At what latitudes is sea surface salinity the highest?
In all oceans the surface salinity varies with latitude in a similar manner. It is at a minimum near the Equator, teaches a maximum in about latitudes 20°N and 20°S, and again decreases toward high latitudes.
Why is surface salinity higher at lower latitudes?
Latitudinal Variations Temperature is highest at the equator, and lowest near the poles, so we would expect higher rates of evaporation, and therefore higher salinity, in equatorial regions (Figure 11.2.
Where is surface salinity generally highest?
Of the five ocean basins, the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest. On average, there is a distinct decrease of salinity near the equator and at both poles, although for different reasons. Near the equator, the tropics receive the most rain on a consistent basis.
Why is salinity higher at the 30 latitude?
At approximately 30°–35° N and 30°–35° S, the subtropical zones called the horse latitudes are belts of high evaporation that produce major deserts and grasslands on the continents and cause the surface salinity to rise.
In which general latitudinal regions are salinity values High Low?
Latitudinal Variations Temperature is highest at the equator, and lowest near the poles, so we would expect higher rates of evaporation, and therefore higher salinity, in equatorial regions (Figure 5.3. 2).
Why is salinity higher at the equator?
This is because equatorial regions also get a high volume of rain on a regular basis, which dilutes the surface water along the equator. So the higher salinities are found at subtropical, warm latitudes with high evaporation and less precipitation.
When precipitation at the ocean surface exceeds evaporation the salinity of seawater?
When evaporation at the ocean surface exceeds precipitation, what happens to the salinity of seawater? The salinity increases as only the H2O is evaporated leaving the salt behind.
How does the salinity of seawater differ in areas where precipitation is greater than evaporation?
When the rate of evaporation is greater than the precipitation, then surface ocean salinity increases. When the rate of precipitation is greater than the rate of evaporation, then the surface ocean salinity decreases.
Why are salinity levels high in the subtropical latitudes?
The tropics and subtropics of the North Atlantic are regions of net evaporation, which increases the salinity of surface waters in the subtropical North Atlantic. Subduction of salty northeastern subtropical waters into the thermocline also increases the salinity of western Atlantic thermocline waters.
Does high latitude increase salinity?
In subtropical latitudes, high sur- face evaporation creates high salinity near the sea surface. In subpolar latitudes, high precipitation creates low salinity near the sea surface. As these waters flow into the ocean interior, they create layers of high and low salinity.