Oceans drive weather and climate extremes.

PositionExtreme Weather Events

Across the globe, extreme weather events appear to be on the rise. For instance, December 2015 was the wettest month in the United Kingdom since record keeping began in 1910. More than 5,000 miles west, California finally is finished--for now, at least--with more than five years of drought.

The ocean plays a vital role in Earth's climate system, shaping weather and climate on land, as it takes up vast amounts of heat from the sun in summer and releases it in winter, ameliorating summer and winter climate extremes downwind. Ocean currents also can move this heat, impacting local weather and climate conditions.

When ocean currents change, they modify the sea surface temperature, which drives anomalies in winds, weather, and climate across the planet. Such departures from average conditions sometimes occur in predictable ways. For example, every three to seven years, the sea surface temperature along the equator in the Pacific Ocean warms by as much as 2[degrees]-3[degrees]C. A warm El Nino climate pattern results, which changes rainfall and weather, from flooding in California to drought in Australia.

El Nino, and its opposite, La Nina, long have been recognized...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT