[--MAIN HOME--] [--ALL HABYHINTS--] [--FACEBOOK PAGE--] HOW DOES THE OCEAN INFLUENCE THE WEATHER METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY The ocean plays a significant role in how it influences the weather. A couple of the biggest influences are the ocean currents and water temperature. The ocean currents are responsible for transporting colder and warmer water toward an area and the latitude also influences ocean temperature by the amount of absorbed solar radiation. The water temperature has a critical influence on the weather since it helps determine how much moisture will evaporate into the air. The ocean water modifies the air above it. If the water is cold, it will keep the air cool above it. This will limit the amount of moisture that will evaporate into the air. When the water is warm, this will help warm the air above the water. This will allow tremendous amounts of moisture to the evaporated into the air. Thus, locations near warm ocean waters tend to get much more annual rainfall than locations near cold ocean water. Also, the moisture evaporated from warm ocean waters can be transported a significant distance over land which can aid in precipitation well away from the warm ocean.