1. The Oceans And Local Climate
Susan Howard
Research Associate
Earth & Space Research

2. Rice Heat Pack vs. Hot Water Bottle

3. Review! Heating of Earth comes from Sun This heating is UNEVEN
The uneven heating causes the air and ocean to MOVE
Because the earth is rotating, the motion CURVES

4. Basic Atmospheric circulation

5. Basic Ocean Circulation

6. The Oceans And Local Climate
Specific Heat
Heat from Ocean Currents
Upwelling/Downwelling

7. Specific Heat
Definition: Specific heat is how much energy is needed raise the temperature of something.
HIGH the specific heat: heats up and cools down SLOWLY.
Water has a very high specific heat. That means it needs to absorb a lot of energy before its temperature changes. But likewise, it takes a long time to cool down wants that energy is absorbed.
LOW the specific heat: heats up and cools down QUICKLY.

8. Specific heat
Specific Heat of common things:
Material
Specific heat
Liquid Water
4.18
Water vapor
2.11
Dry air
1.01
Basalt
0.84
Granite
0.79
Iron
0.45
Lead
0.13
Which heat’s up the quickest?

9. Rice Heat Pack vs. Hot Water Bottle
Has anyone changed their mind?

10. Why do we care?
The oceans are WATER and have a HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT. They heat up slowly, but cool off slowly as well.
Oceans have an AMAZING ability
to store heat!

11. Take a look at another two locations at nearly the same latitude
Nations Online Project:

12. Daily HiGH And low temperature

13. Average Jan Temperatures
Seattle: High 47 F , Low 37F
Bismarck: High 23 F , Low 2F
From Weather channel:

14. The ocean tends to stores heat during the summer months, and slowly releases it during the winter.
This is why coastal regions tend to have milder climates than areas that are far inland.
Continental interiors, far from the ocean, experience greater extremes of temperature than coastal regions
Winter
Summer

15. Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures at Neah Bay

16. The ocean near Seattle helps to keep the temperature more even.
From Weather channel:
The lowest recorded temperature in Bismarck was -45°F
The lowest recorded in Seattle temperature was 10°F

17. No Water, large extremes Desert day/night cycle movie

18. The windy coast – Ocean breezes explained!
Daily differences in heating & cooling in land vs water leads to on and offshore breezes!
Day: Land heats up
Ocean is Constant
Night:
Land cools down
Ocean is Constant

19. Sea Breeze movie

20. The Oceans And Local Climate
Specific Heat
Heat from Ocean Currents
Upwelling/Downwelling

21. Basic Ocean Circulation

22. Some of the currents are moving warm water – and some are moving cool water
From

23. Current movie

24. North Pacific Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Map.
Water temperature bulletin for the North Pacific on 13 April Credits: Mercator Ocean.

25. North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Map.
North Atlantic sea surface temperature from satellites for January Source: NOC/UK Met-Office OSTIA data.

26. Lets compare two place On the Atlantic Ocean.
London, England
Halifax, Nova Scotia

27. Lets compare two places near the ocean
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Latitude 44.67o N
Average Jan temp
High 29oF
Low 13oF
London, England
Latitude ° N
Average Jan Temp
High 5ooF
Low 41oF

28. Notice: this is an average of the daily highs and lows for each month.
The sea is colder around Halifax than around London in the winter. This leads to colder winter temperatures in Halifax. In Aug, the sea temperature for both places is the same. AND, therefore, the air temperature in both places is about the same.

29. Lets compare two place near the ocean

30. North atlantic TemperatuRe Map
2oC = 35.6 oF
10oC = 50 oF
North atlantic TemperatuRe Map
North Atlantic sea surface temperature from satellites for January Source: NOC/UK Met-Office OSTIA data.

31. The west coast has a different climate than the east, partly due to the ocean currents.

32. East Coast weather
Gulf stream and Weather movie

33. Current ocean temperAture IN THE Pacific Northwest
13oC = 55.4oF
9.7oC = oF

34. The Oceans And Local Climate
Specific Heat
Ocean currents
Upwelling/downwelling

35. Upwelling and DOwnwelling
Ocean Basics: Temperature is not constant with depth. The deeper you go, the colder it gets!
Source:

36. There are more nutrients in cold/deeper water
LOW Nutrients
HIGH Nutrients

37. Upwelling

38. Upwelling

39. Upwelling moving

42. Upwelling areas are highly productive areas!
Although coastal upwelling regions account for only one percent of the ocean surface, they contribute roughly 50 percent of the world's fisheries landings.
NOAA:

43. soMETIMES, WE GET DOWNWELLING TOO
SOURCE:

44. Upwelling & downwelling influence :
Temperature
Fishing
Weather patterns

45. The Oceans And Local Climate
Specific Heat:
land and ocean differences
coastal climate is milder:
warmer in winter/cooler in summer
Heat from Ocean Currents affects a region’s climate
Upwelling/Downwelling affects temperature as well fish habitat.