(16) geo: ocean circulation pt. 2

what is deep ocean circulation controlled by?

changes in density to ocean water

what properties make ocean water more dense?

evaporation or sea ice formation

where do western boundary currents move heat?

northward

how does heat transmit to the atmopshere?

evaporative heat loss

how does water change as it moves northward?

colder and saltier

where is the most dense surface water located?`

in the north atlantic and southern ocean

how are the north atlantic and southern oceans so dense?

evaporation and sea ice formation

what is buoyancy loss?

water becoming more dense and likely to sink

where does buoyancy mainly happen?

in areas of sea ice formation and western boundary currents

what is thermohaline circulation?

temperature and salinity that drive deep sea circulation patterns

what 4 oceans does deep water form in?

north atlantic, weddell sea, ross sea, and labrador sea

how long does ocean circulation take to complete? what kind of reservoir is it?

1,500-2,000 years, long term carbon reservoir

the lack of a thermocline makes conditions

unstable

thermohaline energy transports how much heat energy northward?

25%

when did thermohaline circulation occur?

the end of the last ice age, melted ice from the ice sheets in the north atlantic ocean

what is a bipolar seesaw?

northern hemisphere cools and warms the southern hemisphere

(response of a thermohaline circulation shutdown)