What plane defines a rapid change in density with depth in the ocean quizlet?

The pycnocline encompasses both the halocline (salinity gradients) and the thermocline (temperature gradients)refers to the rapid change in density with depth. Because density is a function of temperature and salinity the pycnocline is a function of the thermocline and halocline.

Which term best describes a rapid change in density with depth?

A layer in the ocean where a rapid change in ocean density occurs with a change in depth is called a: pycnocline.

What is the zone in which the oceans density changes rapidly with depth?

In the oceans the zone where density of water changes rapidly with depth is called a pycnocline.

What is the layer of rapid density change in the ocean?

pycnocline The layer in the ocean in which a rapid change in temperature with height occurs is the thermocline. The region in which a rapid change in salinity with height occurs is called the halocline. Changes in temperature and salinity result in a sharp change in density with height at the pycnocline.

What factors influence density in seawater?

The density of seawater depends on temperature and salinity. Higher temperatures decrease the density of seawater, while higher salinity increases the density of seawater. The following figure shows how density is affected by temperature and salinity.

What causes deep ocean currents?

These deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water's density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline). This process is known as thermohaline circulation. In the Earth's polar regions ocean water gets very cold, forming sea ice.

Which of the following is a layer of rapidly changing density?

Pycnocline Pycnocline: Layer of rapidly changing density with depth.

What do we call a rapid change in temperature with depth?

pycnocline. A layer of rapid change of ocean temperature with depth is called a. thermocline.

What do you call a rapid change in temperature with depth?

In the thermocline, the temperature decreases rapidly from the mixed layer temperature to the much colder deep water temperature. In the ocean, the depth and strength of the thermocline vary from season to season and year to year.

Does water density change with depth?

The density does increase with depth, but only to a tiny extent. At the bottom of the deepest ocean the density is only increased by about 5% so the change can be ignored in most situations.

How does seawater density vary with depth?

Typically, the salinity decreases from the surface ocean to deep waters is very small, from about 36 g/L (ppt) at the surface to 35 g/L (ppt) in the deep water, thus there is a very small density decrease with depth given a constant temperature. The salinity of seawater also affects it's freezing point temperature.

What are deep density currents?

Deep water currents move very slowly, usually around 0.8-1.2 in (2-3 cm) per second. They dominate approximately 90% of the oceans' circulation. Water circulation of this type is called thermohaline circulation.

What is the cause of density currents?

Some density currents occur because they contain higher amounts of suspended sediments than the surrounding water. Such density currents, called turbidity currents, are believed to form when the accumulation of sediments on continental shelves becomes unstable as a result of an underwater landslide or earthquake.

What do you call a rapid change in salinity with depth?

halocline, vertical zone in the oceanic water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth, located below the well-mixed, uniformly saline surface water layer.

How does ocean temperature change with depth?

Temperatures in the oceans decrease with increasing depth. There are no seasonal changes at the greater depths. The temperature range extends from 30 °C (86 °F) at the sea surface to −1 °C (30.2 °F) at the seabed.

Which water mass is characterized by increasing density with deeper depths?

Ch 6 Review MCs

Question	Answer
What is thermal inertia?	resistance of change in temperature
Which water mass is characterized by increasing density with deeper depths?	Pycnocline.
What is a shadow zone?	Diversion of sound waves; region of little sound energy penetration.

How does potential density change with depth?

The potential density in the ocean increases with depth at a much smaller rate of 0.6 × 10−3 kg/m4, so it follows that most of the in situ density increase with depth in the ocean is due to the compressibility effects and not to changes in temperature or salinity.

What process is involved in deep ocean currents?

In contrast to wind-driven surface currents, deep-ocean currents are caused by differences in water density. The process that creates deep currents is called thermohaline circulation—“thermo” referring to temperature and “haline” to saltiness.

What is the definition of deep water currents?

Deep currents, also known as thermohaline circulation, result from differences in water density. These currents occur when cold, dense water at the poles sinks. Surface water flows to replace sinking water, causing a conveyor belt-like effect of water circulating around the globe on a 1000-year journey.

How does density affect depth?

Density is lowest at the surface, where the water is the warmest. As depth increases, there is a region of rapidly increasing density with increasing depth, which is called the pycnocline . The pycnocline coincides with the thermocline , as it is the sudden decrease in temperature that leads to the increase in density.

Which two changes would increase the density of ocean water?

The two main factors that affect density of ocean water are the temperature of the water and the salinity of the water. The density of ocean water continuously increases with decreasing temperature until the water freezes.

Does density of water change with depth?

You can see density increases with increasing depth. The pycnocline are layers of water where the water density changes rapidly with depth. This density-depth profile is typical of what you might expect to find at a latitude of 30-40 degrees south. The density of pure water is 1000 kg/m3.

What is potential density ocean?

We define potential density as the density a parcel has when moved adiabatically to a reference pressure. If the reference pressure is the sea surface, then we compute the potential temperature of the parcel, and evaluate the density at pressure 0 dbar.

What factors determine the density of the ocean water?

How do ocean currents change with depth?

Deep ocean currents are density-driven and differ from surface currents in scale, speed, and energy. Water density is affected by the temperature, salinity (saltiness), and depth of the water. The colder and saltier the ocean water, the denser it is.

Does the density of water change with depth?

The density does increase with depth, but only to a tiny extent. At the bottom of the deepest ocean the density is only increased by about 5% so the change can be ignored in most situations.

What affects the density of ocean water?

Why does density increase with depth in Earth?

Explanation: As you go deeper in depth, pressure increases. Density = mass/volume. The layers beneath us due to pressure get packed to the point of being very dense.

Does potential density increase with depth?

The potential density in the ocean increases with depth at a much smaller rate of 0.6 × 10−3 kg/m4, so it follows that most of the in situ density increase with depth in the ocean is due to the compressibility effects and not to changes in temperature or salinity.

What Happens When ocean density changes?

What happens when density changes. Dense water sinks below less dense water. This is the principle that drives the deep ocean currents that circulate around the world.