ABSTRACT
The global ocean is the largest single moderating influence on extremes of radiation budgets and climate and the source of most precipitation. The global ocean has a monotonous surface except at the coastline and is apparently subject only to slow spatial and temporal change. Modern ocean–continent distributions reflect the breakup of Pangaea, which coalesced as Earth's most recent supercontinent in the late Palaeozoic, c. 290 Ma ago. Formation of the Atlantic Ocean holds the key to the modern global ocean and related continental tectonic architecture. The dynamic architecture of mid-ocean ridges and trenches, which drive the supercontinental cycle, covers approximately one-third of global ocean area. Shallow, transient wave motion is generated by air flow at the ocean–atmosphere boundary layer and may superficially mimic larger current systems. Tides transfer mass from one part of the global ocean to another in a regular, oscillating manner by competition between the gravitational fields of Earth, moon and sun.
