
ARCTIC OCEAN- A FRESH WATER LAKE WHICH BECAME SALINE
Editorials News | Jun-15-2017
Annually, fresh water of ca. 3,300 cubic kilometers flows into the Arctic Ocean. Once upon a time, this amount was even bigger that the Arctic Ocean was an enormous freshwater lake. It was only when the land bridge between Scotland and Greenland submerged did huge quantities of salt water from the Atlantic pour into the Arctic Ocean making it salty as it is today. This process of tectonic submersion occurred over a period of several million years.
Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute have explained how this process occurred, by using a climate model. They gradually submerged the land bridge 200 meters deep in their simulations. Only when it has submerged to over 50 meters deep, biggest changes in the characteristics and circulation patterns of the Arctic Ocean occurred.
This threshold depth correlates with the surface mixed layer’s depth, and determines the end of the relatively light Arctic surface water and the beginning of the below-lying layer of inflowing North Atlantic water. "Once the ocean passage between Greenland and Scotland had reached this critical depth, the saline Arctic Ocean as we know it today was created” said one of the researchers.
Content: www.sciencedaily.com
Related News
-
Challenges for Wildlife and Ecosystem Services
-
Water Pollution and Its Impact on Agriculture and Food Security
-
Air Pollution: The Hidden Health Crisis in Urban Centers
-
Ethical Issues Surrounding Animal Testing and Research
-
Privacy Issues and The Impact of Data Breaches
-
High Schools Integrate Financial Literacy Programs
-
"ISRO's PSLV-C60 Launch: Advancing India's Space Mission"
-
Importance of Voting in a Democratic World
-
Significance of Wildlife Photography and Citizen Science
-
Cultural Exchanges Between Native Americans and Early European Settlers
Most popular news
- The Law Of Equivalent Exchange
- Essay On Issues And Challenges Of Rural Development In India
- Srinivasa Ramanujan And His Inventions
- The Youth Is The Hope Of Our Future!
- Poverty In India: Facts, Causes, Effects And Solutions
- Top 20 Outdoor Games In India
- Festivals Of India: Unity In Diversity
- Role Of Women In Society
- The Impact Of Peer Pressure On Students' Academic Performance
- Books As Companion