Explain what effects the ocean has on modifying the global temperature distribution

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ocean circulation has a strong influence on global temperatures. The transport of warm surface water toward the poles, to replace the bottom water that forms near the sea-ice margin, is one mechanism by which excess solar energy is transferred poleward. The oceans represent a vast reservoir of heat, absorbing heat from the atmosphere in some areas and releasing it in others. Because water heats up and cools down relatively slowly, pools of water that are cooler than normal or warmer than normal will cool or warm the atmosphere on time periods of months to seasons or years—the time needed for the pools of water to heat up or cool down. On much longer time periods, however, the average effect of the oceans on the atmosphere is determined by the overall temperature of the oceans. Most of the water in the oceans lies in the deep oceans, and its temperature is largely determined by the process of bottom-water formation and by the transport of bottom water around the ocean basins. If the process of bottomwater formation changes, the ocean temperatures will change—and so will climate.