What is the relationship of density temperature and salinity in seawater?
The density of water increases as the salinity increases. The density of seawater (salinity greater than 24.7) increases as temperature decreases at all temperatures above the freezing point. The density of seawater is increased by increasing pressure.
How do salinity and temperature each play a role in the ocean as a function of density?
Warm seawater floats and cold (4° C), dense (1 g/cm3), seawater sinks, so ocean temperatures also vary across the surface and into the depths. Seawater is saturated with salts at 35 ppt and at 4° C the salinity causes the density to actually be 1.0278 g/cm3.
How do temperature and salinity affect mixing in the oceans?
With temperature, salinity determines seawater density and buoyancy, driving the extent of ocean stratification, mixing and water mass formation.
How is density affected by temperature and salinity?
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.
Is the example of warm ocean current?
The prominent example of warm currents are the North Atlantic and the Kuroshio Current. The prominent example of cold current are the Labrador Ocean current and the East Greenland Current flows.
What is the relationship of temperature to salinity?
Why are temperature and salinity The two most important tracers of water masses?
Salinity, along with temperature, determines the density of seawater, and hence its vertical flow patterns in thermohaline circulation. Salinity can be used as a conservative (unchanging) tracer for determining the origin and mixing of water types.
Why does salinity decrease with temperature?
Increases in temperatures of surrounding entities like ice and an increase in precipitation adds fresh water into the sea, which lower salinity. Seawater with lower salinity is lighter in density and won’t sink as much as denser water. This process changes ocean currents.