Weather and Climate
Principle #3:
The Ocean is a Major Influence on Weather and Climate
A. The interaction of oceanic and atmospheric processes controls weather and climate by dominating the Earth’s energy, water, and carbon systems.
B. The ocean moderates global weather and climate by absorbing most of the solar radiation reaching Earth. Heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere drives the water cycle and oceanic and atmospheric circulation.
C. Heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere can result in dramatic global and regional weather phenomena, impacting patterns of rain and drought. Significant examples include the El Niño Southern Oscillation and La
Niña, which cause important changes in global weather patterns because they alter the sea surface temperature patterns in the Pacific.
D. Condensation of water that evaporated from warm seas provides the energy for hurricanes and cyclones. Most rain that falls on land originally evaporated from the tropical ocean.
E. The ocean dominates Earth’s carbon cycle. Half of the primary productivity on Earth takes place in the sunlit layers of the ocean. The ocean absorbs roughly half of all carbon dioxide and methane that are added to the atmosphere.
F. The ocean has had, and will continue to have, a significant influence on climate change by absorbing, storing, and moving heat, carbon, and water. Changes in the ocean’s circulation have produced large, abrupt changes in climate during the last 50,000 years.
G. Changes in the ocean-atmosphere system can result in changes to the climate that in turn, cause further changes to the ocean and atmosphere. These interactions have dramatic physical, chemical, biological, economic and social consequences.
WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER 2021
With a game capable of reaching a global audience, WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER can expand interest in ocean issues and habitats, and excite students about the infinite possibilities associated with ocean exploration. LEARN MORE.
OUTLAW OCEAN MUSIC PROJECT:
A CROSSOVER BETWEEN MUSIC & JOURNALISM
Take your pick: listen to ambient tracks, classical, electronic or hiphop. All music in this project is based on THE OUTLAW OCEAN, a New York Times best-selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. The reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun-running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships, and other topics. The music is an act of solidarity across geography and language, and an attempt at storytelling from written word to music. It is a captivating collection of inspired songs ranging from classical to hip hop.
