What causes the cold blob?
While climate change is making much of the world warmer, temperatures in a subpolar region of the North Atlantic are getting cooler. A team of researchers report that changes in the wind pattern, among other factors, may be contributing to this “cold blob.”
Are thermohaline currents warm or cold?
The basic thermohaline circulation is one of sinking of cold water in the polar regions, chiefly in the northern North Atlantic and near Antarctica. These dense water masses spread into the full extent of the ocean and gradually upwell to feed a slow return flow to the sinking regions.
What is the effect of the cold blob on AMOC?
In short, the cold blob may signal that the northern arm of the Gulf Stream no longer arrives with the same strength to the North Atlantic. That a warming atmosphere has, paradoxically, cooled one part of the world. The science remains relatively new, and not everyone agrees the AMOC is actually slowing.
Where would you find cold water currents in the thermohaline circulation?
The cold, salty waters that drive the thermohaline circulation form in the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic, and the Southern Ocean. The shallow ocean floor along the Bering Straight prevents deep currents from flowing out of the Arctic Ocean into the Pacific.
Why is the Atlantic so cold?
Why is the Atlantic so cold? It is driven by the cooling and sinking of salty water in the high latitudes of the North Atlantic. … Less warm water coming up from the tropics has a cooling effect on the North Atlantic, which offsets the general ocean warming caused by rising global temperatures.
What is the thermohaline current How does it form?
Thermohaline circulation begins in the Earth’s polar regions. When ocean water in these areas gets very cold, sea ice forms. The surrounding seawater gets saltier, increases in density and sinks. Winds drive ocean currents in the upper 100 meters of the ocean’s surface.
How do thermohaline currents work?
Thermohaline circulation describes the movement of ocean currents due to differences in temperature and salinity in different regions of water. Temperature and salinity change the density of water, resulting in the water to move accordingly. Cold water is usually denser than warm water (4°C is where water is densest).
What causes the Labrador Current?
Labrador Current. The Labrador Current is formed by very cold − 1.5°C water from the Baffin Island Current and a branch of the West Greenland Current, which merge on the western side of the Labrador Sea. The current flows southward from Hudson Strait to the southern edge of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Fig. 9).
What thermohaline circulation drives thermohaline circulation?
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.