Science · 6 pages · 12 min
Why the deep ocean is cold
The abyss is cold because it is filled by water that sank from polar surfaces.
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From the opening
The deep ocean is cold because the water that fills it sank from the surface in high latitudes, where winter cooling made it dense enough to slide downward. The Sun warms tropical surfaces, and that heat does not easily cross the stable layers into the abyss. The opening covers dense water sinks in polar winters, a warm lid isolates the abyss, and silled basins can differ.
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Inside
- Dense water sinks in polar winters
- A warm lid isolates the abyss
- Silled basins can differ
- Vents are pinpricks, not the mass
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Polar deep-water formation
- Stable stratification and the thermocline