Oceans and Climate

(c) McGraw Hill Ryerson 2007  Water has a high heat capacity  Water heats up and cools down slowly, and can absorb large amounts of thermal energy.   Oceans can store and transport huge amounts of energy  Oceans influence weather through the water cycle  Weather tracked over many years = climate  Climates vary greatly around the world  Climate measures temperature + precipitation > 30 years

How Oceans Affect Weather (c) McGraw Hill Ryerson 2007  Through convection, heat energy transfers from the ocean’s surface to the air, and this warm air rises  The warm “bubble” of air is called a thermal  The thermal rises until it loses its heat, and then drops back down again. This process of heat transfer is called convection.  El Niño is the warming ocean effect that occurs some years in December off the Pacific coast of Ecuador.  El Niño can change the weather around the world, including warmer and wetter in BC, and droughts in Africa and Australia.  Changing ocean temperatures also cause sea life to change behaviours.  La Niña is a cooling of similar waters, and produces almost the opposite effects of El Niño.

The Moderating Effect of Oceans on Climate  Oceans can make cold, northern locations warmer  Locations like BC, Norway and England benefit  Because of water’s high heat capacity, heat energy can be carried from south to north by currents like the Gulf Stream (in England and Norway) or the Pacific Drift (in BC). As the warm water evaporates, it carries energy over the mainland of the province. Mountains block the warmth from reaching into the interior. Edmonton and Manchester, England are the same latitude Edmonton, Alberta January average temperature =  7 C Manchester, England January average temperature = +6 C