Question

How does the ocean currents affect climate?

Answer 1

Horizontal currents moving northward or southward may carry warmed or cooled water for very long distance. The displaced warm water raises the temperature of the air while the cold water cools the air, and the land surface where the blows. For instance, water from the tropical Atlantic moves northwards through Atlantic in a Gulf Stream suffusing the Western Europe’s shores thus producing a mild climate. The mild climate raises the temperatures of the region higher than the regions across the Atlantic but on the same latitude. The Gulf Stream explains why Canada's east coast is locked in ice while England is not especially during winter. The current cooling events being experienced in Western Europe is attributed to the Gulf Stream slowing down as a result of the global warming which has caused the polar ice cap to melt and slowing down the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt.