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NOTIFICATIONSThe temperature of the ocean determines what form the water takes. Most of the ocean is liquid water, but if it gets cold enough, it turns to solid ice, or if it gets hot enough, it can pass into the atmosphere as water vapour Water warms up more slowly than air but can hold more heat – water needs 4 times as much energy to raise its temperature by 1ºC as the same mass of air does – so the ocean plays an important part in taking up energy from the Sun and stopping the Earth getting too hot. Variation in temperatureThe temperature of the ocean, especially the surface, varies from place to place and from season to season. Ocean temperature depends on the amount of solar energy absorbed. Tropical oceans receive a lot of direct overhead sunlight for much of the year, so the water is warm. Summer is the only time polar regions receive sunlight, and even then, it is never directly overhead, so water in these places tends to be cold. The amount of sunlight that hits the temperate regions (between the tropics and the poles) varies between summer and winter. The variation in solar energy absorbed means that the ocean surface can vary in temperature from a warm 30°C in the tropics to a very cold -2°C near the poles. The temperature of the ocean also varies from top to bottom, giving a vertical structure to most of the ocean. There is an upper layer of water, up to 200m deep, that is warmed by the Sun and has the same temperature from top to bottom. Below that is a layer called the thermocline, reaching down in places to 1000m, which is colder at the bottom than at the top. The deep ocean below the thermocline, making up 80% of the ocean, is the same very cold temperature throughout. What happens when temperature changesSome properties of water change with temperature:
Water expands when it warms up – heat energy makes its molecules move around more and take up more space. Because the molecules are more spread out, the density goes down. When water cools, it contracts and becomes denser. Temperature and salinity both affect the density of water, resulting in water moving up or down through the ocean layers and moving as currents around the ocean. Activity ideaIn this activity on water temperature, students look at what happens when hot and cold water meet. Would you like to take a short survey?This survey will open in a new tab and you can fill it out after your visit to the site.
You are hereOceans cover more than two-thirds of the earth’s surface and play a very important role in regulating the earth’s weather and climate. Currently, oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat that is trapped in the atmosphere from increasing levels of
greenhouse gases, which raises the temperature of the water at the sea surface. Since the oceans continually interact with the atmosphere through the water cycle, an increase in the average global sea surface temperature can have
profound impacts on climate and weather systems. A higher sea surface temperature has led to an increase in the amount of water vapor over the oceans, increasing the risk of heavy rain and snow events. This higher temperature also has the potential to shift storm tracks and contribute to droughts in some areas. A warming ocean
temperature also causes sea levels to rise through thermal expansion, the distribution of many marine species to shift due to their dependence on specific water temperatures and nutrient availability, and changes the circulation patterns of deep ocean currents that transport warm and cold water around the globe. Learn MoreThe graph below shows how the average global sea surface temperature has changed from 1880 to 2015. What You Can Do
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What increases ocean temperature?Increasing ocean heat is closely linked to increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, making the ocean an excellent indicator of how much Earth is warming. Since 1971, the ocean has absorbed 90 percent of the excess energy added to Earth's climate by burning fossil fuels and other human activities.
How does temperature affect the ocean?Increases in sea surface temperature have led to an increase in the amount of atmospheric water vapor over the oceans. This water vapor feeds weather systems that produce precipitation, increasing the risk of heavy rain and snow (see the Heavy Precipitation and Tropical Cyclone Activity indicators).
What are three causes for water temperature variation in ocean water?Oceanic temperatures also vary by season, latitude, depth, ocean currents and convection 51. Surface water will vary more with season and latitude than deeper waters, and show diurnal (daily) fluctuations due to solar radiation and wind 53.
What happens to the temperature of the ocean as depth increases?Water gets colder with depth because cold, salty ocean water sinks to the bottom of the ocean basins below the less dense warmer water near the surface.
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Which of the following changes are linked to an increase in ocean water temperature?
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