How does the ocean affect the weather?
Heat transfers readily from ocean to atmosphere, and much of the sun’s radiation is absorbed by the ocean. In fact, the upper ten feet (3 metres) of the ocean holds as much heat as the entire atmosphere. Ocean currents move warm surface water away from the tropics and return cold water to them via the ocean floor in a conveyer system. As the surface currents flow, they release heat into the environment, and thereby affect our weather. How widely accepted is the theory that we could be heading for a climate like Iceland’s? If the ocean conveyer were to shutdown, the Gulf Stream would no longer reach our shores the UK would lose its heat blanket, allowing the full force of winter to hit us in much the same way it does Iceland. If this change were to happen within the next 20 years, Britain would be plunged into the worst winters in living memory. There would be ice storms that break power cables and phone lines. Snow might lie on the ground for a month or more, and temperatures could
