Is North Atlantic deep water salty?

NADW is the prominent layer of high salinity, high oxygen, and low nutrients between about 1500 and 3500 m depth found through the length of the Atlantic.

What is the salinity of the North Atlantic ocean?

37 parts per thousand
Atlantic Ocean The surface waters of the North Atlantic have a higher salinity than those of any other ocean, reaching values exceeding 37 parts per thousand in latitudes 20° to 30° N.

Is North Atlantic deep water cold or warm?

It is cold and relatively fresh, flowing below 3500 m in the DWBC and spreading inward the deep Atlantic basins.

Why does the central North Atlantic ocean have high salinity?

The North Atlantic upper ocean acquires its high salinity signature through a combination of the advection of saline water from the Indian Ocean6, MOC processes in the South Atlantic2, and the removal of freshwater from the surface in the subtropics by evaporation and subsequent atmospheric transport to the Pacific2.

What is the salinity of the North Atlantic deep water?

However, this is almost certainly an oversimplification of the actual relationship between NADW formation and the strength of the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift. NADW has a temperature of 2-4 °C with a salinity of 34.9-35.0 psu found at a depth between 1500 and 4000m.

What is the temperature of the North Atlantic sea water?

CLSW has characteristic potential temperature of 3 °C, salinity of 34.88 psu, and density of 34.66. Another component of LSW is the Upper Labrador Sea Water (ULSW). ULSW forms at a density lower than CLSW and has a CFC maximum between 1200 and 1500 m in the subtropical North Atlantic.

How are temperature and salinity of the Pacific Ocean related?

Observations of temperature and salinity at different levels in the ocean reveal well-defined layers, each forming a water mass distinguished by its own temperature and salinity characteristics. It appears that the most important influence on the vertical circulation of the Pacific is the cold water generated around the Antarctic continent.

What causes the thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic Ocean?

The thermohaline circulation is mainly driven by the formation of deep water masses in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean caused by differences in temperature and salinity of the water.