EOSC 112 Lecture 7: Hydrosphere 3 connect

• School: UBC
• Department: Earth and Ocean Sciences
• Course: EOSC 112
• Professor: Hobart Joe

Document Summary

Density stratification is a key concept in all earth-related sciences. Within the ocean, density is controlled primarily by temperature and salinity (and, to a far lesser extent, pressure). It includes many water masses that have distinctive temperature and salinity characteristics (and additional characteristics too), and thus different densities. Circulation in the deep ocean is driven by the density differences among water masses. Deep water formation on earth today: the north atlantic, and the. Different processes at the surface in each of these places make the surface water become dense enough to sink. Movement of water in the deep ocean is slower than the wind-driven movement at and near the surface, however, it too plays a large role in distributing energy and regulating regional climate. As before, heat transport, (image is false color surface temperature): deep ocean circulation is intricately linked to the transport of heat poleward in surface western boundary currents.