Capacity of oceans to store heat compared with the atmosphere

Range >1,000 times greater
Organism Biosphere
Reference Danovaro R et al., Marine viruses and global climate change. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2011 Nov35(6):993-1034. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00258.x p.993 right column bottom paragraphPubMed ID21204862
Primary Source Levitus S Antonov J Boyer T (2005) Warming of the world ocean, 1955–2003 Geophys Res Lett 32 : L02604 DOI: 10.1029/2004GL021592.
Comments P.993 right column bottom paragraph: "Comprising >70% of the surface of the Earth, the oceans have the capacity to store >1000 times the heat compared with the atmosphere (primary source). The oceans and shelf seas play a key role in regulating climate by storing, distributing and dissipating energy from solar radiation and exchanging heat with the atmosphere. The oceans are also the main reservoir and distributor of heat and salt and contribute to the formation, distribution and melting of sea ice. They regulate and modulate the evaporation and precipitation processes. Moreover, the oceans act as the primary storage medium for, and are able to absorb large quantities of the greenhouse gas CO2 (∼37 000 Gt, BNID 113986)."
Entered by Uri M
ID 113985