The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and land and its role in the life of the planet

There were times in the oldest history of the planet, when the entire surface of the Earth was covered with water masses. In these endless spaces, the first life in the form of unicellular creatures was once born. Then continents separated from the water (true, in ancient times they did not have the same appearance as today). The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and land conditioned the emergence of life forms from the aquatic environment, their development and diversity. And in the end - the emergence of higher mammals and humans on Earth.

Importance of the World Ocean

In the life of the whole planet as a single organism, the ocean masses perform the most important tasks. The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and land is determined by some physical properties of water, which is inherent in absorbing much more heat than drier. The water heats up more slowly, but for a long time it is capable of retaining heat. Thus, more than two-thirds of all heat received from the Sun is absorbed by the water masses. And only ten centimeters of water on the surface contains much more heat than in the atmospheric layers. It is no accident that the world's ocean is called a thermal energy accumulator on a planetary scale. The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and the land is expressed primarily in the fact that it delivers moisture into the air, which then feeds the Earth's land in the form of sediments. This is how the global cycle of water is achieved , without which life on the planet would be under a big question (at least on its land side).

Salt exchange

The interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere affects the "metabolism" on a planetary scale. What does it consist of? Let's consider in more detail. So, we found out that the world ocean saturates the atmosphere with moisture and then adds sediment to land areas. But simultaneously with this moisture (in the course of evaporation and spraying with the help of winds), there are salts in the air that are full of ocean water. Turned into aerosols (the smallest particles suspended in the atmosphere), these salts are part of the precipitation falling to the ground.

Exchange of moisture and heat

The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and land can be described by the following scheme. Cold air masses heat above the warm layers of the ocean, and warm air, on the contrary, cools over the cold. The heat (and moisture) stored in the ocean goes to the near atmosphere. Above the surface of the world ocean special sea air masses are formed. They radically differ from the continental by high humidity and a wide range of temperature conditions. These temperature features (their difference) contribute to the appearance of a difference in atmospheric pressure and contribute to the movement of air masses from the ocean to the continents. That is why the coast is always a special, mild, "sea" climate.

Winds and currents

A vivid example of interaction - monsoons, special seasonal winds. They are formed at the boundary between water and land and strongly affect the climatic conditions of the continents.

The currents in the world's oceans (for example, the Gulf Stream), as a result of interaction, also fulfill one of the most important tasks. They carry huge amounts of heat (more than transmitted through air) from equatorial to moderate and even polar latitudes, providing energy supply and a kind of "heating" of the Earth.

Hydrosphere: the interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere

The hydrosphere is the water shell of the planet. It includes all types of water on Earth: the world's ocean, subterranean, surface continental. Their total volume reaches more than one and a half million cubic kilometers with a mass exceeding the mass of the atmosphere by hundreds of times. Of these, ocean waters occupy the most part - over 95%. It is generally believed that life appeared in the hydrosphere for the first time and began to develop. And only in the Paleozoic, animals and plants began to be selected for land.

Life in the ocean

The interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and land conditions the diversity of life forms in the world's oceans. It creates and develops a great variety of living beings: from the smallest microorganisms to the largest mammals on the planet - giant whales. The ocean is a storehouse of food reserves for all mankind. Here the mammals are fishing, fishing, gathering algae and plankton. And from the sea gifts are not only food, but also medicines for diseases.