Why Are Ocean Currents Important?
Waves created by ocean currents
Ocean currents aren’t really that important. Sure, for some people and for fish they are important, but without them we would have evolved differently, and life would be perfectly fine (albeit different from today).
Heck, in some ways, life would be so much easier without them. Things would be calmer. We would be able to expect what weather we will get next summer. And we would have the waters all to ourselves!
Let’s go some ways in which ocean currents make life really hard, and how we would be much better off without them.
Ocean currents makes climate regulated (in other words, boring)
The oceans act as a sort of “regulator” of climate between what would have otherwise been extremely hot climate in some areas, and extremely cold in others. The ocean absorbs heat from the equator, and the currents take that energy and dissipate it at the poles.
Now, just imagine how cool life could have been, if we didn’t have those damned currents!
We would have really hot places on earth, so hot that no life could survive there. And the north poles would be unimaginably cold.
I know, I know.. What’s good about that, right?
Nothing!
But does everything have to be “good” (in other words “boring”)? Can we not just enjoy the awe of contemplating such extreme temperature differences in our own earth?
(Plus – I’m sure scientists would be able to use those extreme temperatures to conduct many cool experiments to bring humankind forward.)
Ocean currents contribute to our blasted stormy weathers and rain
What has killed more humans than anything? Is it communism? Nazism? Wars?
No, no and no!
The answer is: Natural disasters!
Ocean currents create turbulence in the atmosphere and contribute to storms like Katrina, that devastated large parts of human habitats.
Just imagine the costs saved if they didn’t exist! The peace and prosperity we would live in.
Also, ocean currents are responsible for common rain. Nobody likes rain (except farmers).
Ocean currents move stuff around, thereby creating confusion
Imagine you are a fish, and you just laid your eggs. You wander off, looking for food. But when you come back, all your beautiful eggs are gone!
That’s what ocean currents do to our poor fish.
Sure, some environmentalists will argue that the currents bring some benefits as well. Such as distributing nutrients and oxygen around the ocean. But they don’t consider that if there were no ocean currents, life would have evolved differently, adapting to the “no currents” situation, and we would have been perfectly fine anyway.
Also, the environmentalists’ own argument can be used against them: What about oil? Ocean currents spread oil around, making spills much more harmful and difficult to “clean up” than they would have otherwise been. Just imagine all the poor seals drenched in oil, because those darned ocean currents spread the oil to their shores!
Ocean currents make travel by ship more complex
Travelling by ship should be something anybody can enjoy.
Yet, ocean currents are responsible for countless deaths of naive travellers who just wanted to have some adventure, and countless crushed dreams of people afraid of taking sail.
Without currents, the ocean would not be a dangerous, life-threatening place for would-be travellers. Instead, the joy of sailing would be available for anyone with a sense of adventure.
Conclusion
As the above arguments point out, it is clear that ocean currents create more harm and discomfort than good. We at whythiswhythat.com strongly believe that fish and seal would be happier, and life calmer and more predictable, were it not for ocean currents.
Category: Nature
