Chapter 10. SOLAR ENERGY AND ITS BIOLOGICAL–PHYSICAL INTERACTIONS IN THE SEA

For over 4 billion years, solar radiation has played a profound role in driving the physical circulation of the atmosphere, the oceans, and the biological processes responsible for sustaining life on Earth. The angular distribution of, and diel and seasonal changes in, solar radiation are dictated by the relation of Earth’s axis to the Sun, the orbital angular velocity of Earth, and the gravitational interactions between Earth, the Sun, and the neighboring planets. To a large extent, these physical interactions are deterministic and have been sustained throughout Earth’s history. The angular distribution of radiant energy and the seasonal variations in solar radiation drive large-scale thermohaline circulation of the ocean. This circulation pattern is manifested in an equator-to-pole heat transport superimposed on the surface of a rotating sphere. The meridional transport of heat and formation of deep water at high latitudes are dependent on the angular distribution of solar radiation and continental configuration. On geological time scales there is strong evidence of large thermal changes in both surface and deep waters that clearly must have affected nutrient fluxes, the