When discussing global climate change, why should we be mindful of patterns of ocean salinity?
When discussing global climate change, why should we be mindful of patterns of ocean salinity?
Applications and Investigations in Earth Science (9th Edition)
9th Edition
ISBN:9780134746241
Author:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Publisher:Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G. Tasa
Chapter1: The Study Of Minerals
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1LR
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Question
When discussing global climate change, why should we be mindful of patterns of ocean salinity?
![5.5 Monitoring the Ocean Depths
While ocean scientists have measured surface and near-surface temperature, salinity, and currents for more than a century, probing the ocean depths to determine the vertical structure and circulation of the ocean has been much more challenging. Accurate measurements
of deep currents and water temperature and salinity at various depths not only require instruments that can withstand the stresses of the ocean environment, but also appropriate platforms that provide a means of delivering the instruments to the desired depth and retrieving
the data once measurements are made. In the past few decades, however, systematic surveys of the deep ocean have greatly expanded scientific knowledge of the properties of seawater and water movements. Deep-sea casts from oceanographic research ships have produced
much of these data. Ocean scientists use the term cast (as in net cast) for measurements made at one point and various depths in the ocean. This term likely originated with boat pilots (such as Mark Twain) who used a weighted measured line thrown overboard to determine
water depth.
Newer ocean sensing technologies include submersible, instrumented profiler floats that obtain vertical profiles of temperature, pressure (a measure of depth), and conductivity (a measure of salinity) (Figure 5.17). A widely spaced array of about 3800 instrumented
floating profilers is deployed across the ocean at 3° latitude/longitude intervals. The primary purpose of the float array, known as Argo (Array for real-time geostrophic oceanography), is to monitor the climate (long-term average conditions)
pycnocline in the water column. This approach provides denser spatial and temporal scales than previously available. The long-term observations provided by Argo are the basis for mapping large-scale average oceanic flow.
the wind-driven layer and
A
Temperature (C)
Salinity (psu)
8
12
33.0
33.5
34.0
34.5
200
200
400
400
600
600
800
800
1000
1000
1200
1200
1400
E 1400
1600
1600
1800
1800
2000
2000
Figure 5.17
(A) An Argo float obtains continuous profiles of ocean temperatures and salinity to a maximum depth of about 2000 m. The instrument surfaces and sends data to a satellite for downloading. (B) This is a sample plot of float-derived temperature and salinity profiles obtained at a location in the
eastern North Pacific, west of Northern California. [Courtesy of the U.S. Globai Ocean Assimilation Experiment]
Research ships, commercial vessels, and low-flying aircraft drop profiler floats into the sea. Typically, a float is programmed for a 10-day cycle during which it sinks to a prescribed depth of 1000 m (3300 ft.) and drifts with the current for 9 days. On the tenth day, the
float sinks to a maximum depth, typically about 2000 m (6600 ft.), and then returns to the surface monitoring ocean water properties along the way. At the surface, the float relays its collected data via satellite to computer databases. Tracking the position of the float over
time also records water movements. While the Argo global-scale array is an international effort, various U.S. institutions have deployed about half the floats. Among the more than 30 other participating nations are Australia, Canada, Japan, France, China, the United
Kingdom, and India.
An underwater glider is a more recent type of float designed to cover a greater distance and typically has a longer sampling life than an Argo float. A glider is shaped like a torpedo and changes its buoyancy in order to rise and sink in the ocean (Figure 5.18). Unlike an
Argo float, it can move independently of the surrounding ocean currents, making it more versatile and highly maneuverable.
Pressure (dbar)
Pressure (dbar)](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F4075dd7b-7cf0-4080-a9ab-c20ff4793850%2Fda3dcab1-b307-44a8-a533-15e3bd4ff896%2Fyk9eemo_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:5.5 Monitoring the Ocean Depths
While ocean scientists have measured surface and near-surface temperature, salinity, and currents for more than a century, probing the ocean depths to determine the vertical structure and circulation of the ocean has been much more challenging. Accurate measurements
of deep currents and water temperature and salinity at various depths not only require instruments that can withstand the stresses of the ocean environment, but also appropriate platforms that provide a means of delivering the instruments to the desired depth and retrieving
the data once measurements are made. In the past few decades, however, systematic surveys of the deep ocean have greatly expanded scientific knowledge of the properties of seawater and water movements. Deep-sea casts from oceanographic research ships have produced
much of these data. Ocean scientists use the term cast (as in net cast) for measurements made at one point and various depths in the ocean. This term likely originated with boat pilots (such as Mark Twain) who used a weighted measured line thrown overboard to determine
water depth.
Newer ocean sensing technologies include submersible, instrumented profiler floats that obtain vertical profiles of temperature, pressure (a measure of depth), and conductivity (a measure of salinity) (Figure 5.17). A widely spaced array of about 3800 instrumented
floating profilers is deployed across the ocean at 3° latitude/longitude intervals. The primary purpose of the float array, known as Argo (Array for real-time geostrophic oceanography), is to monitor the climate (long-term average conditions)
pycnocline in the water column. This approach provides denser spatial and temporal scales than previously available. The long-term observations provided by Argo are the basis for mapping large-scale average oceanic flow.
the wind-driven layer and
A
Temperature (C)
Salinity (psu)
8
12
33.0
33.5
34.0
34.5
200
200
400
400
600
600
800
800
1000
1000
1200
1200
1400
E 1400
1600
1600
1800
1800
2000
2000
Figure 5.17
(A) An Argo float obtains continuous profiles of ocean temperatures and salinity to a maximum depth of about 2000 m. The instrument surfaces and sends data to a satellite for downloading. (B) This is a sample plot of float-derived temperature and salinity profiles obtained at a location in the
eastern North Pacific, west of Northern California. [Courtesy of the U.S. Globai Ocean Assimilation Experiment]
Research ships, commercial vessels, and low-flying aircraft drop profiler floats into the sea. Typically, a float is programmed for a 10-day cycle during which it sinks to a prescribed depth of 1000 m (3300 ft.) and drifts with the current for 9 days. On the tenth day, the
float sinks to a maximum depth, typically about 2000 m (6600 ft.), and then returns to the surface monitoring ocean water properties along the way. At the surface, the float relays its collected data via satellite to computer databases. Tracking the position of the float over
time also records water movements. While the Argo global-scale array is an international effort, various U.S. institutions have deployed about half the floats. Among the more than 30 other participating nations are Australia, Canada, Japan, France, China, the United
Kingdom, and India.
An underwater glider is a more recent type of float designed to cover a greater distance and typically has a longer sampling life than an Argo float. A glider is shaped like a torpedo and changes its buoyancy in order to rise and sink in the ocean (Figure 5.18). Unlike an
Argo float, it can move independently of the surrounding ocean currents, making it more versatile and highly maneuverable.
Pressure (dbar)
Pressure (dbar)
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