Climateocean

Climateocean is a term used to describe the coupled system formed by Earth's climate and its oceans, highlighting how the climate and the ocean influence each other across multiple timescales. The climateocean encompasses heat storage in ocean waters, exchange of carbon and other gases between the ocean and atmosphere, ocean circulation, sea level, and the distribution of nutrients that support marine ecosystems. It recognizes that ocean processes, such as currents, upwelling, and mixing, regulate climate by distributing heat and modulating atmospheric composition, while climate forcings such as greenhouse gas emissions, aerosols, and natural variability alter ocean dynamics.

Key components include ocean heat content and sea surface temperatures, thermohaline and wind-driven circulation, properties of seawater such as salinity and acidity, and the exchange of carbon dioxide between the surface ocean and the atmosphere. The system is shaped by natural variability (for example El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation) and human influences (greenhouse gas forcing, land-use change, and pollution). Observations from ARGO floats, satellite altimetry, ocean color sensors, and tide gauges, together with climate models, are used to monitor and project the climateocean state. Advances in modelling link atmosphere, ice, and ocean components to simulate feedbacks and regional differences.

Understanding the climateocean is central to predicting climate change impacts, including changes in sea level, storm patterns, heatwaves, and marine ecosystems, and to informing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Uncertainties remain in regional projections and in deep-ocean processes, highlighting the need for continued observation and integrated modelling.