Vertical & Horizontal Temperature Distribution of

Oceans
Temperature Distribution of Oceans
 The study of the temperature of the oceans is important for determining the
1. movement of large volumes of water (vertical and horizontal ocean currents),
2. type and distribution of marine organisms at various depths of oceans,
3. climate of coastal lands, etc.

Source of Heat in Oceans

 The sun is the principal source of energy (Insolation).
 The ocean is also heated by the inner heat of the ocean itself (earth’s interior is hot.
At the sea surface, the crust is only about 5 to 30 km thick). But this heat is
negligible compared to that received from sun.

The ocean water is heated by three processes.

1. Absorption of sun’s radiation.

2. The conventional currents: Since the temperature of the earth increases with
increasing depth, the ocean water at great depths is heated faster than the
upper water layers. So, convectional oceanic circulations develop causing
circulation of heat in water.
3. Heat is produced due to friction caused by the surface wind and the tidal
currents which increase stress on the water body.

The ocean water is cooled by

1. Back radiation (heat budget) from the sea surface takes place as the solar
energy once received is reradiated as long wave radiation (terrestrial
radiation or infrared radiation) from the seawater.
2. Exchange of heat between the sea and the atmosphere if there is
temperature difference.
3. Evaporation: Heat is lost in the form of latent heat of evaporation
(atmosphere gains this heat in the form of latent heat of condensation).

Factors Affecting Temperature Distribution of Oceans:

 Insolation: The average daily duration of insolation and its intensity.
 Heat loss: The loss of energy by reflection, scattering, evaporation and radiation.
 Albedo: The albedo of the sea (depending on the angle of sun rays).
 The physical characteristics of the sea surface: Boiling point of the sea water is
increased in the case of higher salinity and vice versa [Salinity increased ==
Boiling point increased == Evaporation decreased].
 The presence of submarine ridges and sills [Marginal Seas]: Temperature is
affected due to lesser mixing of waters on the opposite sides of the ridges or sills.
 The shape of the ocean: The latitudinally extensive seas in low latitude regions
have warmer surface water than longitudinally extensive sea [Mediterranean Sea
records higher temperature than the longitudinally extensive Gulf of California].
 The enclosed seas (Marginal Seas – Gulf, Bay etc.) in the low latitudes record
relatively higher temperature than the open seas; whereas the enclosed seas in the
high latitudes have lower temperature than the open seas.
 Local weather conditions such as cyclones.
 Unequal distribution of land and water: The oceans in the northern hemisphere
receive more heat due to their contact with larger extent of land than the oceans in
the southern hemisphere.
 Prevalent winds generate horizontal and sometimes vertical ocean currents: The
winds blowing from the land towards the oceans (off-shore winds-moving away
from the shore) drive warm surface water away from the coast resulting in the
upwelling of cold water from below (This happens near Peruvian Coast in normal
years. El-Nino).
 Contrary to this, the onshore winds (winds flowing from oceans into continents)
pile up warm water near the coast and this raises the temperature (This happens
near the Peruvian coast during El Nino event)(In normal years, North-eastern
Australia and Western Indonesian islands see this kind of warm ocean waters due
to Walker Cell or Walker Circulation).
 Ocean currents: Warm ocean currents raise the temperature in cold areas while
the cold currents decrease the temperature in warm ocean areas. Gulf stream
(warm current) raises the temperature near the eastern coast of North America
and the West Coast of Europe while the Labrador current (cold current) lowers
the temperature near the north-east coast of North America (Near Newfoundland).
All these factors influence the temperature of the ocean currents locally.

Vertical Temperature Distribution of Oceans:

 Photic or euphotic zone extends from the upper surface to ~200 m. The photic
zone receives adequate solar insolation.
 Aphotic zone extends from 200 m to the ocean bottom; this zone does not
receive adequate sunrays.
 Thermocline
 The profile shows a boundary region between the surface waters of the ocean and
the deeper layers.
 The boundary usually begins around 100 – 400 m below the sea surface and
extends several hundred of meters downward.
 This boundary region, from where there is a rapid decrease of temperature, is
called the thermocline. About 90 per cent of the total volume of water is found
below the thermocline in the deep ocean. In this zone, temperatures approach 0°
C.
 Three-Layer System
 The temperature structure of oceans over middle and low latitudes can be
described as a three-layer system from surface to the bottom.
 The first layer represents the top layer of warm oceanic water and it is about 500m
thick with temperatures ranging between 20° and 25° C. This layer, within the
tropical region, is present throughout the year but in mid-latitudes it develops only
during summer.
 The second layer called the thermocline layer lies below the first layer and is
characterized by rapid decrease in temperature with increasing depth. The
thermocline is 500 -1,000 m thick.
 The third layer is very cold and extends up to the deep ocean floor. Here the
temperature becomes almost stagnant.

Horizontal Temperature Distribution of Oceans:

 The average temperature of surface water of the oceans is about 27°C and it
gradually decreases from the equator towards the poles.
 The rate of decrease of temperature with increasing latitude is generally 0.5°C per
latitude.
 The horizontal temperature distribution is shown by isothermal lines, i.e., lines
joining places of equal temperature.
 Isotherms are closely spaced when the temperature difference is high and vice
versa.
 Range of Ocean Temperature
 The oceans and seas get heated and cooled slower than the land surfaces.
Therefore, even if the solar insolation is maximum at noon, the ocean surface
temperature is highest at 2 p.m.
 The average diurnal or daily range of temperature is barely 1 degree in oceans and
seas.
 The highest temperature in surface water is attained at 2 p.m. and the lowest, at 5
a.m.
 The diurnal range of temperature is highest in oceans if the sky is free of clouds
and the atmosphere is calm.
 The annual range of temperature is influenced by the annual variation of
insolation, the nature of ocean currents and the prevailing winds.
 The maximum and the minimum temperatures in oceans are slightly delayed than
those of land areas (the maximum being in August and the minimum in February.