The building of the Panama Canal alarmed the french and other Europeans. They thought that the canal would let the currents go through, and that it would erase the Gulf Stream's warmth, causing colder winters. It did not do that, but the ocean currents do effect the weather. The Gulf Stream (like a warm water tap) brings warm water to Europe, while the two cold currents (like cold water taps) mix with it to bring down the heat.(The Atlantic is the bathtub.) The Gulf Stream is sometimes warmer than on previous years, meaning less snow and ice for Europe.
The ocean is a heat regulator. The ocean currents and the winds together distribute the heat and cold over the whole globe, making up in this way for the fact that the Sun heats the Earth unevenly.
The ocean and the air work together, and they have a lot of influence over each other. The atmosphere warms or cools the ocean, and gets the vapor from the ocean when it evaporates. The weight of the air determines how high the ocean is. The moving air, winds, make some of the waves.
The ocean has even more influence over the air. It gives back the heat given to it by the air with interest. By doing this, the ocean directs storms. How? The air gets heavier when cold, and lighter when warm. And that means that the pressure changes too. Cold air, high pressure, warm air, low pressure.
More later,
Bell
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