World Meteorological Day Shines Light on Our Oceans

The physical relationship between the sun and earth is the main mechanism that controls the changes in weather and climate across the globe, when examining it at a very macro-level scale.

Considering that the surface of our planet is approximately 71% covered by water and the remaining 29% is land-covered, we are a water strong planet. Interestingly, about 97% of the planet’s water is held in the oceans with the remaining amounts in lakes, groundwater, and the atmosphere.

These facts beg inquiry and examination. How big of a role do our oceans play as a controller of our weather conditions and climates across the globe? And what function do our oceans have in influencing weather and climate?  First, weather is what is happening in our atmosphere on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Secondly, climate is a 30-year average of daily, weekly and monthly weather conditions. Both are comprised of temperatures, rainfalls, cloud covers, winds, droughts, floods and severe weather, but each of these is considered over significantly different time frames (i.e., hours vs. decades). What should I wear today is a weather-related question? What is the planting season going to be like next year is a climate-related question?  Weather relates to short-term impacts and climate relates to long-term impacts when thinking of those experiences across time and space.    

 The oceans influence climate by absorbing incoming short-wave solar radiation from the sun and over time releasing long-wave radiation, as heat radiating from the surface of the oceans back into the atmosphere. This in turn: 1) drives atmospheric wind circulations and patterns, 2) causes the release of aerosol particles that influence cloud cover and rainfall patterns, and 3) absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing it, and then slowly over long periods of time release it back into the atmosphere. So, if we did not have the large ocean basins we have across earth, we would experience very different short-term weather patterns impacting climate averages, including vastly different rates of carbon dioxide absorption and release.

Without our oceans, Earth would be another Mars type of planet. Based on what we know today, Mars has no known living organisms.  On Earth, it is important we take care of our oceans because life depends on healthy oceans. A few ways we can help our oceans prosper is by reducing the number of pollutants we use in our daily lives, such as herbicides and household cleaners; eliminate single use plastics; eat sustainable seafood, and dispose our trash properly.

To celebrate World Meteorological Day on March 23, let’s make a commitment to do some of these simple but meaningful steps to help keep our oceans clean and healthy, as they ultimately influence how you and I live and grow. Our team at Westward is committed to quarterly participation in the TxDOT Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup Program and have an active recycling program at our offices.

Gosh, it is tough enough to accurately spell the word “meteorological,” but when it comes to providing accurate, on-time, on-budget air dispersion modeling analyses for the air permitting process and requested meteorological services, Westward gets it right.