66 a 



E. OCEANOGRAPHY AS All AID TO lETEOROLOGY 



Tlie relationship between Oceanography and Meteorology 

 is of an oTder different from that between it and Geology, 

 bscause nieteorologic events do not take place v/ithin the 

 sea, as geologic do. But the state of the surface of the 

 sea so directly affects that of the air above it that 

 meteorologists are -much concerned with certain phases of 

 Oceanography, as Professor 0, F, Brooks explains in the 

 following statement :- 



"Oceanography can contribute much to meteorology, for 

 nearly three-quarters of the atmosphere rests on the ocean, 

 the heated surface of ?;hich provides all the vapor for the 

 air and controls its temperature to a considerable height. 

 The oceanic factors involved in this discharge of vapor and 

 in this heat regulation are not only the temperature of the 

 surface, f but ^il3o the salinity of the surface, the storage 

 of heat below the surface and, through convection, its 

 availability to the surface, and the horizontal movements 

 of these waters in currents and drifts. 



Since, because of their high thermal capacity, the 

 surface \Yaters of the oceans contain enormous amounts of 

 available heat, they exert a steadying and moderating effect 

 on the climate of the world. The oceans take in and give 

 off heat slowly and regularly, and temperature conditions 

 of the imter tend to persist ^ long time and to travel 

 slowly. Sea temperature observations across the ocean in- 

 dicate the persistence of unusual warmth or coolness of 

 extended masses of water for months - even for a year, or 

 perhaps two - as, carried in the various currents and 

 drifts, they make the circuit of the North Atlantic, or 

 cross the Pacific, This leads one to believe that (quoting 

 Petterson) "besides trying to predict the extremely var- 

 iable state of the fickle atmosphere, one should give more 

 attention to the conservative element of meteorology, the 

 surface sheet of the ocean, where changes at one place 

 may be observed months before " they reach, and affect the 

 weather of, some other region. 



Indirectly, the sea has another effect on v/orld weather. 

 Differences in vapor content and in air temperature determine 

 the contrasts in de?3sity and, therefore, in pressures of 

 the atuosphere between different portions of the oceans and 

 betvfeen the oceans and the lands. And these pressure diff- 

 erences rake the winds, Th^js the temperatures of the sur- 

 face of the soa, and their background, the storage of heat 

 in the sea and the currents that carry this stored heat, 

 are fundamental to meteorology. 



The planetary belts of temperature, pressure, v;ind, and 

 storm are best developed over the sea, and dominate the 

 viorld' 3 climates. The general homogeneity of the sea sur- 

 face favors approximately equal humidities and temperatures 

 along any parallel of latitude as the sun goes through its 



