Ocean Currents

Originally expelled from the earth's interior and in part delivered to it by asteroids, the earth has a finite amount of water, most of it saline in the oceans. As the basis of the planetary ecosystem the oceans incubate phytoplankton which harvest the sun's energy and sequester carbon dioxide. The ocean currents function to distribute heat and cycle nutrients from the poles to the equatorial regions and in association with atmospheric currents produce clouds which in turn help regulate global temperature (albedo) and distribute fresh water and (naturally produced) nitrogen around the world.