What is the thermohaline circulation system?
Thermohaline circulation begins in the Earth’s polar regions. When ocean water in these areas gets very cold, sea ice forms. These deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water’s density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline). This process is known as thermohaline circulation.
What is thermohaline circulation and why is it important?
Thermohaline circulation plays an important role in supplying heat to the polar regions. Therefore, it influences the rate of sea ice formation near the poles, which in turn affects other aspects of the climate system (such as the albedo, and thus solar heating, at high latitudes).
What is the difference between ocean current wind-driven circulation and thermohaline circulation?
The wind-driven circulation is strongest in the surface layer. The thermohaline circulation is more sluggish, with a typical speed of 1 cm (0.4 inch) per second, but this flow extends to the seafloor and forms circulation patterns that envelop the global ocean.
How does thermohaline circulation affect marine life?
Like a conveyor belt, thermohaline circulation moves nutrients from one part of the ocean to another. As the deep, cold water travels through the oceans, it mixes with warmer water. The water eventually becomes warm enough to rise, creating a slow upwelling that brings nutrients to the surface.
What is thermohaline circulation quizlet?
Thermohaline circulation is a worldwide current system in which the warmer, fresher water moves along the surface while the colder, saltier water moves beneath it. Thermohaline Circulation transports energy throughout the ocean, playing an important role in regulating temperature.
How does thermohaline circulation differ from oceanic surface currents and gyres?
Because of gyres, which cause water to move along the sides of countries by redistributing heat in the ocean. Thermohaline circulation is driven by surface waters with high levels of salt. How do oceanic currents affect the temperature & precipitation patterns of nearby landmasses?
What is thermohaline circulation kids?
Thermohaline circulation transports and mixes the water of the oceans. In the process it transports heat, which influences regional climate patterns. The difference in density between one location and another drives the thermohaline circulation.
How does thermohaline circulation differ from oceanic surface currents and gyres quizlet?
why is upwelling important for humans? How does thermohaline circulation differ from oceanic surface currents and gyres? Thermohaline circulation is driven by surface waters with high levels of salt. How do oceanic currents affect the temperature & precipitation patterns of nearby landmasses?
What would happen if thermohaline circulation stopped?
– If global warming shuts down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the result could be catastrophic climate change. Between Greenland and Norway, the water cools, sinks into the deep ocean, and begins flowing back to the south.
What is an example of thermohaline circulation quizlet?
Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt, and the colder, denser water sinks. You just studied 6 terms!
What causes 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.
How does thermohaline circulation work?
Thermohaline Circulation. As the seawater gets saltier, its density increases, and it starts to sink. Surface water is pulled in to replace the sinking water, which in turn eventually becomes cold and salty enough to sink. This initiates the deep-ocean currents driving the global conveyer belt.
What are Thermohaline currents?
Thermohaline circulation. A summary of the path of the thermohaline circulation. Blue paths represent deep-water currents, while red paths represent surface currents. Thermohaline circulation (THC) is a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes.
What is the thermohaline conveyor?
The thermohaline circulation is sometimes called the ocean conveyor belt, the great ocean conveyor, or the global conveyor belt. On occasion, it is used to refer to the meridional overturning circulation (often abbreviated as MOC).