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Asked by georgieuplandsbabz to Sean, Dave on 15 Jun 2011.
Question: Do we really need a sea? why?
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Dave Sproson answered on 15 Jun 2011:
Do we need a sea? Hmmm…. that’s quite a thought provoking question! I guess that, in the end, all (or certainly most) of the fresh water on the planet comes from the sea. It evaporates from the ocean, and then eventually falls as rain over land, which is where much of our drinking water comes from. Without the oceans there probably wouldn’t be anywhere near enough fresh water to go around!
Another way to think about how important the oceans are is just to look at a map of the world: almost all of the big cities will be on or near the coast, which suggests that the sea must have been important in order to build them.
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Sean Clement answered on 15 Jun 2011:
Interesting. Yes, we do most definitely need a Sea now. Could we have evolved without one? Well, that’s another question.
The Sea provides more than we realise. For many of the poorest people in the world, it provides the only source of food and also the quickest way to travel.
As Dave says, all of the fresh water on the planet has, at some point, been part of the sea.
It’s hugely important for the weather also. Without the (relatively) warm water flowing across the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico to us in the UK that warms up the moist air flowing onto the land, we’d be living in conditions closer to those that you see in places like Norway and Finland; Very cold!
Comments
Derek commented on :
Sean’s reference to Norway and Finland caught my attention (I live and work in Kilpisjärvi, which is on the border between those two countries). But he’s right… the world’s oceans provide an enormous thermal buffer for the earth’s temperature. And Norway and Finland would be a lot colder than they are now, if it wasn’t for the gulf stream! Still… I built a snowman last week 😉
Dave commented on :
Can’t believe I didn’t mention oceanic heat transport — thats ma thing! 😉