How do ocean currents affect land temperature?
552585
Oceanic currents are part of the global system of circulation that distributes the Sun's energy (including warmth) in the planet. Just like the wind currents transport warmer and colder air masses, oceanic currents distribute colder water from the poles to lower latitudes (cold currents are usually deep because cold water sinks under warmer water masses), and warm water from intertropical areas gets transported to higher latitudes (surface currents). \nOceanic currents also differ in their salinity (salt concentration) levels, which is also very important for aquatic organisms as well as for the global circulation, because salinity affects the freezing point of water. Therefore, oceanic currents affect the normal formation of ice, which also affects neighboring land masses and in turn alters the global circulation. \n\nThe influence of oceanic currents is especially important in coastal areas, but the amounts of energy transported by oceanic currents equals the transport by wind currents, and can affect temperature/precipitation balances throughout the world. El Niño (it's complete name is ENSO - El Niño Southern Oscillation) is a good example of the way a change in an oceanic current can alter land climate, e.g. causing droughts.\nAnother example is the Gulf Stream which "warms up" the North Atlantic Ocean and northeaster Europe.\n\nAbout the El Niño-La Niña cycle (ENSO):\nhttp://www.cdc.noaa.gov/ENSO/
777485
I give you a couple of hints:\n\nThe sun radiation heats Earth´s surface generating a  movement of air due to the phenomenon of convection: hot air (near the surface) goes up while cold air (high layers of atmosphere) goes down. The air can be wet of dry depending the zone that is heated by the sun (most of the water in atmosphere results from the evaporation of oceanic masses when sun radiation hits the superficial waters for example). \n\nNormally, hot and wet masses of air travel to the North of the planet while the cold and dry travels to the south hemisphere. The encounter of these masses can cause violent hurricanes in some zones of the planet, droughts in others and heavy rains in some others.\n\n(If you need more information I have to tell you that you should travel to www.wikipedia.org)\n\nHope it helps you!\n\nGood luck!
545162
Insider Mole has a pretty good answer. You might add that, because the Atlantic is narrower, the effect of the Gulf Stream is more pronounced than the similar currents that move throughout the Pacific Ocean. I don't know for certain but that is what I would believe.
28515
During the day, the sun warming the land also warms the air. Since land heats up quicker than water does, the air over land gets warmer than the air over the water. Consiquently, the warmer air, being less dense moves up. To fill its place the cooler air over the water moves in to fill its place creating whats known as a Sea Breeze. Reversly, at night the land cools down faster than the water does, and creates a Land Breeze.
915955
You have probably noticed that the jet stream, cold fronts, and that sort of weather all moves across the U.S. from west to east. What is happening is that New York, even though it is on the coast, is getting its weather from air masses that have come across thousands of miles of land, so the effect of being near the ocean is minimal. \n\nThis is only the case in big weather events such as fronts. On days where not much is going on, I suspect that the land/sea breeze dominates the daily temperatures and makes it fairly mild.
248222
Depends on where you are. If you live near a body of water, the wind shifts from day to night because of the nature of wind. Air will move from higher pressure to lower, and in the day, the water is colder than the land, so the wind will run to the water. In the night, the water is warmer than the land, so the wind will rush inland. In general, I'd say in the morning, because the sun's rays would heat things up faster, causing higher air pressure, and resulting in wind flow.
585411
There are always different feedbacks in the system, positive and negative. At some point, too large of an increase in temperature triggers a strong negative feedback mechanism, so it won't get extremely hot. In earth, one simple feedback mechanism is through short wave reflection: as it is hotter, there is more evaporation, more clouds, more short wave is reflected back to space, leaving less on earth. With less radiation it gets colder.\nOther, more significant negative feedback mechanisms work on longer timescales. A very discussed one (though not firmly established) regards the thermohaline circulation that ecycles water from the deep ocean. Currently, the gulf stream warms Europe and the North Atlantic because it sinks near Greenland and Labrador. However if it gets too warm, excess river discharge and precipitation at high latitudes decrease the water salinity there, so that the water no longer sinks and the whole circulation stops. With no gulf stream, a large part of the world cools. This process is believed to be the responsible for the triggering of ice ages in the past.
465815
Wind driven surface currents (such as the Gulf Stream) head polewards from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, cooling all the while and eventually sinking at high latitudes (forming North Atlantic Deep Water). This dense water then flows downhill into the deep water basins, only resurfacing in the northeast Pacific Ocean 1200 years later. Extensive mixing therefore takes place between the ocean basins, reducing differences between them and making the Earth's ocean a global system. On their journey, the water masses piggyback both energy (in the form of heat) and matter (solids, dissolved substances and gases) around the globe. As such, the state of the circulation has a large impact on the climate of our planet.  It's also called thermohaline circulation
725902
Hi. They are surface currents. : http://www.answers.com/topic/mixed-layer
968670
Water in the sea can vary in salt concentration, temperature and in ion ratios. The first two create differences in the density of the water and therefore warm / less salty (light) water floats on cold/ salty (heavy) water.\n\nSince these currents do not mix easily, different ratio's of ions in seawater can maintain their difference. These differences are created by sources of ions (vulcanic activity which can create specific ions, incoming rivers) or by the fact that certain ion concentrations (HCO3-, HSOx-) are very temperature dependent. \n\nusefull info can be found on http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/marinesci/02ocean/swcomposition.htm
901542
It is not a place.  It is an atmospheric phenomenon.  It is a periodic weather pattern that results in more severe weathe patterns than normal.  This usually means heavier winds and rains during the season.\n\nIt is NOT an ocean current, although ocean currents are the reason weather patterns persist.\n\nThe pattern is not exactly repetitive, so it cannot be particulary predicted with any accuracy.  While some try, no one can really say that we are in an "El Nino" westher pattern until we are well in one.
570474
Convection current is caused by the expansion of a liquid, solid, or gas as its temperature rises. The expanded material, being less dense, rises, while colder, denser material sinks. Material of neutral buoyancy moves laterally. Convection currents arise in the atmosphere above warm land masses or seas, giving rise to sea breezes and land breezes, respectively. In some heating systems, convection currents are used to carry hot water upwards in pipes.\n\nConvection currents in the hot, solid rock of the Earth's mantle help to drive the movement of the rigid plates making up the Earth's surface.  \n\nHope this helps!
1009255
well, scientists and meteorologists theorise that because of global warming, the ocean's waters are getting warmer and causing more hurricanes and tropical storms to spawn. also, the earth is the warmest it's been in over 2000 years. all you need to know, WE BEAT THE RECORD! :P
638601
Most of the materials in mud are at least twice as dense as water and settle out rather quickly. Very small particles stay suspended longer. The ocean currents are not nearly as turbulent as river currents since it has much less obstructions to flow around, so there is less energy to keep the particles suspended.\n\nHowever, the correct answer is "it does". The ocean does mix with the earth and form mud, as a trip to a seashore with sediments fine enough to form mud will show you. Even when the sediments settle to the bottom they are still mud. It just isn't enough to fill the entire ocean, and is often covered with clear water that the sediments have settled out of already.
352237
The instrumental record of surface temperature change is based on a combination of land air, marine air, and ocean surface temperature changes recorded over roughly the past century and a half.
587505
There are a number of currents in the ocean in which the water temperature is different from the surrounding area.  The most famous of these is the Gulf Stream that brings warm water from the tropic areas north off the East Coast of the United States and then across the Atlantic to Europe.\n\nNote that this movement is clockwise if you look at it from space.  Of course, this also means that on the other side of the ocean, cold water will move south to complete the circuit.\n\nNow we go to California.  There is a cold current called the California current that brings water from the area off Alaska in the same manner.  This cold water is also full of nutrients which is why there are the kelp forest and abundant wildlife.  It moves in the same manner as the Atlantic Ocean example.\n\nHope this answers your question.
860373
The most important change would be with the weather, for example California would have more rainfall but the east would have substantially less. This would also cause a shift in the ocean currents and the vast rivers under the oceans could be reversed causing further climatic change.