Читать книгу Oceans For Dummies - Joseph Kraynak - Страница 33

Nobody has trouble with the concept of weather because it impacts us every day. We check weather forecasts daily to plan our outdoor activities, to find out how to dress ourselves and our kids, to decide whether or not to carry an umbrella, and more. On the other hand, many people struggle with the concept of climate. For example, some people wonder how climate change (or global warming, as it is sometimes called) can be real when they experience a rogue snowstorm in the spring.

Well, the difference between weather and climate is that weather is affected by short-term changes in the atmosphere, which can still cause a cold spell when there shouldn’t be one, whereas climate describes the AVERAGE weather in an area over a LONG PERIOD of time. For example, weather in a desert may be rainy or sunny on a particular day, but the climate is dry. Likewise, most of South Florida has a tropical climate (hot and humid), but the weather on some days may be cool and dry relative to Florida’s seasonal climate.

So let’s be very clear: Climate change (global warming) is real. According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880. That may not seem like much, but it is. Head over to Chapter 17 for more about climate change (global warming) and how it’s bad news for the ocean and for us.

The ocean also plays a key role in the water cycle — the continuous process by which water is carried around the world through evaporation, condensation, precipitation (rain and snow), and transpiration (the movement of water through plants). Even though the ocean is salt water, water that evaporates from the ocean’s surface is fresh water, and much of it falls to the ground as rain or snow, bringing us essential water for drinking and for growing food.

Nearly all precipitation that falls on land originates in the ocean.

The water that evaporates combined with heat from the ocean’s surface is responsible for the powerful storms that unleash their energy over land, often damaging coastlines and destroying property, but this is all part of the ocean’s role in regulating the weather and contributing to the water cycle. By the way, the ocean’s surface temperature can also impact the severity of storms, making them weaker or stronger.