Ocean effects on weather and climate.

Abstract

A thermodynamic model is used for the Northern Hemisphere, in January and July, to evaluate in the Atmosphere-Ocean-Continent System the contributions to the temperatura fields of the evaporation and the sensible heat given off to the atmosphere from the surface of the oceans; and of the storage of heat in the oceans. Computations of the response of the Atmosphere-Ocean-Continent System to an initial anomaly in the surface ocean temperature of 2°C over the whole oceanic areas are carried out. The results show that important anomalies in the temperature fields, the heating functions and the atmospheric circulation are generated, that depend on the season of the year. A quantitative estimate of the ocean effects in the response of the Atmosphere-OceanContinent System to an increase of two percent in the solar constant is carried out, for the Northern Hemisphere.