Table of Contents
What important role do the surface currents play?
These surface currents play an important role in moderating climate by transferring heat from the equator towards the poles. It all starts with surface currents carrying warm water north from the equator. The water cools as it moves into higher northern latitudes, and the more it cools, the denser it becomes.
Does a surface current affects the climate of nearby land?
Thus, currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface. Without currents, regional temperatures would be more extreme—super hot at the equator and frigid toward the poles—and much less of Earth’s land would be habitable.
How do surface conditions affect climate?
Major land surface changes affecting climate include deforestation (especially in tropical areas), and destruction of grasslands and xeric woodlands by overgrazing, or lack of grazing. Deforestation, and conversion of grasslands to desert, may also lead to cooling of the regional climate.
What role do you suspect ocean currents have in influencing the climate in coastal cities?
Ocean currents are similar to winds in the atmosphere in that they transfer significant amounts of heat from Earth’s equatorial areas to the poles and thus play important roles in determining the climates of coastal regions.
What are the major controls affecting the climate of a place?
There are six major controls of the climate of an area. These factors are latitude, elevation, nearby water, ocean currents, topography, vegetation, and prevailing winds.
How does the surface currents affect the climate?
Surface currents affect climate by moving cold and warm water around the globe. In general, currents carry warm water from the tropics toward the poles and bring cold water back toward the equator. A surface current warms or cools the air above it, influencing the climate of the land near the coast.
How are the currents in the ocean important?
Currents Ocean and atmospheric circulation play an essential role in sustaining life by moderating climate over much of Earth’s surface. An important part of the circulation of heat and freshwater and other sea water constituents are ocean surface currents.
Where does the energy for surface currents come from?
Global surface current patterns are driven by the wind, impacted by the barriers to flow provided by the land masses and the rotation of the earth, and ultimately derive their energy (like the wind) from the sun. Two circulation patterns dominate the ocean: wind-driven currents in the upper ocean and…
How does the surface of the ocean affect the climate?
In general, currents carry warm water from the tropics toward the poles and bring cold water back toward the equator. A surface current warms or cools the air above it, influencing the climate of the land near the coast.