THE POLAR OCEANS AND WORLD CLIMATE

• Main Author: Fletcher,J. O.
• Other Authors: RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1968
• Subjects: Meteorology; (*CLIMATE; EARTH(PLANET)); (*POLAR REGIONS; ICE); SYMPOSIA; ALBEDO(ASTRONOMY); PERIODIC VARIATIONS; AIR MASS ANALYSIS; ARCTIC OCEAN; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; THERMODYNAMICS; SOLAR RADIATION; ATMOSPHERIC MOTION; ATMOSPHERE MODELS; HEAT; *PACK ICE; WEATHER MODIFICATION; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Arctic Ocean; albedo; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0666653; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0666653

The following topics are discussed with the aid of numerous quantitative graphs depicting energy exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere and energy loss to space. (1) The physical reasons why the presence or absence of ice on the sea influences climate-forming processes. (2) Some questions associated with pack ice in the Arctic Ocean: How much does it vary. What causes these variations and how do they influence global climate. If the pack ice were removed, would it reform or would the Arctic Ocean remain an open sea. (3) Variations in the extent of sea ice around the Antarctic continent, how it varies, and how these variations may influence global climate. (4) Long-term changes of global climate and extent of pack ice. (5) Possibilities for artificially influencing large-scale climatic processes by influencing the extent of ice on the sea. (Author) Prepared for presentation at Symposium on Beneficial Modifications of Marine Environment, Washington, D. C., 11 Mar 68.