The concept of Oceanography & Climate is the scientific study of the ocean and its fundamental, inseparable role as the central regulator of Earth's climate system. Oceanography, or oceanology, is an Earth science that includes the study of the ocean's physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. The field's modern foundation was established by the Challenger Expedition from 1872 to 1876, the first global marine research cruise. The link between ocean circulation and climate was further mapped by geochemist Wallace Broecker in the 1960s.
The mechanism works because the ocean, which covers 71% of the planet, has a very high heat capacity, allowing it to absorb, store, and transport heat. The ocean acts as a major heat and carbon sink, having absorbed over 90% of the excess heat from global warming over the past several decades. It also absorbs about 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. This heat is distributed globally by ocean currents, which act like a conveyor belt, and by the thermohaline circulation (driven by temperature and salinity). The ocean also drives weather by supplying moisture for a substantial fraction of the atmosphere's heat transport and powering the planet's evaporation and precipitation cycles.
This concept connects to the Global Heat Budget and the Global Carbon Budget. An informed reader should know it is key to understanding phenomena like El Niño, sea level rise, and ocean acidification. Recently, the understanding of the ocean's heat absorption has changed, with the rate of warming in the top 6,500 feet of the ocean found to be about 40% higher than previously estimated over the past few decades. Furthermore, the ocean's capacity as a carbon sink has been observed to decrease significantly since 1990.