The Role of the Oceans in Climate

citizenschallenge

Seems to me Oceans are being under represented.  I can't really offer my opinion about the oceans, since I'm a tad terrified by what I've been witnessing on various fronts.  But the ocean are fascinating and too many know too little about 'em, so here are a couple good sources for background fundamentals.

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NASA | The Ocean: A Driving Force for Weather and Climate

Published on Aug 3, 2012 YouTube

The Ocean is essential to life on Earth. Most of Earth's water is stored in the ocean. Although 40 percent of Earth's population lives within, or near coastal regions- the ocean impacts people everywhere. Without the ocean, our planet would be uninhabitable. This animation helps to convey the importance of Earth's oceanic processes as one component of Earth's interrelated systems.

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The Role of the Oceans in Climate

http://www.oco.noaa.gov/roleofOcean.html

Kevin E Trenberth
National Center for Atmospheric Research1 , Boulder, CO

• Introduction
• An example: The annual cycle
• The oceans and sea ice
• Coupled ocean-atmosphere interactions
• Sea level
• The ocean and hurricanes
• Why are we observing the ocean?
• How are we observing the ocean?
• References