Sea currents are basically the results of a mixture of things, combining to create a grand push in both the water and the area on the surface. These things include wind, temperature, salinity differences, and tides that are influenced by the gravitational pulls of the moon and sun. Like much of our environment, we are still in the process of fully understanding exactly how sea currents work, and their effect on the climate. Some scientists believe that we only know a fraction of what actually causes and drives sea currents, and that current causes are not nearly powerful enough to create the constant effect that has been observed. What is understood about sea currents, however, points to them having a dramatic effect on the areas that they impact. (more…)

Most people are aware that the polar ice caps are melting, many say at an alarming rate, but what exactly is the importance of the ice caps? What is the impact of their melting?

It deals predominantly with climate change, which is tied into ocean circulation. Take the Greenland ice caps for example. The ice caps provide a certain amount of stability to the weather. With their melting, there have already been substantial changes in ocean circulation. These ice caps therefore are pivotal to the future of the climate in the whole North Atlantic region.

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