The tropics are important because they are the only region of the world that receives large amounts of excess energy from the Sun. This excess energy is the main driving force for the ocean and atmospheric currents. It is the interaction of the ocean currents and the atmosphere that make the Earth livable for humanity. Without the extra energy that the tropics get there would not be enough evaporation to drive the rains and snows that make the continents habitable. The ocean currents also drive the winds. The currents and the winds are what mix the oxygen into the oceans so that sea life can
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