Lecture 7- Water and Salt Balances

what percent of water is ice and groundwater and ocean

ocean = 97% ice = 2% groundwater = 0.6%

total dissolved salts in ocean

5× 10^19kg

dissolved solids brought by rivers

3 × 10^12kg/year

conservation of salt

total amount of dissolved salt in ocean is constant

what changes salinity

evaporation, precipitation, rivers bringing freshwater, seawater freezing, ice melting

what processes increase salinity

evaporation, seawater freezing

what processes decrease salinity

rain, rivers and melting fresh water

where is there more evaporation and precipitation

more evaporation in mid lat and precipitation in low lat

conservation of salt equation

ViSi = VoSo

coservation of mass equation

Vo-Vi = (R+P)-E, R - river input, P- precipitation, E- evaporation

where is evaporation> precipitation

mediterranean sea, saltier than atlantic

where is P+R> E

black sea less salty than med sea

residence time

time to replace all water (flushing time)

flushing time synonym

residence time

what other two components influence flushing time

wind forcing and mixing

implications of salt and freshwater balances for climate change

melting ice in high lat will reduce sinking of dense water and slow down thermohaline circulation, less ice = more water = more radiation of earth, more rain = more dissolved materials = change in pH

where is there strong stratification coast or open ocean

coast due to river runoff = less dense water

what factors are freshwater plumes affected by

turbulent mixing, wind, waves, ocean currents, coriolis effect