![]() ![]() Just as important as the existence of water is the hydrologic cycle that moves water around the globe. It’s because of the hydrosphere that life flourishes on Earth. Noted astronomer Carl Sagan described Earth as seen from distant space as a “pale blue dot,” signaling our planet as an outpost of life. Our orbital distance from the sun, in addition to our unique atmosphere, gives Earth the right temperature in our middle-aged solar system to have water as a liquid, and lots of it. Earth is unique in the solar system for its abundant surface waters. However, within the confines of the simplicity of the theory, the climate system, dominated by hydrological processes, conspires to maintain the temperature of the tropical warm pools.The hydrosphere is the sum of all water on Earth and the water cycle that distributes it around the planet. The constancy and maintenance of the very warm tropical sea surface temperatures are seen to be critical for the stability of climate. Hydrological processes are considered in a global context by the development of a conceptual model of a simple planetary system. The relative roles of thermal and haline forcing of the oceanic thermohaline circulation are discussed. The role hydrological processes play in determining the scale of the major atmospheric circulation patterns is investigated.Įxplanations are offered as to why large-scale convection in the tropical atmosphere is constrained to lie within the 28☌ sea surface temperature contour and how hydrological processes are involved in interannual climate variability. The analysis is extended to consider the role of hydrological processes in the basic dynamics and thermodynamics of oceanic and atmospheric systems. Models of the ocean and atmospheric and oceanic data and models of the coupled system are used to perform systematic analyses of hydrological processes and their role in system interaction. Specific processes that determine the character of ocean-atmosphere interaction, including the role of ambient water vapor and clouds, the selective absorption of radiation by the ocean, the distribution of total heating in the ocean atmosphere system, and the role of the flux of freshwater, are discussed in detail. Signatures of the nonlinearity are found in both the structure of the oceans and the atmosphere. The nonlinear character of the phase transitions of water suggests that the climate should be particularly sensitive to hydrological processes, especially in the tropics. The interactions between the components of the climate system are enriched by the nonlinearity of the water phase transitions. ![]() As a result, transitions between the water phases pervade the entire system and probably are responsible for the creation of a unique climate state. As the atmospheres of the planets developed and modified the early climates of the planets, only the climate trajectory of Earth intercepted the water phase transitions near the triple point of water, thus allowing the full gamut of water forms to coexist. ![]() The role of water in the evolution of planetary atmospheres is discussed. Earth is unique among the planets of the solar system in possessing a full hydrological cycle. ![]()
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