When it rains directly above the world's oceans, does this provide any benefit to sea-life?

I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking, but yes, rain does have an effect on many aspects of sea life. Like everything to do with oceans, it has multiple effects.

”[Rain] affects the heat, momentum, water and gas exchange between the atmosphere and oceans,” said Dr. Jeffrey Nystuen, University of Washington oceanographer and research team member for NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Scientists Listen to Rain for Clues to Climate Change

If nature were to do something for a reason, it’d have to have a consciousness, would it not? There’s no reason for any of it. Just inter-related happenings which affect each other. I mean, you could say there’s a reason as to why rain falls (because of moisture in the air), and you could say there’s a reason why rain falls on the oceans (clouds above the oceans), but to say it rains in the ocean for a reason – to benefit sea life suggests Nature has made a concious decision to do something (the way I’ve interpreted it at least).

I don’t know but as damien mentioned above in that quote regarding gas exchange, I do know that fresh water has more oxygen in it than salt water, so maybe that has some benefit to sea-life.

so the ocean life can wash off some of the shit we put in the ocean

I don’t know about rain, but I have read about snowlfakes creating a noise that annoys dolphins and wales.

@coffee- if it was washed off in the middle of the ocean, it would still be in the ocean.

@shrubbery, oxygen is more easily dissolved into water with lower quantities of dissolved solids, so the rain water will have a higher dissolved oxygen content than seawater. But, once it hits the ocean, it will almost instantly mix with it, forcing it to release a lot of the dissolved oxygen which it contained as pure rainwater.

If the rain wasn’t replacing evaporated water, I guess it would lower the specific gravity and therefore raise the water’s ability to hold dissolved oxygen, but since it’s just replacing the evaporated water and the oceans are such incredibly vast bodies of water, I don’t think it would make any noticeable effect on oxygen levels. In more enclosed habitats on the edge of oceans like mangrove swamps, I guess it would have a more noticable effect. I don’t really know – I’m no marine biologist. Wish I was, though. That’d be a dream job for me. :)

@Eambos Are Dolphins hearing so sensitive that they can hear snowflakes? Really? That’s pretty interesting. I’m going to see if I can find some more info on that.

It has something to do with the trapped air making millions if popping high-pitched noises.

I haven’t had any luck finding anything about this so far…...

I read it in National Geographic two years ago. I guess it just stuck because it was so strange.

I stumbled on this It doesn’t mention snowflakes, but it does show a graph on the frequencies they hear. I think it’s pretty neat how they can train whales to go for hearing tests, don’t you? Thanks for bringing this up. It’s really interesting!

@Scamp, I thought that was interesting also. This is what I found: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000305122454.html

Oops that was: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000305122454.htm

Thanks joni1977!