Temperature, Salinity and Density of Ocean Water — Flashcards

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These three properties strongly affect ocean movement, climate, marine life, and the behaviour of water at different depths. Temperature influences currents and climate, salinity changes the amount of…

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The oceans account for 97% of the total amount of water on the earth. This shows that ocean water is the most important part of the hydrosphere.

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Ocean water is heated mainly by absorption of heat radiation from the sun and by convection of heat through the ocean bottom from the interior of the earth. It is cooled by back radiation of heat from…

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Temperature is a very important physical property of ocean water. It controls the movement of large water masses, helps create waves and currents, affects climate, and influences the distribution of m…

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The main factors are latitude, prevailing winds, ocean currents, adjacent land masses, salinity, and ice floes or icebergs. These factors cause temperature to change from place to place across the oce…

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Ocean water is hottest at the equator and coldest at the poles. The average annual temperature is 26°C at the equator, 23°C at 20°, 14°C at 40°, and 1°C at 60°. It falls below freezing point at the po…

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Prevailing trade winds move surface water away and bring cold water up from below, which lowers the surface temperature. Because of this, the eastern parts of tropical oceans are cooler than the weste…

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In the tropics, the western part of the Pacific Ocean exceeds 28°C, while the eastern part is about 25°C. This difference is linked to the effect of prevailing winds and the movement of surface water.