The Ocean's Effect On The Weather And Climate

Question 1

Distribution of the earth’s water

Answer 1

• 96,5% oceans & 2,5% fresh water & 0,9% saline waters
• out of 2,5% fresh water : 68,7% glaciers and ice caps & 30,1% ground water & 1.2 % surface/other fresh water

Question 2

The water cycle definition

Answer 2

The water cycle represents the path, water can take in its different states within the spheres: ocean, land, atmosphere.

Question 3

The water cycle states of water

Answer 3

1. Evaporation: water goes from liquid to gaseous form in waterbodies
2. Transpiration: water goes from liquid to gas in plants, humans and on the surface
3. Sublimation: solid to gas
4. Condensation: gas to liquid
5. Deposition: gas becomes solid
6. Infiltration: water taken in by soil
   Percolation: water gets filtered

Question 4

Water budget elements: water balance equation

Answer 4

Precipitation (P): both over water and land
Evapotranspiration (E): evaporation + transpiration
Runoff (R): surface flow, interflow, groundwater flow
Storage (^S): lentic water, infiltration, ice, glaciers

Question 5

Ocean currents

Answer 5

• patterns of water movement that influence climate zones and weather patterns around the world
• primarily driven by winds and sea water density
• 2 basic types of currents: surface water Current (warm) and deep water Current (cold)
• water moving into the polar regions gets cold enough to freeze into ice > leave salt behind
  > underlying water gets saltier > denser (density depends on temperature and salinity)
• this cold, dense, saltier water sinks to the seafloor (in chimneys), replaced by surface water that repeats process
• deep Current moves towards equator and warms up > less dense, rises to surface in upwelling
• distinguish from tides: tides are defined as regular increases and decreases in level of sea surface

Question 6

What is the gulf stream?

Answer 6

The gulf stream is one of the largest currents, bringing warm water from the gulf of Mexico to the NW of Europe and NW of Africa.

Question 7

Gulf stream - climate change

Answer 7

• climate change leads to melting of icebergs
• sweet water (from ice) intrusion into seas
• salinity of water decreases > melting water less dense
• chimneys become smaller & maybe extinct because water gets warmer and less salty
  => if gulf stream breaks, temperature will decrease about 10-15°