[blam]

"Wonder what the weather was like with oceans so much smaller? Has anybody thought about this?"

Oh yeah! That is also a consideration for the breaking of the dam of the Gulf of Mexico. With a smaller body of water, presumably it would be warmer and generate more powerful hurricanes.....and, I saw a report some time back that indicated a dramatic drop off of category five ( max strength ) hurricanes 1,100 years ago.

[RightWhale]

Less water, saltier, less ocean current, less buffer for temperature change moderation. Possibly wilder swings in the weather.