What is the purpose of the thermohaline circulation?

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).

Thereof, how does thermohaline circulation work?

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.

Similarly, what does thermohaline mean? Definition of thermohaline. : involving or dependent upon the conjoint effect of temperature and salinity thermohaline circulation in the Pacific.

Thereof, what happens when thermohaline circulation stops?

- If global warming shuts down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the result could be catastrophic climate change. The thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in seawater density, caused by temperature and salinity.

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.

31 Related Question Answers Found

What two factors influence the thermohaline circulation?

The thermohaline circulation is mainly driven by the formation of deep water masses in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean caused by differences in temperature and salinity of the water. The great quantities of dense water sinking at high latitudes must be offset by equal quantities of water rising elsewhere.

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 Ekman flow?

Ekman transport is the net motion of fluid as the result of a balance between Coriolis and turbulent drag forces. In the picture above, the wind blowing North creates a surface stress and a resulting Ekman spiral is found below it in the water column.

Do thermohaline currents flow vertically or horizontally?

Explanation: Thermohaline currents flow vertically. These currents are attributed to density differences. It is driven by gravity.

How does global warming affect thermohaline circulation?

Global warming can affect this by warming surface waters and melting ice that adds fresh water to the circulation, making the waters less saline; this freshening of the water can prevent the cold waters from sinking and thus alter ocean currents. As the planet warms, more and more fresh water is entering the system.

Is upwelling good or bad?

Explanation: Deep ocean water is more nutrient-rich than surface water simply because things (nutrients, plankton carcasses, fish carcasses) in the ocean sink. Upwelling brings those lost/sunk nutrients back to the surface, which creates "blooms" of algae and zooplankton, which feed on those nutrients.

What causes a Halocline?

In oceanography, a halocline (from Greek hals, halos 'salt' and klinein 'to slope') is a subtype of chemocline caused by a strong, vertical salinity gradient within a body of water. In such regions, the vertical stratification is due to surface waters being warmer than deep waters and the halocline is destabilizing.

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.

Can global warming lead to an ice age?

“It is safe to say that global warming will not lead to the onset of a new ice age,” two distinguished climate scientists wrote in the journal Science. In a curious instance of life imitating art, scientific anxiety about the Gulf Stream also had cold water poured on it around the same time.

What would happen if the Atlantic conveyor stopped?

If ocean currents were to stop, climate could change quite significantly, particularly in Europe and countries in the North Atlantic. In these countries, temperatures would drop, affecting humans as well as plants and animals.

Could the day after tomorrow happen?

Summary: A researcher has produced a scientific study of the climate scenario featured in the disaster movie 'The Day After Tomorrow'. Now scientists have found that, for a period of 20 years, the earth will cool instead of warm if global warming and a collapse of the AMOC occur simultaneously.

What would happen if the global conveyor stopped?

The global conveyor belt is a strong, but easily disrupted process. Research suggests that the conveyor belt may be affected by climate change. This sequence of events could slow or even stop the conveyor belt, which could result in potentially drastic temperature changes in Europe.

What is upwelling and downwelling?

Upwelling is a process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface. Upwelling occurs in the open ocean and along coastlines. The reverse process, called “downwelling,” also occurs when wind causes surface water to build up along a coastline and the surface water eventually sinks toward the bottom.

Are ocean temperatures rising?

According to 2007 estimates by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “global average sea level will rise between 0.6 and 2 feet (0.18 to 0.59 meters) in the next century. Along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, however, sea level rose in the last century 5 to 6 inches more than the global average.

What causes Deepsets?

Deep ocean currents (also known as Thermohaline Circulation) are caused by: The density of sea water varies globally due to differences in temperature and salinity. Surface water is heated by the sun, and warm water is less dense than cold water. The earth's rotation also influences deep ocean currents.

How fast is the Gulf Stream?

5.6 mph

What causes ocean warming?

The main source of ocean heat is sunlight. Additionally, clouds, water vapor, and greenhouse gases emit heat that they have absorbed, and some of that heat energy enters the ocean. Waves, tides, and currents constantly mix the ocean, moving heat from warmer to cooler latitudes and to deeper levels.