The impacts of the closure of the panama gateway are inconclusive. There are multiple models that

Thermohaline circulation of the ocean corresponds to the change of density in flowing water. It is created through global density gradients constructed by surface heat and freshwater fluxes through the large scale ocean circulation. It is based on deep water currents that make up 90% of the ocean. Water moves around areas found under sea, ocean basins, since density is caused by forces and gravity. The amount of salt in the water and the temperature of the water changes the density. Salinity and cold temperatures make the water more dense which causes deep waters, which form when air temperatures are cold and the salinity of the surface of waters is high, to sink into deep ocean basins at high latitudes where temperatures are cold enough for the density to decrease. In other terms, it is known as part of the ocean circulation created through the differences in densities.The density of the water is dependent on the salinity and temperature which changes from the surface of the water either heating up or cooling down as freshwater flows as said before. Thermohaline circulation moves a massive current around the world not to

The advantages of building a canal through Central America were known long ago. Even at the time Christopher Columbus first arrived in the New World, it was evident that a short cut through Central America would be extremely beneficial, but there was never an incentive to build one until many years later. The increase in population and trade in California because of the California gold rush demonstrated the need for a faster and less costly trade route from western America to eastern America. This gave the United States motivation to make a shortcut, and in 1848 the United States built the trans-Panama railroad to satisfy this need (“Panama, city, Panama”). The railroad required a ship to dock and unload the cargo, and then another ship to

off the surface, having a reduced amount of ice in the ocean would cause higher temperatures. In

This is a good thing about Latin America because it would probably impact the economy if it wasn’t there. It is the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is a waterway that brings together the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. It really helped trade in Latin America. The canal was built by the Americans in 1904 and a lot of leaders took over the project, including John Wallace, John Stevens and George Washington Goethals. The project was finished in 1914 after taking 10 years to build. The Panama Canal is an important feature to Latin America because it is a quicker way to import and export goods or cargo. It made it easier because instead of going all the way around South America you can go through Panama which saves you a lot of time. That means a lot of more ships pass through. If there was no Panama Canal like I said it would take a lot longer to travel to bring stuff somewhere by water. I also think there would be less ships traveling because not a lot of people would like to travel a long time at sea. I also think a lot of people would die because the trip would take so long. That is how the Panama Canal impacted Latin America in a good way.

For many years now, scientists have believed that our climate is changing. This climate change has caused water currents up north, near Antarctica to shift leading to warm waters taking the place of the usual cold arctic waters. Warm water melts the glaciers and causes the top of the glaciers to float off into the sea, allowing the warm water to melt even more glaciers. The extra glacier melting into our sea has caused the sea levels to raise and the

In recent months, scientists have been taking notice to record cool temperatures observed in the North Atlantic Ocean, while the rest of the world is experiencing record warmth. They believe this cooling of the water to be due to the accelerated melting of the Greenland ice

“Unusually high water temperatures have caused many coral species to lose their zooxanthellae, turn white, and die prematurely, thereby leading to a decline in reef building. Scientists predict bleaching will reduce diversity among corals and the creatures that depend on them” (“Great” World Book). Additionally, changes in the salinity of the water affects the Great Barrier Reef. Salinity is changing because of changes in climate. This is because warmer air from climate change can absorb more water than cooler air, therefore changing evaporation cycles. In places where there is more rainfall than evaporation, rainfall is increasing. In places where evaporation exceeds rainfall, evaporation is increasing. This process is widening the gap between humid and arid regions. This proves to scientists that climate change is affecting salinity (Calif). Furthermore, diseases are produced among coral because of climate change as well as pollution. Increasing temperatures are so effective on the reef that the only disease that can be treated is black-band disease (“Coral”). Ultimately, the coral in the Great Barrier Reef becomes brittle and pale because of these

The ocean's surface waters are separated from colder, deeper water by a thermocline. The upwelling of cold waters, along the equator in the eastern half of the pacific basin, can be blocked when sea level is high, resulting in warm events. When sea levels are low the thermocline tends to be shallow, allowing upwelling motions to bring cold water to the surface, resulting in cold conditions. How it's measured is by devices used to track decadal variability and climate patterns which includes thermometers, rain gauges, and stream gauges. Sea surfaces temperature is important in tracking ENSO and other ocean oscillations. This can be measured by the distance

The U.S. Navy currently possesses the world’s largest fleet in the world. China, however, has been investing hundreds of billions of dollars each year into its military and power projecting defenses. It is estimated that the Chinese navy’s fleet will outnumber the U.S. by 2020. Not only is China expanding in sheer numbers, but it is also expanding its assertion for dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Two years ago, Nicaragua granted a Chinese company the right to build an alternative to the Panama Canal. When finished, the canal will stretch along the entirety of Nicaragua, dividing the country in two, to allow large vessels to travel through it. Less than a month ago, official construction of the canal

The construction and completion of the Panama Canal has a number of important foreign policy implications. First it led to the United States' supporting factions who separated from Panama, and from Colombia, it also led to granting land rights to the United States over the Panama Canal Zone. The Panama Canal had massive allegations for American foreign policy and military might; it greatly shortened the sea travel distance for both make it easier for the U.S to exercise its influence in the Pacific Rim.

The timeline of the coral reef abundant park formation starts as early as the Mesozoic Era. Following the break-up of Pangea, continental rifting of South American and Africa from North America began to take place. Due to this separation, the Atlantic Ocean basin was formed, primarily due to extrusion of volcanic rocks accompanied by the mantle plume upwelling due to crustal tension (Heatherington and Mueller, 1991). Towards the middle of the Mesozoic Era, while the Atlantic Ocean was still forming, shallow marine sediments were being deposited as they were transported from land areas to the ocean by the wind, ice, and or rivers. As marine transgression, the sea level rising due to the ocean basins filling with water continued on into the late Mesozoic Era, global warming established a marine accumulation of carbonates over the entire Florida Peninsula (Thornberry,

Ocean currents also will change because of global warming. The melting of Arctic ice dilutes salt water moving north from the tropics in the Gulf Stream, making the water less dense, and thus less inclined to sink for the return journey. The warming Arctic Ocean reduces the temperature differentials that drive ocean currents. Changing ocean currents will have effects on everything from the Indian monsoons to the pattern of El Niño to the surprisingly moderate climate now enjoyed in northern

This movement of the deep water forms a giant conveyor belt that covers a large part of the open ocean (figure 1). The Gulf Stream, for example, which is largely driven by thermohaline circulation, transports warm water from the Caribbean northwards.

     Now that we are aware that global warming is influencing our world’s oceans, we must look at the affects that it is having. I did not find any positive affects of global warming on the oceans. It is sad to say, but I was left with only the negative. One of the effects that warmer temperatures have on the oceans is that they disrupt the ocean circulation rate (Pearce, 1996). As I previously mentioned, oceans must maintain all of its characteristics properly. Warmer temperatures in the atmosphere affect circulation rates in the oceans. If circulation rates in the oceans are altered, then everything in the oceanic environment becomes changed. The oceanic currents become affected, as well.

One of the most serious effects of global warming, as it continues to intensify, is the increase in the ocean levels. Thermal expansion of the ocean and glacial melting are likely to cause a .5 to 1.5 meter rise in the ocean level by the year 2100. As the ocean level rises and if no protection is provided, many freshwater supplies could be jeopardized. Tens and possibly hundreds of millions of