Thermohaline circulation

The thermohaline circulation is a term for the global density-driven circulation of the oceans. Derivation is from thermo- for heat and -haline for salt, which together determine the density of sea water. Wind driven surface currents (such as the Gulf Stream) head polewards from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, cooling all the while and eventually sinking at high latitudes (forming North Atlantic Deep Water). This dense water then flows downhill into the deep water basins, only resurfacing in the northeast Pacific Ocean 1200 years later. Extensive mixing therefore takes place between the ocean basins, reducing differences between them and making the Earth's ocean a global system. On their journey, the water masses piggyback both energy (in the form of heat) and matter (solids, dissolved substances and gases) around the globe. As such, the state of the circulation has a large impact on the climate of our planet.

Related Topics:
Density - Thermo - Density of sea water - Gulf Stream - Atlantic Ocean - North Atlantic Deep Water - Pacific Ocean - Climate

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The thermohaline circulation is sometimes called the ocean conveyor belt or, less commonly, the global conveyor belt.

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