Why is the ocean important?

Whole Ocean

The ocean, home to many animals and plant beings. Rarely do we stop to think about the influence it has on the climate, after all our lives are on the earth's surface. However, our planet is covered by 70% of water; that is, our day to day is concentrated in only 30%. In addition, the oceans contain almost all the water on Earth: about 97%. The remaining 3% is located in the Poles.

In this special we will discover why is the ocean important to understand the climate, and how global warming can change it.

The importance of the oceans

Arctic

The oceans are thermal regulators, absorbing carbon dioxide. As they cover almost the entire planet, a large amount of CO2 is absorbed by its waters. At night they emit the heat that they absorbed during the day, when there was sunlight; but not only that, but constantly sending water vapor into the atmosphere, thus forming the clouds. Thanks to this cycle of absorption and emission, the planet's temperature remains more or less stable.

But it not only influences the air temperature, but also in that of the earth up to a point, even though it is far from shore, due to different ocean currents. Several are distinguished in the world, such as the Gulf Stream or the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. They have a very important role in the regulation of the climate and in the cycle of the nutrients of the water. In this way, all the animals that live in the ocean have the food they need to survive, from krill to white shark.

Ocean currents can be cold, which originate in the polar and temperate latitudes, or warm, which are those that originate from the tropics to high latitudes. When several are joined, the so-called turns are formed that in the Northern Hemisphere will rotate clockwise, or vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere.

What happens if the ocean gets too hot?

Ocean and weather

This is what we are currently witnessing: many plants and animals begin to die, and some manage to adapt. But they all have many problems. Algae and plankton sustain animals as small as krill, and krill is eaten by much larger fish such as whales and seals. Thus, the food chain is in serious danger, a danger that is already here, because in many areas the krill population has been reduced by more than 80%. Krill breed in cold waters, close to sea ice. With increasing temperatures, there is less and less frozen surface.

Moreover, coral is an oceanic animal that is very sensitive to changes. They have a symbiotic relationship with some algae, in which both obtain benefits: the algae, by photosynthesis, obtain sugars that they share with the coral, which provides them with a safe home. But when the water is too hot, the algae simply cannot perform this vital process, so they end up dying, and the corals become discolored, weakened, and eventually wither as well.

The oceans absorb up to a quarter of the CO2 that humans emit, yet we could be paying a high price. The seas are getting more and more acid, and to maintain the fragile balance that animals and all the beings that live in it need, it must be alkaline. The mussels or the corals themselves are just two that could not survive in an acid sea.

Oceanic influence on climate

North Atlantic Current

As we said, the ocean influences the climate, be it that of the coast or thousands of kilometers from it. Thanks to what is known as Thermohaline current, in Europe we can enjoy a pleasant climate. Without her, we would be forced to wear warm fleece clothing during the winter months.

This stream travel the whole planet, heating up in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the Antarctic, until it sinks in the Norwegian Sea. At that time the cold and salty water descends to the depths, where it will go to the warm latitudes of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific where it will re-emerge and thus complete the cycle.

Does salt affect streams?

Yes, indeed. As we know, when we order a soft drink with ice, it stays floating on the surface; On the other hand, if we add salt to the water it will immediately sink. The poles are made of fresh water, but the less ice there is, North Atlantic water will be less salty, and this could mean that in Europe we will experience very cold winters. Still, NASA satellites are closely monitoring melting ice and ocean currents to try to better understand this system.

Why is the ocean important?

To date, we have only discovered 5% of the oceans. Due to global warming, there will be many species that will become extinct without us having seen them even once, and many others, which serve as food, perhaps they cannot adapt.

The ocean must be protected and cared for, because of it we all depend.


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