Mixed Layer - Upper 200m of the ocean that is warmed by sunlight and is less dense, Deep Layer - Bottom 1000+m of ocean that is completely dark, very cold, and more dense, Density - Amount of matter in a volume of water (g/cm3), High Density - Large number of particles packed into a volume of water eg. cold water particles closely packed, Low Density - Low number of particles packed into a volume of water eg. warm water particles spaced wide apart, Salinity - Measure of how much salt is dissolved in a volume of water (g/L) - high salinity increases density, Temperature - Measure of how much thermal energy water has - warmer water particles move with more energy so are spaced further apart, Upwelling - Movement of water from the deep layer up into the mixed layer, Downwelling - Movement of water from the mixed layer down into the deep layer, Thermohaline Current - A "conveyorbelt" current that moves water in and out of the deep layer due to changes in density, Brine Exclusion - When sea ice forms only fresh water turns into ice leaving behind a salty brine in the water below, Evaporation - Process of water particles gaining enough heat energy to become vapour - this process removes fresh water from the ocean and makes it saltier, Precipitation - Rain - this adds fresh water to the ocean making it less salty, Equator - 0o latitude this location has the lowest density surface water in the ocean since it is very warm and relatively low salinity due to frequent rain, Poles - 90o latitude this location has the highest density surface water due to cold temperatures and formation of brine when sea ice freezes,

13ESS Oceans - Deep Currents

by
Print
Embed

Leaderboard

Visual style

Options

Switch template

Continue editing: ?