LORoGaEarth

70% of the Earth's surface is ocean. The heat capacity of the entire atmosphere can be equivalent to that within a few meters of the surface ocean. In other words, the energy required to warm the entire Earth's atmosphere by 1 degree can increase the seawater temperature by 1 degree within only a few meters of the surface layers of the entire ocean. This illustrates how the ocean is difficult to warm or cool and how the ocean can moderate and control the climate. Not only the temperature, but also the ocean currents, swirling streams called eddies play vital roles in transporting organic and inorganic substances, including nutrients that are required for growth of phytoplankton, tiny floating plants in the ocean. Since these small floating plants, phytoplankton, supply 50% of the oxygen of the Earth, it should be very difficult for us to breathe without them. Not only oxygen, as they support higher tropic levels of marine ecosystem, we cannot eat shrimps and many fishes and so Shishi, Sashimi, Steamed Lobstar, Cold Oyster, Clam Chowder and so on at seafood restaurants without them. The nutrients in the ocean are more abundant in depth. This is because they cannot be used by phytoplankton without the light, which is available within an upper 100-200 m depth for photosynthesis. Thus, nutrients need to be transported upward. This can be achieved by upwelling motions induced by wind-induced sucking and upward water movements near ocean fronts. In addition, turbulent vertical mixing can diffuse nutrients upward.