Oceanic climate

Climate zones are areas of the earth that are characterized by their distinct climates. The zones are five different climatic parameters: latitude, altitude, winds, distance from the sea, and how the area slopes toward the sun. They occur in an east-west direction around the earth.

Because the surface of the earth is curved and the sun’s rays are dispersed over different areas of land, temperatures differ according to their distance to the equator, increasing as they move toward the equator and decreasing as they move away from it. Regions at the two ends of the earth—known as the poles—are coldest because the sun’s rays have further to travel.

The oceanic climate is one of the earth’s twelve different climate regions according to a classification by Wladimir Koppen. Koppen’s climate classification was first published by the Russian German climatologist in 1884, and several modifications have been made over the years by Köppen himself, including the most recent one in 1936.

Background

The oceanic climate, also referred to as the marine west coast climate or the maritime climate, is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the earth’s continents, as well as in southeastern Australia.

Areas with oceanic climates stretch from the western shores of Europe—Portugal to Norway—and on the western shoreline of America. Beginning in San Francisco, they continue to British Colombia in Canada. The areas in the Southern Hemisphere include Chile, New Zealand, and Australia.

There are also regions with climates similar to those classified as oceanic that are found in tropical highlands, which are not particularly close to the coastline. Both regions benefit from relatively mild winters and cool summers. Inclusion is reliable at all times during the year in oceanic climates but not in the tropical highlands, where the winters are dryer. The Pacific Northwest and south central Chile have oceanic climates, although the dry summers in parts of these areas are more akin to a Mediterranean climate.

Overall temperature characteristics vary among oceanic climates. Some areas with oceanic climates have a more limited annual range of temperatures than other places with similar latitudes, which do not share the Mediterranean climates’ dry summers. Average temperatures of the warmest summer months are less than 22°C and that of the coldest month is warmer than -3°C.

Overview

The twelve regions classified by Wladimir Koppen broke down the earth’s surface according to several factors and indicated the effect of each on the earth’s climates. Since then, the focus of climate research has been on the consequences of climate changes on the global environment. As concern for the environment increased over the years, one organization, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), was established in 1992 to ensure that climate-related issues were monitored and made available to all. Climate control has become a major international issue and has united leaders of countries throughout the world along a singular problem.

Since the ocean plays a major role as a climate regulator, much research and monitoring has focused on ocean currents and their effect on the global environment. Almost 71 percent of the earth is covered by oceans—the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern—with the Pacific alone covering more than half the planet and more than all the land areas combined. The oceans contain nearly 1.34 billion cubic kilometers of water; 97 percent of the earth’s waters are overwhelmingly salt water; in addition, 2 percent is ice and 1 percent is fresh water.

Oceans absorb twice as much of the sun’s radiation as the land surface or atmosphere. (That explains why swimmers get tanned much quicker than those sitting on the sand.) Vast amounts of heat are moved across the earth by ocean currents. However, because oceans are confined by land masses, their heat moves in a more localized way and is directed only into specific regions.

A panel of experts has identified fifty essential climate variables that are used when observing the climate. Much of the observation is done by satellites and is conducted by NASA. The variables are divided into surface ocean variables and subsurface ocean variables. One surface variable is the sea surface temperature (SST), which is the top two square meters or the "skin" temperature of the ocean. Another measurable variable is the ocean’s color, which is strongly influenced by the phytoplankton, microscopic algae that contain chlorophyll. With the right combination of nutrients, water temperature, and sunlight, this algae can be clearly seen from space. Dissolved natural materials and sediments add to the color.

Phytoplankton is often accompanied by zooplankton, which contains microscopic organisms that form the base of the global oceanic food chain. According to scientists, photosynthesis converts the phytoplankton into about half the world’s oxygen.

Another surface variable is the amount of sea ice that forms at the ocean’s surface, especially in polar areas. An area considered to have extensive sea ice is where at least 15 percent of the surface is covered with ice. Satellite instruments measure the extent of sea ice, while submarines and vehicles that are operated remotely are used to monitor the thickness of sea ice.

Ocean salinity is another surface variable; this is reported in units of grams of salt per one thousand grams of water. The amount of salt changes as a result of variations in the rate of the ocean’s evaporation, as well as the amount of precipitation taking place over the ocean.

The height of the sea's surface is another important variable that is useful in understanding weather and other climate effects; this is subject to gravity, tides, ocean temperatures, winds, and currents.

There are also several subsurface ocean variables that are also measured; these include temperature, ocean heat content and flux, carbon dioxide, winds, currents, and sea level.

Bibliography

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