2.3.

The Role of Ocean Current in Regulating Global Climate

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(2022), one way the world's ocean influences weather and climate is by
helping to keep our planet warm. The ocean absorbs the bulk of the Sun's
light, particularly in tropical areas around the equator, where the ocean
behaves as a vast, heat-retaining solar panel. Ocean currents move warm
water and precipitation from the equator to the poles and cold water from the
poles back to the tropics, much like a conveyor belt. Thus, ocean currents
assist to manage global climate by compensating for the unequal distribution
of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface. Regional temperatures would be
more severe without ocean currents — scorching hot at the equator and cold
near the poles — and considerably less of Earth's land would be livable. Ocean
water is always in motion, and not just in the shape of waves and tides. Ocean
currents move like huge rivers, following regular patterns. Some ocean
currents move near the surface, while others flow deep within the ocean. Some
currents travel small distances, while others traverse whole ocean basins or
even round the world (National Geographic Society, 2023).
Ocean currents are a primary influence of meteorological and
climatological conditions as they occur on land. From assisting in global
warming to affecting precipitation patterns throughout the world, to playing
an important part in the global carbon cycle. Life as we know and live it would
not be the same without the influence of the currents, and if we change them
through our own arrogance, the long-term consequences might be disastrous
(Greentumble, 2018).
2.4. The Tidal Cycles

According to National Science Foundation (2023), a tidal cycle consists

of one high tide followed by a low tide. The flow of water on the Earth's
surface caused by tides is hampered by land masses. As a result, the ensuing
tidal cycle or pattern is determined by geographic location. Along the Earth's
major shorelines, three primary tidal patterns exist. Most locations get two
high tides and two low tides every day. A semi-daily or semidiurnal tide occurs
when the two highs and lows are almost the same height. A mixed semidiurnal
tide occurs when the heights of the high and low tides vary. Some places, like
the Gulf of Mexico, only have one high and one low tide every day. This is
known as a diurnal tide. The West Coast of the United States has mixed
semidiurnal tides, whereas the East Coast has a semidiurnal pattern (National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2023).
REFERENCES

Greentumble (2018). How do ocean currents affect climate?

https://greentumble.com/how-do-ocean-currents-affect-climate

National Geographic Society (2023). Ocean Currents.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ocean-currents/

National Science Foundation (2023). Tidal Cycles.

https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/coastlines/
student_materials/985

NOAA (2023). Tides and Water Levels.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides07_cycles.html

NOAA (2022). How does the ocean affect climate and weather on land?
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/climate.html