Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.14.
Mean annual heat budget at the ocean-atmosphere interface from 1984
to 2007 in W/m
2
above and, below, mean annual temperature from 1984 to 2007 on
the surface of the oceans in °C (data from http://oaflux.whoi.edu/heatflux.html)
(© Sébastien Masson (LOCEAN/IPSL, CNRS/IRD/ UPMC)) (see color section)
Ocean and atmosphere also exchange water at their interface. The
ocean indeed gains mass from the
run off
from rivers and by
atmospheric precipitations, it loses it by evaporation (which is the
second interpretation of the latent heat flux). Globally, the ocean loses
mass in the tropical belt; it gains it by the precipitations of west winds
at mid-latitudes, and in the strong precipitations of the atmospheric
intertropical convergence zones. These water fluxes are visible
through variations in salinity: these increase in areas of evaporation
and diminish in areas of precipitation.
