2007-09-12 11:18:17 · 5 answers · asked by jim m 5 in Environment ➔ Global Warming
On average no, but in some circumstances it does primarily because of convective air currents. The majority of the troposphere is well below the freezing point of water. Heat is constantly being transferred from the surface of the planet to the atmosphere by a complex process of radiation, conduction and convection. Huge convective circulation patterns in the atmosphere attempt to balance the very warm air at the equator with the frigid polar regions. The oceans also transfer this stored solar energy from equator to polar regions and vice versa, but at a much slower rate.
2007-09-12 14:28:24 · answer #1 · answered by Tomcat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does. Heat tries to reach a point of equilibrium, if you have a warmer and cooler medium (air and water in your example) then heat will be transfered from the warmer to the cooler medium until such time as they're both at the same temperature.
The oceans moderate our weather and climate to a large extent, in hot climates they cool the air by abosrbing heat from it and in cold climates they warm the air by releasing heat into it.
The atmosphere globally is currently warmer than the average global temperature of the ocean so there is a net heat loss from the atmosphere into the ocean. If the atmopshere was to cool to a temperature below that of the oceans then the oceans would act like a ginat radiator releasing heat into the atmopshere.
2007-09-12 18:44:00 · answer #2 · answered by Trevor 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
no the sun does. the ocean helps warm the atmosphere with evaporation of water
2007-09-12 18:25:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Global warming? I don’t think the water is exempt from that
2007-09-12 18:23:05 · answer #4 · answered by High.Blue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they effect each other. They are inner-dependent. I will leave it to some other geek if he/she wants to explain.
2007-09-12 18:29:50 · answer #5 · answered by Hathor 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋