Topic MAR of the research programme MARCOPOLI

The climate on Earth and its variability are largely controlled by interactions between ocean and atmosphere. For this reason, both are given high priority on the international climate agenda.

Ocean currents play the lead role in governing climate and weather conditions: apart from atmospheric circulation, they are the major factor in global temperature exchange. The reason is the oceans’ colossal size: 71 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by ocean water. Especially within the surface layers, the sun’s irradiation energy is transformed into thermal energy. The large specific heat capacity of water makes the ocean act as a buffer to seasonal temperature changes in the atmosphere. Thus, ocean and atmosphere contribute more or less equally to regulating energy transport of irradiation energy on Earth, providing the very essentials for life at higher latitudes.

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