The net heating imbalance between the equator and poles drives an atmospheric and oceanic circulation that climate scientists describe as a “heat engine.”
Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air by which heat is distributed on the surface of the Earth. It is any atmospheric flow used to refer to the general circulation of the Earth and regional movements of air around areas of high and low pressure.
On the average, this circulation corresponds to large-scale wind systems arranged in several east–west belts that encircle the Earth.
According to Columbia.edu, the ocean and atmosphere work together to move heat and freshwater across latitudes, as required to maintain a quasi-stationary climate pattern.
Ocean circulation is the large scale movement of waters in the ocean basins. Surface circulation carries the warm upper waters poleward from the tropics. Heat is disbursed along the way from the waters to the atmosphere. At the poles, the water is further cooled during winter, and sinks to the deep ocean.
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