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An Introduction to the Ocean

An Introduction to the Ocean. Geography of the Atlantic Circulation of the Ocean Wind Driven Currents Thermohaline Circulation Vertical Structure of the Ocean. Greeland Sea. Geography of the Atlantic. Labrador Sea. Iceland Sea. Sargasso Sea. North Atlantic. Norwegian Sea.

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An Introduction to the Ocean

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  1. An Introduction to the Ocean • Geography of the Atlantic • Circulation of the Ocean • Wind Driven Currents • Thermohaline Circulation • Vertical Structure of the Ocean

  2. Greeland Sea Geography of the Atlantic Labrador Sea Iceland Sea Sargasso Sea North Atlantic Norwegian Sea South Atlantic

  3. Circulation of the Ocean The Surface Currents

  4. Circulation of the OceanWind Driven Currents • Driven by energy transfer from wind to surface(mixed) layers of ocean • Carries warm water north along the western boundaries of the Altantic and Pacific Oceans • Cooler water advected along eastern boundary and equatorial currents

  5. Circulation of the OceanWind Driven Currents • Gyres: closed surface currents occupying major ocean basins • Forced by overlying pressure systems • Subpolar low pressure system • Subtropical high pressure system

  6. Circulation of the OceanThermohaline Circulation • Global Conveyor Belt • Driven by density variations • salinity and temperature

  7. Circulation of the OceanThermohaline Circulation • Driving mechanism: deep water formation (DWF) • Water is advected north into the Labrador and GIN seas where its cooled • Relatively cold salty water creates unstable surface layer and sinks • North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) • DWF occurs in North Atlantic but not North Pacific

  8. Vertical Profile of Ocean • Mixed(Surface) Layer: warm low-density water • Responds to annual cycle of insolation: thinnest in summer and thickest in winter • Thermocline: layer in which temperatures decreases greatly with depth • Deep Water Layer: cold-high density water

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