• Atmosphere
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2005

In this short article, oceanic processes that could have strong effect on the climate have been explained while focusing on the oceanic thermohaline circulation (THC). First, the structure of THC is explained using a simple scaling law. Then, the thermohaline catastrophe, which is believed to be a cause of a rapid climate changes observed in paleoclimate records, and interdecadal variations in THC are explained. The interactions between the oceans and $CO_2$ are also mentioned briefly.