ABSTRACT
The ocean plays a considerable role in shaping many climate events on Earth, including the receipt of precipitation and drought in the case of consistent deficits. The importance of the deep and surface motions of the great masses of water in the five oceans of the world and the transfers and mixing of currents from one to another decide to a large extent the degree of wetness or dryness experienced on the continental landmasses over which the winds blowing from the great waters’ dumped. The effects of the sea surface temperature and, most importantly, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the development and occurrence of drought in different parts of the world are yet to be fully articulated. As such, this chapter is intended to explore some of the intrinsic relationships between ocean oscillation and drought happenings in different continents of the world. It is hoped that an improved understanding of the ocean water masses and their various characteristic weather-forming motions and behaviors would help provide better resources for enhanced drought monitoring, prevention, and management.
