THE WEATHER MAKER

* The ocean determines climate and plays a critical role in Earth's habitability. Most of the solar energy that reaches the Earth is stored in the ocean and helps power oceanic and atmospheric circulation. In this manner, the ocean plays an important role in influencing the weather and climatic patterns of the Earth.
* Two hundred million years of recorded geologic and biologic history of the Earth are found in the ocean's floor. By studying ocean sediments, scientists can learn about ancient climate, how it changed, and how better to predict our own climate.
* The top 10 feet of the ocean hold the same amount of thermal energy as exists in the entire atmosphere.
* El NiZo, a periodic shift of warm waters from the western to eastern Pacific Ocean, has dramatic effects on climate worldwide. In 1997-1998, the most severe El NiZo of the century created droughts, crop failures, fires, torrential rains, floods, landslides--total damages were estimated at more than $90 billion (United Nations)
* Undersea earthquakes and other disturbances cause tsunamis, or great waves. The largest recorded tsunami measured 210 feet above sea level when it reached Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula in 1737.