Читать книгу Oceans For Dummies - Joseph Kraynak - Страница 23

The ocean plays a critical role in keeping our planet at a steady temperature as it transports heat (and energy) around the globe. Of course, it’s not that simple, and the ocean doesn’t do this all by itself; it works together with the atmosphere and land to create our climate and influence the ever-changing weather patterns:

 Climate: The prevailing weather over a long period of time (usually more than 30 years), such as tropical (warm and wet), desert (hot dry), polar (cold and dry), and temperate (neither extremely hot nor extremely cold).

 Weather: Atmospheric conditions over a short period of time in respect to temperature, sunshine, storms, wind, and precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail).

The impact of the ocean on weather is most dramatic when the ocean releases some of its energy in the form of a tropical cyclone (a hurricane, cyclone, or typhoon). See Chapter 17 for more about how the ocean influences climate and weather.