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What causes ocean water around the equator to be warmer than ocean water?
The ocean receives most of its heat along the equator, where incoming solar radiation is about double that received at the poles. Hence, sea surfaces are much warmer along the equator than at the poles.
What causes ocean water to be colder at poles than at the equator?
The curvature of the Earth causes the Sun’s energy to spread out over larger areas with increasing latitude. The amount of solar energy in a given area is greater at the equator than in an equal area at the poles, which is why the equator temperature is warmer than the polar temperatures.
Which type of energy causes the equator to be hotter than the North Pole apex?
Convection in the atmosphere is mainly the result of the fact that more of the Sun’s heat energy is received by parts of the Earth near the Equator than at the poles.
What causes ocean water near the equator to be warmer at the equator than farther north?
Because the Earth’s equator is warmed by the most direct rays of the Sun, air at the equator is hotter than air further north or south. This hotter air rises up at the equator and as colder air moves in to take its place, winds begin to blow and push the ocean into waves and currents.
What causes ocean water to become warmer at the?
The ocean absorbs heat from the Sun and ocean currents move that warm water all around the planet. As Earth’s climate warms, the water also warms melting sea ice. This warming could make the water less cold and less likely to sink.
Which ocean current transports warm water away from Earth’s equatorial region?
the Gulf Stream
Let’s take the Gulf Stream as an example; you can find the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Ocean in Figure 14.15. The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that transports warm water from the equator past the east coast of North America and across the Atlantic to Europe.
What makes the ocean water warmer?
The main source of ocean heat is sunlight. The heat energy eventually re-enters the rest of the Earth system by melting ice shelves, evaporating water, or directly reheating the atmosphere. Thus, heat energy in the ocean can warm the planet for decades after it was absorbed.
Why is the top layer of the ocean the warmest?
Water is warmest at the surface, as it is warmed by the sun, and the sun’s rays can only penetrate depths less than 1000 m (section 6.5). Since the surface water is warmer it is also less dense than the deep water (section 6.3), so it remains at the surface where it can be warmed even more.