Seventy percent of the lower boundary of the atmosphere is contact with sea surface where heat and water vapor are supplied to the atmosphere. On the other hand, the wind stress at the sea surface induces the wind-driven circulation inside of the oceans which transports and mixes heat inside of the oceans. The variation of sea surface temperature are caused by both the atmospheric and oceanic processes. These features imply that the atmosphere and the oceans are a coupled system which is the basis of the Earth environment. This overview shows how the oceans give various influences to the atmospheric processes.
