ocean water is sinking at the north atlantic buoy station what happens when water of a high density sinks
Answers
Answered by
0
“Thermohaline circulation” is the global movement of currents that are created by differences in water temperature and salinity. The path of thermohaline circulation begins at high latitudes, where cold ocean water sinks because of its relatively high density.
In the Northern Hemisphere, deep sinking to 2000-3000 meters occurs only in the North Atlantic, not in the North Pacific because the waters of the North Pacific are very cold and not as salty as the waters of the North Atlantic.
Thus Earth’s deep ocean basins are filled with waters from the northern North Atlantic and those that sink near Antarctica. This deep water cannot keep accumulating, and therefore, as new water moves in, the deep water is displaced and rises to the surface where it is warmed. Once at the surface, the waters flow back to the regions where sinking occurs, thus completing the cycle.
When the waters sink at high latitudes, not only are they denser than the surface waters, they are also denser than the waters at lower latitudes. The more dense waters “push” on the less dense water. Water moves from high pressure (higher density waters) to low pressure (less dense waters). In this manner the deep waters at high latitudes (which were recently at the surface) spread throughout the rest of the ocean, displacing less dense water.
In the Northern Hemisphere, deep sinking to 2000-3000 meters occurs only in the North Atlantic, not in the North Pacific because the waters of the North Pacific are very cold and not as salty as the waters of the North Atlantic.
Thus Earth’s deep ocean basins are filled with waters from the northern North Atlantic and those that sink near Antarctica. This deep water cannot keep accumulating, and therefore, as new water moves in, the deep water is displaced and rises to the surface where it is warmed. Once at the surface, the waters flow back to the regions where sinking occurs, thus completing the cycle.
When the waters sink at high latitudes, not only are they denser than the surface waters, they are also denser than the waters at lower latitudes. The more dense waters “push” on the less dense water. Water moves from high pressure (higher density waters) to low pressure (less dense waters). In this manner the deep waters at high latitudes (which were recently at the surface) spread throughout the rest of the ocean, displacing less dense water.
Similar questions