Is There Weather In The Ocean And How Is It Connected to Earths Weather?

We always tend to connect the term weather with changes that take place in the skies above: cloud, rain, sunshine - all constitute a weather type. Yet the enormous mantle of the ocean at over 70 percent of the Earth's surface has a weather world all to its own, full of processes similar to those taking place above it (2).

It might be a bit surprising to realize, but the ocean can go through all forms of dynamic conditions -which can be classified as “ocean weather.” So, although the ocean lacks internal weather as we know it, it behaves very similarly to the atmosphere. As a three-dimensional fluid volume, with vertical motions, water currents in place of air currents, and more, the ocean has weathers systems all its own (5).

Temperature: The Driving Force

The most crucial factor of ocean weather is temperature. Similar to atmospheric conditions, the ocean undergoes changes in temperature. Waters are warmer around the equator and colder in areas of the poles. The difference in temperatures provides the driving force that generates currents, otherwise known as rivers, in water. These drive heat and nutrient exchange around the world. The most prominent of these currents, the Gulf Stream, moves warm Caribbean water northward into the North Atlantic Ocean, where it contributes to the moderation of the climate of Europe and North America (1).