Arctic climate: the ocean

The ocean on the other hand is the “slowest” media, it stores heat for a long time. Oceans play an very important role for the climate, since they transport heat in their currents in global scales. These currents are driven by average influences on the sea water at different places, which will make it either warmer or cool down, and therefore leighter or havier. Also the salinity, the amount of salt in the water, is important for the “weight” of the water and is influenced by different factors at different places. For example in the tropics, water is heated by the high solar radiation and at the same time it becomes more salty because water evaporates. Sea water in the polar regions will be cooled but as well made more salty because of ice freezing (see Ice section). This cold, salty water has a very high density, meaning the same amount of water is heavier then warmer, less saline water. Therefore these water masses will sink down, and since there can’t just be a hole in the ocean, other water masses must flow into it’s place. This is basically how the ocean currents work, a huge circulation, which is called often “the convoyer belt”.