Earth has been called the blue planet and not without reason. The ocean covers about three quarters of the earth’s surface and plays a vital role in our survival. It bounty feeds millions of people daily. Its surface absorbs more than ninety five percent of the solar radiation that reaches our planet. It is integral to the water cycle and it regulates our planets climate. But none of these roles would be fulfilled without the movement of the ocean. The currents, ribbons of movement within the greater body of water, provide the means with which our ocean distributes the nutrients and energy necessary for continued life upon earth. What are these currents and why are they so essential to our survival?
The currents at the surface of the ocean are split in to two categories, tidal currents and surface currents. Tidal currents occur around land masses and are influenced mainly by the gravitational pull of our sun and moon. They change rapidly but predictably and contribute to surface currents. Surface currents occur over different areas of earth’s ocean. Two main factors affecting the surface currents are wind and the Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect explains how the rotation of the earth seems to cause a deflection of anything moving above the earth’s surface. It is this effect that causes winds and water in the northern hemisphere to appear to deflect to the right and in the southern hemisphere to deflect to the left. One of the major surface currents is the Gulf Stream. Water in around the Caribbean is warmed by the sun and then carried north and east along the coast North America. These sun warmed waters release their stored energy into the westerly winds and Northern Europe benefits by having a much milder winter than t...
... middle of paper ...
...oling the ocean conveyor belt." Science Daily, 18 Jun. 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2012.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 22 Jan 2012. http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html
No Need To Panic About Global Warming. 27 Jan 2012. The Wall Street Journal. 1 Feb 2012. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577171531838421366.html
Ocean. National Geographic Education - Encyclopedia Entry. 24 Jan 2012. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/ocean/?ar_a=1
Ocean Conveyor Belt. National Geographic Education - Encyclopedia Entry. 24 Jan 2012 http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/ocean-conveyor-belt/?ar_a=1
Roach, John. Global Warming May Alter Atlantic Currents. 27 June 2005. National Geographic News. 24 Jan 2012 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/72476778.html
and fall of sea level due to tides is the most apparent aspect, it is also the
1. Life is more abundant in the North Atlantic than in the Pacific because the ocean area of the North Atlantic is directly in the path of iron-rich dust from the Sahara Desert, which leads to the development of bigger communities of phytoplankton, and in turn plankton, and so on. This fact is related to global warming because someone thought of an idea to fight global warming by putting huge amounts of iron solution into the ocean so that extreme plant growth would occur and these plants would remove enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to counter the negative effects of humans.
Americans don’t have to fear the Greenies’ doomsday version of Global Warming nearly as much as they have to be wary of the prospect of Global Cooling.
Global warming was the main reason for the occurrence. The water of the Gulf and Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean were h...
Somehow our oceans maintain the balance between being some of the most powerful forces on the earth, and the most easily disturbed masses on the planet. There are so many things that could go wrong within the countless cycles, and the delicate processes that stabalize nature and sustain the biosphere; and people are continually interfering with these cycles. Ocean acidification is one of the most obvious results of human interference upon nature. “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value.” ("R. Buckminster Fuller, in Memoriam").
The surface currents are mostly generated by wind, the shape of landmasses nearby and the Coriolis force. The effects of these currents are most noticeable until a depth of 400 meters.
...nd by our position. However, the battle against global warming, GMOs and DDT alarmism is unfortunately far from the end. The alarmist environmental movements have been endorsing these swindles for many years that include some influential groups in the government, science, business and liberal media. Up to this point, the majority of the debates were based on predictions and now we are at the point where the actual facts are showing that the predictions are incorrect. The real picture of these debatable topics are becoming more clear and unless something major occurs in the near future it is going to be difficult for the environmental groups to continue to support their untruthful stories. Solomon’s article proves that today’s governments that used to support the idea of global warming are reconsidering their position and aiming to steer in a different direction.
Oceans cover around seventy percent of the Earth’s surface. The oceans of the world have a direct relationship with weather and climate – they influence the weather both locally and globally and the changes in climate in exchange have an affect on properties of the oceans. Changes that occur to the ocean for the most part occur over a much longer period than in the atmosphere. Even if carbon dioxide emissions were to be stabilized today, it would centuries for oceans to adjust to the changes in the atmosphere. When greenhouse gases trap more energy for the sun, oceans then absorb more heat; and in turn there is a rise in sea surface temperatures as well rising sea levels. Oceans do help to reduce climate change due to the fact that they
Oceans have been around for almost as long as the earth has existed. They came to existence due to volcanic outgassing and have been part of the world since. Life also began in the ocean and today we have come along way as humans. We are technologically advancing every day and making great discoveries. Our advancements have also helped us create dangerous products like disposable plastics that are not good for our environment.
"Ocean Events." GRACE â Uncovering the 2010-11 Decline in Global Mean Sea Level and Its Relation to ENSO (October, 2012). N.p., 8 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has liquid water. The ocean contains ninety seven percent of the earth’s water and covers almost three quarters of the planet. There are four different oceans, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Arctic. Tides and currents occur in all three of these oceans. Many different kinds of fish and mammals also make their homes in these oceans. All of these oceans are connected to each other in some way. Humans find oceans to be very interesting, beautiful, and exploring.
Williams, Laurence O. An End to Global Warming. Ohio: Pergamno, 2012. Web 13 May 2015
The main idea behind El Nino is that the wind changes direction across the Pacific Ocean. In a non El Nino year (normal), the trade winds blow from east to west across the ocean, from North and South America towards the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean. In an El Nino year, the trade winds change direction and blow from Asia and the tropical Pacific towards North and South America (NOAA B, 2004). The changes in these winds, commonly called Southern Oscillation winds because the majority of activity happens in the southern parts of the Pacific, produce many other changes. In the final analysis, the winds are the root of this scheme. John Daly (2004) discussed how the winds produce major changes in the temperature of the ocean water. This is the second main concept of El Nino. In normal years, when the wind blows from east to west, the temperature at “Sea Surface” is about 8 degrees cooler in the west than in the east. During El Nino, the winds blow a certain amount of water towards the west, thus piling it up and making its depth approximately one half meter deeper. Because of the loss of water at either coast, the deeper ocean water rises to replace what is gone. The deeper/cooler water is the source of many incomes in North and South America; however, in an El Nino year, the warmer water sits on top of the ocean, which creates many tribulations relating to both income and weather. The last main point of El Nino is the weather that follows due to the changes in water temperature. Precipitation follows the warmer water, whichever direction it flows. During the normal wind patterns the rainfall in the southern Pacific islands is consistent and creates their tropical identity. Whe...
...with warm currents or have a general amount of warm water, are more likely to be struck by tropical storms. There is another way that the ocean can change the environment is when tsunamis occur. These large waves move through the ocean and strike the land, but unlike normal waves that recede when they strike land, tsunamis continue miles inland. The ocean cycle is also responsible for the movement of nutrients through the environment. When tides move through the ocean they pull up nutrients that are located at the seafloor. Those nutrients then are moved with currents throughout the world. This is how the Ocean Cycle plays a role in the environment and Earth.
Background and Audience Relevance: There are always conversations about our planet. We see our earths glaciers melting, weather temperature rising, and pollution affecting our resources. But for some reasons we tend to look away. We should be more aware of this potential event and I’m here to inform everyone about what actually is global warming and the effects of it.