Describe How Density Affects The Flow Of Deep Currents

Contents

Describe How Density Affects The Flow Of Deep Currents?

Dense water sinks below less dense water. This is the principle that drives the deep ocean currents that circulate around the world. A combination of high salinity and low temperature near the surface makes seawater dense enough to sink into the deep ocean and flow along the bottom of the basins.Jun 22 2010

How does density drive the movement of deep ocean currents?

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. … As the seawater gets saltier its density increases and it starts to sink.

How does the density of water affect ocean currents?

Differences in water density affect vertical ocean currents (movement of surface ocean water to the bottom of the ocean and movement of deep ocean water to the surface). … Denser water tends to sink while less dense water tends to rise.

How does density cause the currents?

Currents may also be caused by density differences in water masses due to temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) variations via a process known as thermohaline circulation. These currents move water masses through the deep ocean—taking nutrients oxygen and heat with them.

See also how does weather form

Are deep currents caused by density?

Currents also flow deep below the surface of the ocean. Deep currents are caused by differences in density at the top and bottom. More dense water takes up less space than less dense water. It has the same mass but less volume.

What cause increase density that results in deep ocean current?

Heat causes water to warm up become less dense and rise. The loss or transfer of heat causes water to cool down become more dense and sink. What can cause an increase in density that can result in a deep ocean current? … Warm water losing or transferring energy to its surroundings and cooling off to become denser.

How do density differences cause the large scale ocean circulation?

Deep ocean circulation. Deep ocean circulation is primarily driven by density differences. It is called thermohaline circulation because density differences are due to temperature and salinity. Density differences are small and the flow velocity is low of the order of a few cm/s.

Does water density increase with depth?

You can see density increases with increasing depth. The pycnocline are layers of water where the water density changes rapidly with depth. … Less dense water floats on top of more dense water. Given two layers of water with the same salinity the warmer water will float on top of the colder water.

How does density affect water circulation quizlet?

Density affects deep-ocean circulation because denser water sinks and slowly spreads out beneath the surface. … Upwelling is the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water. Upwelling brings greater concentrations of dissolved nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates to the ocean surface.

What causes deep ocean currents?

In contrast to wind-driven surface currents deep-ocean currents are caused by differences in water density. The process that creates deep currents is called thermohaline circulation—“thermo” referring to temperature and “haline” to saltiness. … This water also cools and sinks keeping a deep current in motion.

Where do density currents flow?

Density currents in nature are exemplified by those currents that flow along the bottom of oceans or lakes. Such subaqueous currents occur because some of the water in an ocean or lake is colder or saltier or contains more suspended sediment and thus is denser than the surrounding waters.

How does density affect wind and air Masses?

How does density affect weather and air masses? Atmospheric pressure density drives our wind currents and more dense air produces greater pressure then less dense air. At the same temperature dry air exerts a greater force than moist air.

What’s a deep current?

Deep currents also known as thermohaline circulation result from differences in water density. These currents occur when cold dense water at the poles sinks. Surface water flows to replace sinking water causing a conveyor belt-like effect of water circulating around the globe on a 1000-year journey.

What are the two causes of density in deep current waters quizlet?

What are the two causes of density in deep current waters? a. c. Oxygen content of the water and high temperatures .

How do deep density driven currents affect Earth’s climate?

The deep (density) ocean currents also have a strong effect on Earth’s climate. Water in the North Atlantic Ocean is cold and salty. This colder salty water sinks because of its greater density. … This may cause the global flow of ocean water to slow drastically changing Earth’s climate.

Why is it important to have density variation in the deep ocean?

Density in particular is an important property in ocean science because small spatial changes in density result in spatial variations in pressure at a given depth which in turn drive the ocean circulation.

What affects water density?

The density of water can also be affected by temperature. … The warmer the water the more space it takes up and the lower its density. When comparing two samples of water with the same salinity or mass the water sample with the higher temperature will have a greater volume and it will therefore be less dense.

See also what is the most abundant gas in earth’s atmosphere

How does density and salinity affect marine life?

Salinity can affect the density of ocean water: Water that has higher salinity is denser and heavier and will sink underneath less saline warmer water. This can affect the movement of ocean currents. It can also affect marine life which may need to regulate its intake of saltwater.

What causes density?

The density of a material varies with temperature and pressure. … Increasing the pressure on an object decreases the volume of the object and thus increases its density. Increasing the temperature of a substance (with a few exceptions) decreases its density by increasing its volume.

How do deep currents affect the oceans?

Deep ocean currents are density-driven and differ from surface currents in scale speed and energy. The colder and saltier the ocean water the denser it is. … Density differences in ocean water drive the global conveyor belt.

What is density driven flow?

In natural systems one effect that can initiate fluid flow in a still fluid is a change in density. … This density change will result in a change in the fluid’s buoyancy thus inciting flow as the denser fluid sinks and the less dense buoyant fluid rises.

What are density driven currents?

Ocean currents are formed when water layers move. Gravitational currents are formed when water masses of different densities sink or rise due to the interactions of gravitational and buoyant forces.

How does depth affect density?

Explanation: As you go deeper in depth pressure increases. Density = mass/volume. The layers beneath us due to pressure get packed to the point of being very dense.

Why is density important to the water column?

The density of seawater determines its tendency to move vertically. If density of water at surface is higher than below the water will sink to a level of its own density. This situation the water column is ‘unstable’ . If density of water at surface is lower than below the water will not sink.

How is density affected when the latitude increases?

High Latitudes: No thermocline and surface water is cold and stays cold as depth increases. … High Latitudes: No pycnocline and surface water is dense and stays dense as depth increases. Pycnocline. Layer of ocean water where density rapidly increases.

What affects the density of water quizlet?

Temperature influences density. For pure water density increases as the temperature decreases. Salinity influences this relationship in that the saltier the water the denser it becomes.

How does density play a role in the movement of nutrients and water temperatures through the ocean quizlet?

Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt and the colder denser water sinks.

How would an increase in evaporation affect the density of ocean water quizlet?

Evaporation increases salinity since the salt is left behind as the water evaporates. Salt water has a higher density than fresh water. Seawater has greater buoyancy. It lifts up or buoys up less dense objects floating in it.

What are three ways that the density of ocean water can increase?

The density of fresh water is 1 g/cm3 at 4o C (see section 5.1) but the addition of salts and other dissolved substances increases surface seawater density to between 1.02 and 1.03 g/cm3. The density of seawater can be increased by reducing its temperature increasing its salinity or increasing the pressure.

See also what happens to the temperature of the remaining liquid when some of the liquid evaporates

How does deep circulation differ from surface wind driven circulation?

How does deep circulation differ from surface wind-driven circulation? Deep circulation is water & motion caused by mixing water of differing densities. … It flows along the bottom mixes with other water rises and warms and eventually becomes part of a surface current.

How do ocean currents work? – Jennifer Verduin

Factors Affecting the Movement of Ocean Water – Geography UPSC IAS

Leave a Comment