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| Press Releases The Ocean Talks to Those Who Listen COLUMBIA, Maryland - December 2005 (The Center for Research on the Changing Earth System) From the beginning of time, the ocean has always intrigued us. It has given birth to life, inspired music, stimulated the creativity of artists and photographers, sailors brought home stories of monsters from its depths, it affects our senses, and the list goes on. But did you know that the ocean can talk? The ocean speaks to us in many ways, and recently, it revealed a hidden secret about the water cycle and how it can affect climate variability to a group of researchers at the Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES) in a study funded by the NASA-Ocean Physics Program. Ultimately, the global water cycle is central to life on the Earth. Most of us can recall, as early as grade school, our teachers showing us drawings of the water cycle. We would follow the arrows on the diagrams not realizing the significance--the sun heats the water, turns it into vapor, then the vapor in the air gets cold and condenses back to liquid forming clouds. When the clouds can no longer hold on to the liquid, it changes to precipitation and falls back to the Earth. After that the water soaks into the land as groundwater, or runs over the soil and collects in water bodies, some of which runs into the ocean. The ocean, which is the storehouse for water, is merely one part of the water cycle. It is as simple as that-or so it was thought. Recently, the ocean revealed another very important role that affects the water cycle and climate variability around the world. CRCES scientists have unlocked a hidden mystery of the ocean. No, they did not discover Atlantis, sea monsters, or mermaids. CRCES researchers have discovered something immensely more important. They have produced ground breaking results by using satellite data and a mathematical-computer model of the world oceans. Specifically, their research has shown that the amount of precipitation that falls into the ocean and the evaporation rate of ocean water affect the amount of dissolved salt (salinity) in the water. Water with more salinity is heavier than water with less salinity. The salinity level in the water also affects the temperature of the ocean water. Differences in heaviness of the water over some distance also affects the strength and direction of ocean currents. Some areas may have more precipitation than evaporation which causes less salinity in the water. In other areas, salinity is increased because of less precipitation than evaporation. The combination of salinity and temperature of the water play an important role in climate variability. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in the "Indo-Pacific Warm Pool" which is located in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean (see www.crces.org for a movie of the Warm Pool), where the surface water is some of the warmest and freshest on the Earth. For the first time, CRCES researchers have verified through ship-based observations of salinity and a mathematical-computer model of the world oceans that changes in precipitation and evaporation in this part of the world affect ocean salinity and temperature directly which can influence climate. Consequently, the research on the Warm Pool is producing exciting results and a greater understanding of how ocean-atmosphere interaction in this area affects worldwide climate. Understanding the physics of Warm Pool is vitally important, because this research may increase predictability of floods and droughts. Indeed, the ocean is talking, and it is up to us to listen; it can help us in improving our lives!! For further information, please refer to the following journal articles at www.crces.org.
The Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Since its inception in 2002, CRCES's mission is towards an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to research in the science of slow variability within the Earth System components and in societal adaptation to this slow variability necessary for socio-economic and political stability of the global society in the 21st century. Contact information:Science queries: General queries:
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