What is the relationship between ocean surface temperatures and density?
The difference in density of cold water versus density of warmer water is responsible for ocean currents and upwelling. Warm seawater floats and cold (4° C), dense (1 g/cm3), seawater sinks, so ocean temperatures also vary across the surface and into the depths.
How do temperature salinity and density affect ocean structure?
Seawater density varies from place to place because it is affected by salinity and temperature. This means that ships float higher or lower in the water, depending on the density of the ocean. As water gets warmer, its molecules spread out, so it becomes less dense. As it gets colder, it becomes denser.
How do temperature pressure and density affect the ocean?
The density of seawater (salinity greater than 24.7) increases as temperature decreases at all temperatures above the freezing point. The density of seawater is increased by increasing pressure. Density changes about 2% because of the pressure difference between the surface and the deep seafloor.
What is the diagram that represents the temperature and salinity of the ocean?
In oceanography, temperature-salinity diagrams, sometimes called T-S diagrams, are used to identify water masses.
What is the relationship between temperature and density?
Density is directly proportional to pressure and indirectly proportional to temperature. As pressure increases, with temperature constant, density increases. Conversely when temperature increases, with pressure constant, density decreases.
How does temperature affect density?
Temperature Affects Density When the same amount of water is heated or cooled, its density changes. When the water is heated, it expands, increasing in volume. The warmer the water, the more space it takes up, and the lower its density.
What is relation between density and temperature?
What is the relationship on the graph between depth and ocean temperature?
Temperature is directly proportional to the depth inside Earth.
What is temperature in oceanography?
Generally ocean temperatures range from about -2o to 30o C (28-86o F). The warmest water tends to be surface water in low latitude regions, while the surface water at the poles is obviously much colder (Figure 6.2. 1).
Does temperature or salinity affect density more?
Ocean water gets more dense as temperature goes down. So, the colder the water, the more dense it is. Increasing salinity also increases the density of sea water. Temperature has a greater effect on the density of water than salinity does.
What is the relationship between temperature and density and why?
Temperature and density are inversely related. This means that when the temperature is increased, the density will decrease and vice-versa.
Why does temperature correlate density?
Density changes with temperature because volume changes with temperature. Density is mass divided by volume. As you heat something up, the volume usually increases because the faster moving molecules are further apart. Since volume is in the denominator, increasing the volume decreases the density.
How is the density of seawater related to temperature?
The density, , of seawater is function of temperature, salinity, and pressure. It increases with increasing salinity and pressure, and decreases with increasing temperature. The density is expressed in units of kg/m 3, or sometimes g/cm 3.
How is the surface temperature of the ocean measured?
The temperature of the very thin (only microns thick) surface of the ocean, known as the skin temperature, can be measured remotely by its infrared signature. This can be done from buoys, airplanes, and satellites. The sea surface temperature is often abbreviated as SST.
What is the temperature gradient on the ocean floor?
This region of steep temperature gradient is known as the permanent thermocline, beneath which, from about 1000 m to the ocean floor, there is virtually no seasonal variation and the temperatures are around 2 C.
How are temperature and salinity related to ocean circulation?
Two of the most important characteristics of seawater are temperature and salinity – together they control its density, which is the major factor governing the vertical movement of ocean waters. Temperature Distribution in the Ocean The temperature of seawater is fixed at the sea surface by heat exchange with the atmosphere.