ATOC 182 Lecture 6: ATOC 182 Day 15&16 - Chap 6
1 May 2016
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The ocean is composed of two distinctive layers, and because of this layering the ocean in less efficient at supporting life. The fluids move due to rotation of the earth, results of the coriolis acceleration and geostrophic flow. At the depth of 50 meter there is drastic changes in all the components shown in the graph above. Thermocline is the steep gradient in temperature at the depth of 50 meter (abruptly decreases) Salinity, density, and nutrients are all relatively low on the surface and radically increase afte. Concentration of oxygen show the same trends as temperature, reaches a minimum at a depth 500-1000 meters and then increases with depth. So this term may refer to more than just temperature. Salient characteristics of the thermocline are commonly measured using a device that continuously records the conductivity of seawater (an index of salinity), the water"s temperature, and its pressure (a measure of the instrument"s depth).
