8/30/2023 0 Comments Age of water masses![]() ![]() Cold, dense water is shown in blue, flowing south from upper latitudes, while warm, less dense water, shown in red flows north from low latitudes. The circulation patterns in the North Atlantic Ocean. The NADW is a complex of several water masses formed by deep convection and also by overflow of dense water across the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland Ridge. ![]() NADW has a temperature of 2-4 ☌ with a salinity of 34.9-35.0 psu found at a depth between 15m. However, this is almost certainly an oversimplification of the actual relationship between NADW formation and the strength of the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift. In the conveyor belt model of thermohaline circulation of the world's oceans, the sinking of NADW pulls the waters of the North Atlantic drift northward. NADW and its formation is essential to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is responsible for transporting large amounts of water, heat, salt, carbon, nutrients and other substances from the Tropical Atlantic to the Mid and High Latitude Atlantic. This distinct composition allows its path to be traced as it mixes with Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), which in turn fills the deep Indian Ocean and part of the South Pacific. ĬFCs are anthropogenic substances that enter the surface of the ocean from gas exchange with the atmosphere. NADW is the outflow of this thick deep layer, which can be detected by its high salinity, high oxygen content, nutrient minima, high 14C/ 12C, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). When this water reaches the North Atlantic it cools and sinks through convection, due to its decreased temperature and increased salinity resulting in increased density. Water flowing northward becomes modified through evaporation and mixing with other water masses, leading to increased salinity. Thermohaline circulation (properly described as meridional overturning circulation) of the world's oceans involves the flow of warm surface waters from the southern hemisphere into the North Atlantic. ![]() North Atlantic Deep Water ( NADW) is a deep water mass formed in the North Atlantic Ocean. Deep water mass formed in the North Atlantic Ocean The North Atlantic Deep Water is considered to be one of several possible tipping points in the climate system. ![]()
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