Which ocean feature affects climate?

Which ocean feature affects climate?

Ocean currents act much like a conveyor belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, ocean currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface.

How does water affect climate?

Large bodies of water such as oceans, seas, and large lakes affect the climate of an area. Water heats and cools more slowly than land. Therefore, in the summer, the coastal regions will stay cooler and in winter warmer. A more moderate climate with a smaller temperature range is created.

Which water property has the greatest effect on climate and temperature?

Water's Influence on Temperature. One unique property of water is its high heat capacity – the highest of all liquids other than liquid ammonia. This property is due to the hydrogen bond between water molecules.

Which property of water affects climate in coastal areas?

Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock so the ocean takes much longer to heat and to cool than the land. Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean.

What factors are affecting climate?

The temperature characteristics of a region are influenced by natural factors such as latitude, elevation and the presence of ocean currents. The precipitation characteristics of a region are influenced by factors such as proximity to mountain ranges and prevailing winds.

How are oceans affected by climate change?

As greenhouse gases trap more energy from the sun, the oceans are absorbing more heat, resulting in an increase in sea surface temperatures and rising sea level. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents brought about by climate change will lead to alterations in climate patterns around the world.

What is one factor that affects climate?

Introduction: Climate is determined by the temperature and precipitation characteristics of a region over time. The temperature characteristics of a region are influenced by natural factors such as latitude, elevation and the presence of ocean currents.

How does ocean pollution affect climate change?

Marine plastic pollution breaks down into microplastics and contributes to climate change both through direct GHG emissions and indirectly by negatively affecting ocean organisms.

Which property of water has the most effect on erosion?

Erosion: Ice takes up more physical space than the same amount of liquid water. This is why, if you fill a container of water to the top and then freeze it, the container may burst. This property of water is important to the erosion process. Water gets into cracks in rocks, freezes and expands.

How does ocean salinity affect climate?

As the salinity of water increases, the freezing point decreases (29), meaning that an ocean of higher salinity has less potential to form sea ice and therefore remains ice free at much lower temperatures.

What is the most common factor to affect climate?

The most important natural factors are:

  • distance from the sea.
  • ocean currents.
  • direction of prevailing winds.
  • shape of the land (known as 'relief' or 'topography')
  • distance from the equator.
  • the El Niño phenomenon.

Which two factors have the greatest effect on climate?

The two most important factors in the climate of an area are temperature and precipitation. The yearly average temperature of the area is obviously important, but the yearly range in temperature is also important. Some areas have a much larger range between highest and lowest temperature than other areas.

How does climate change affect the ocean quizlet?

How does climate change affect earth's oceans? The pH level of the ocean will shift to a more acidic environment, leading to stress and the possible extinction of many species of shellfish and corals.

What are the main impacts of climate change?

More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on people's livelihoods and communities. As climate change worsens, dangerous weather events are becoming more frequent or severe.

Which three factors have the greatest effect on Earth’s climate?

Which three factors have the greatest effect on Earth's climate? The sun, the atmosphere, and the ocean.

What is the most important element of climate?

Although temp., pressure and humidity, all are important elements of weather and climate, the temp. is the basis of all these as all other elements directly or indirectly depend on it.

What causes climate change in the ocean?

As greenhouse gases trap more energy from the sun, the oceans are absorbing more heat, resulting in an increase in sea surface temperatures and rising sea level. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents brought about by climate change will lead to alterations in climate patterns around the world.

How does ocean pollution affect the environment?

The increased concentration of chemicals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in the coastal ocean promotes the growth of algal blooms, which can be toxic to wildlife and harmful to humans. The negative effects on health and the environment caused by algal blooms hurt local fishing and tourism industries.

Which property of water provides the cooling effect of sweating?

High Heat of Vaporization • Evaporation has a cooling effect. When a molecule evaporates it separates from other molecules in a liquid and becomes a vapour molecule. Large amounts of heat are needed to evaporate water, because H-bonds need to be broken. Sweating is an example of using water as a coolant.

Which property of water is most involved in chemical weathering?

Chemical weathering is caused by rain water reacting with the mineral grains in rocks to form new minerals (clays) and soluble salts. These reactions occur particularly when the water is slightly acidic.

What does ocean salinity affect?

Salinity can affect the density of ocean water: Water that has higher salinity is denser and heavier and will sink underneath less saline, warmer water. This can affect the movement of ocean currents. It can also affect marine life, which may need to regulate its intake of saltwater.

Does salinity affect temperature?

Water of salinity less than 24.7 has an anomalous density maximum. Pure water has its maximum density at about 4°C, but the maximum density of water occurs at lower temperatures as salinity increases. Between 4°C and the freezing point, the density of pure water decreases as temperature decreases.

What factors affect climate change?

Causes of Climate Change

  • Heat-trapping Greenhouse Gases And The Earth's Climate. …
  • Greenhouse Gases. …
  • Reflectivity or Absorption of the Sun's Energy. …
  • Changes in the Earth's Orbit and Rotation. …
  • Variations in Solar Activity. …
  • Changes in the Earth's Reflectivity. …
  • Volcanic Activity.

What are the factors affecting climate change?

Causes of Climate Change

  • Heat-trapping Greenhouse Gases And The Earth's Climate. …
  • Greenhouse Gases. …
  • Reflectivity or Absorption of the Sun's Energy. …
  • Changes in the Earth's Orbit and Rotation. …
  • Variations in Solar Activity. …
  • Changes in the Earth's Reflectivity. …
  • Volcanic Activity.

Which of the following are ways in which climate change is affecting the oceans and ocean life?

Coral bleaching Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to increases in temperature. And new research shows that oceans are now experiencing longer and more severe “marine heat waves” that could push even more ocean animals and ecosystems to their limits.

In which ways does the ocean reduce the effects of climate change quizlet?

Ocean currents carry warm water and rain from the equator to the poles. They also carry cold water from the poles toward the equator. The currents help to prevent higher temperatures at the equator and increase the warmth at the poles.

What is the leading cause of climate change?

Greenhouse Gases Burning fossil fuels changes the climate more than any other human activity. Carbon dioxide: Human activities currently release over 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

What are the largest contributors to climate change?

Since 1970, CO2 emissions have increased by about 90%, with emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes contributing about 78% of the total greenhouse gas emissions increase from 1970 to 2011. Agriculture, deforestation, and other land-use changes have been the second-largest contributors.

What are the elements that affects climate?

These elements are solar radiation, temperature, humidity, precipitation (type, frequency, and amount), atmospheric pressure, and wind (speed and direction). Learn more about what distinguishes weather from climate.

Who is most affected by ocean pollution?

Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.