Please list several ways or examples of how the Earth's hydrosphere
impacts the Earth's atmosphere.Do not include people.Answer in the
form of an organized list or table.  Example:The presence of ________
gas in the atmosphere allows plants to do the following. (or)________
gas is present as a variable gas: therefore Plants are able to utilie
this gas to do...

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 06 Mar 2003 09:45 PST

Hello egabb,

You've asked a question about how water (hydroshpere) impacts the air.
 But your examples focus on plants, which generally live on land.  Can
you clarify a bit what should be included and what should be excluded,
so as to get you the best possible answer to your question.  Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by egabb-ga on 06 Mar 2003 18:07 PST

Hello pafalafa-ga,
     My question is definitely how the Hydrosphere impacts the
Atmosphere.I just used the plant examples to demonstrate the answer
format that I must use, in the case of a list.I can also answer in a
table format.The main thing is to show actions in the hydrosphere, and
how they impact the atmosphere.I am to try to give as many physical
examples as possible.For this question I am NOT to include the human
relationship within these two sphere's. Thanks,egabb5

Hello egabb-ga.  Thanks for your clarification.  

As an oceanographer, I should be able to do this with my eyes closed. 
But I need to keep them open so I can type.  Here's a list, taken from
my own knowledge of hydrosphere-atmosphere interactions:

1.  The presence of large bodies of water act as a heat reservoir that
moderates the earth's climate.

2.  The presence of currents in the ocean generally move heat from the
equator towards the poles, setting up patterns of climate activity.

3.  The presence of dissolved carbon dioxide in the oceans can act as
both a source and a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, and therefore
plays an important role in global warming.

4.  The presence of water in the hydrosphere leads to water vapor in
the atmosphere, which in turn results in clouds and precipitation in
the form of rain, snow, hail, etc.

5.  The presence of El Nino upwelling in the equatorial Pacific ocean
can impact the entire global climate system.

6.  The cycle of precipitation and evaporation exchanges water between
the atmosphere and hydrosphere and in the process, desalinates the
water and purifies it of contaminants.  There's a good picture of the
hydrologic cycle at this page from Purdue University:

 http://abe.www.ecn.purdue.edu/~agen521/epadir/grndwtr/hydro_cycle.html

7.  Ocean-atmosphere dynamics in tropical regions can lead to huge
storms known as hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, typhoons in the
western Pacific, cyclones in the Indian Ocean and willy-willies in
Australia.

8.  The presence of photsynthetic phytoplankton in the earth's early
seas contributed to the presence of our oxygen-containing atmosphere
that sustains life today.

There you go -- eight examples for eight bucks!

I think I've given you what you need.  But if I've misinterpreted in
any way, just let me know through a Request for Clarification.  I'm
always glad to help out.