The oceans, which cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface, play a fundamental and complex role in regulating climate. The oceans absorb huge amounts of solar energy; ocean currents transport this heat from the equator toward the Poles. In the past, long-term, natural oscillations in the oceans’ capacity to store and transport heat have led to global temperature changes. Future climate changes—whether natural or human-induced—will also be strongly influenced by the powerful dynamics of the seas.
As part of a vast planetary cycle of evaporation and rainfall, the oceans are also fundamental to the movement of water around the globe. Measuring changes in precipitation patterns, and understanding how they may lead to droughts in some regions and flooding in others, is a major part of predicting the potential effects of global climate change on human activities and natural ecosystems.