How Do Large Bodies Of Water And Glaciers Affect The Environment

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Large bodies of water and glaciers affect the environment.
The water that affects us most is the water in our weather. Precipitation in the form of rain, freezing rain, snow, or hail can determine what clothes we wear, what we do in a day, and where we go for holidays. Fog can stop us from going anywhere. However, the amount and kind of precipitation that we receive is partly determined by whether we live close to a large body of water. Such a body water affects the whole climate of the land that borders it. Glaciers and ice caps also affect the environment, different way. These large masses of ice grind away on the earth's surface to shape and change it. Water, in all its states, affects the environment

Water, Heat Energy, and Climate …show more content…
For example, North America’s Great Lakes modify the temperature of air masses that travel across them, which produces a comparatively mild climate. At the same time, these air masses pick up a large amount of moisture from the lakes, which precipitates annually on the downwind shores in the form of heavy rain and snow.
Seattle and Sioux Falls in South Dakota are at similar latitudes, but one of these two cities enjoys a more moderate climate than the other. Winters in Sioux Falls are much colder, and both temperature and precipitation vary to greater extremes between summer and winter. One of the reasons why Seattle enjoys a more moderate climate is because it lies on the coast, and like other large bodies of water, oceans tend to have a moderating effect on the climate of coastal regions.
Water
Water has a much greater ability to store heat than many other substances. On average, the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of a body of water by 1 degree Celsius (a span of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) is about 4 1/2 times greater than the amount needed to heat up an equal mass of land. Consequently, large bodies of water heat up and cool down more slowly than adjacent land masses, so their temperature changes less dramatically with the …show more content…
The climate condition is continental with more extreme temperatures, a larger range, and less precipitation.
Storms occur over water and over continents. Hurricanes are massive storms that produce heavy winds and rain over a large area. The warmer air masses traveling from the south up the eastern coast of the United States in the spring and summer sometimes bring the remnants of a hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico. Onlyon a very few occasions has Ontario experienced the full force of a hurricane.

More common are tornadoes. They form in the spring and summer, especially after a period of intense heat. They are violent, localized storms with powerful funnel clouds that cause much damage.

Ocean Currents
Ocean currents are a factor in determining the climate of a place. Much as in the air and rock cycles, convection circulates water in currents. This is caused by the movement of cold water to hot. Warm water flows from the equator and cold from the poles. This movement is interrupted or altered by large landmasses.

Global Ocean Currents. Note the Gulf Stream and the current meeting near
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