Heat Transfer in the Ocean

the transport of heat between the ocean surface and the atmosphere, between the surface and lower layers, and between individual regions of seas and oceans. Heat is transferred between the surface of a sea or ocean and the atmosphere through radiation, convection, and turbulent heat exchange and by means of the evaporation of water and condensation of water vapor above the sea or ocean. Heat is transferred within an ocean or sea through turbulent and convective mixing and by vertical and horizontal currents. During the fall and winter, when the surface cools, the heat flow is directed mainly upward; in the spring and summer, when the surface becomes warmer, the heat flow is primarily downward. Horizontal currents play the principal role in horizontal heat transfer between individual regions of a sea or ocean. (See alsoOCEAN.)