THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION

WHAT IS THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION?

• Thermohaline Circulation is ocean circulation that is driven by global gradients made by the surface temperature and freshwater movement

WHAT DOES THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION DO?

• During thermohaline circulation deep ocean currents are being pushed in the waters density, which is being regulated by the temperature and the halite.

WHY DOES THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION HAPPEN

• Thermohaline circulation happens because of the heat and saltinity in bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland

WHAT IS THE PROCESS

• During Thermohaline Circulation, in the surface layer of the ocean some of the movements are created by the wind. Sometimes during this process the more cold the body of water is, the more saltier it gets due to evaporation.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS

• In these areas, water makes itself dense enough to sink to the bottom of the ocean. This will make the surface of the water into ocean forces.

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• In freezing areas the highest surface water densities are succeeded. Due to this it causes a lot of mixing and sinking in the body of water. This drives the circulation. Deep circulation normally arises when heat is cooling at the surface

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• A reason that there is a deep circulation is because of turbulent mixing. This brings down the temperature on a time scale of 1000 years.

NON LINEAR BEHAVIOR OF THE THC

• The highest densities in the world are when the bodies of water are freezing. Meanwhile the warmer the water the saltier it will be. The drive of saltinity is crucial and is the driving force of why there is non-linearity in the system.

NON LINEAR BEHAVIOR OF THE THC

• The higher the saltinity level is in the deep water enhances the circulation. And in return the circulation contributes higher saltinity waters into the deep water areas. Due to this the surface saltinity will drop in freshwater.

NON LINEAR BEHAVIOR OF THE THC

• With the linearly flow staltinity increases due to high latitude. This will lead to a couple of equilibrium matters, one being the system of bistable. This will become more of an academic point as there is more complexity in circulation models that behave in the same way.

GLOBAL WARMING

• Many of the scientists think that global warming can halt these ocean current systems by making a majority of freshwater from melted ice sheets or even glaciers. Due to low density in freshwater there is an intrusion of freshwater that may or may not lower the density of surface waters.

Thermohaline Circulation Implications for Climate

• Thermohaline Circulation has one of the biggest forces on earths climate. It plays a major role in giving heat to the polar regions.

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