What drives thermohaline circulation quizlet?
thermohaline circulation- vertical circulation caused by changes in density; driven by variations in temperature and salinity. water that has same density over depth, it has neutral stability and is termed isopycnal.
Why is the movement of ocean water called thermohaline circulation?
Water with a high salinity is also denser than less saline water. Deep ocean currents are driven by differences in the water density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), hence the name “thermohaline circulation”.
What is thermohaline circulation simple explanation?
thermohaline circulation, also called Global Ocean Conveyor or Great Ocean Conveyor Belt, the component of general oceanic circulation controlled by horizontal differences in temperature and salinity. The general circulation of the oceans consists primarily of wind-driven ocean currents.
Where does thermohaline circulation occur?
This usually occurs in the equatorial ocean, mostly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This very large, slow current is called the thermohaline circulation because it is caused by temperature and salinity (haline) variations.
What causes the circulation of water?
Ocean circulation is primarily the result of wind pushing on the surface of the water and density differences between water masses. Earth’s spin causes the Coriolis force which deflects the direction of air and water currents moving towards or away from the poles.
What causes thermohaline circulation that drives the exchange of water between the surface and the deep sea quizlet?
Gravity drives thermohaline circulation — the slow circulation of water at great depths is driven by density differences rather than by wind energy.
What is movement of ocean water?
Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are called upwellings or downwellings.
What is thermohaline convection?
[¦thər·mō′hā‚līn kən′vek·shən] (oceanography) Vertical water movement observed when sea water, due to conditions of decreasing temperature or increasing salinity, becomes heavier than the water beneath it.
Where is deep water formed?
Deep waters are “formed” where the air temperatures are cold and where the salinity of the surface waters are relatively high. The combinations of salinity and cold temperatures make the water denser and cause it to sink to the bottom. Places where the water is cold enough and salty enough to form bottom water.
What is water circulation?
Ocean circulation is the large scale movement of waters in the ocean basins. Winds drive surface circulation, and the cooling and sinking of waters in the polar regions drive deep circulation. Surface circulation carries the warm upper waters poleward from the tropics.