on land started out in the ocean.

Outside of the equator, most weather is driven by the ocean currents which are movements of ocean in a continuous flow. Currents are created by surface winds, earth's rotation, and tides. In the northern hemisphere major current systems flow in a clockwise pattern, and in the southern hemisphere they flow in a counterclockwise pattern.

Watch the video below to learn more:

For many years the common theory of this movement was the "global conveyor belt model." Recent research has shown this model was too simple to explain the many factors that impact the ocean currents. The newer model meridional overturning circulation (MOC) explains the system of surface and deep currents encompassing all ocean basins. It moves vast amounts of water, heat, salt, carbon, nutrients, and other resources around the globe, connecting the surface ocean with the deep sea.

Watch this video, which illustrates these processes in the ocean:

Ocean currents help regulate global climate, helping, along with wind, to redistribute solar radiation. Without currents, regional weather would be more extreme - super hot at the equator and impossibly frigid at the poles. We would not be able to inhabit as much of Earth's land as we do now.

 

 

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS OR OPENSOURCE