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Why is the development of internal waves likely within the pycnocline?
The pycnocline is the ocean layer with the greatest density gradient. Internal waves are often caused by currents, which are caused by differing densities. Also, any disturbance to the pycnocline (such as ships, storms, tides, etc.) can generate internal waves.
Why does a pycnocline located above the compensation depth promote a phytoplankton bloom?
A pycnocline helps trap nutrients in the upper layer by preventing mixing with deeper, nutrient-poor waters. When the pycnocline is situated above the compensation depth, phytoplankton can access abundant nutrients while still receiving enough light for photosynthesis, promoting their growth and leading to a bloom.
Which term refers to the layer of water in which there is a rapid change of temperature with depth in the ocean?
The term you are referring to is "thermocline." It is the layer of water in the ocean where there is a rapid change in temperature with depth, serving as a barrier between warmer surface water and colder deep water.
Why is the shallow- water thermocline in polar and temperate seas seasonal?
The shallow-water thermocline in polar and temperate seas is seasonal because it is affected by changes in sunlight intensity and air temperature throughout the year. In the summer, increased sunlight warms the surface waters, creating a stratified layer with a distinct thermocline. In the winter, decreased sunlight and cooler air temperatures lead to mixing of the water column, causing the thermocline to weaken or disappear.
Why is shallow water thermocline in polar and temperate seas seasonal?
Seasonal changes in air temperature cause surface waters to cool and warm, which disrupts the stable thermal stratification in shallow water resulting in the seasonal thermocline formation in polar and temperate seas. This process occurs as colder, denser water from the surface sinks and warmer water rises, leading to the formation of the thermocline layer.
How is the pycnocline related to the thermocline and halocline?
A pycnocline is a type of ecocline (or "cline" for short), just as thermocline and halocline are. An ecocline is where a series of biocommunities display a continuous gradient. A pycnocline is the difference in water density. A thermocline is the difference in water temperature. A halocline is the difference in water salinity
A rapid change in density with depth in the ocean is called the?
A rapid change in density with depth in the ocean is called a thermocline.
What is a rapid change in ocean density with change in depth called?
A rapid change in ocean density with depth is called a thermocline. This thermocline is caused by variations in temperature and can impact ocean circulation and marine life distribution.
Why do high latitude water lack a pycnocline?
Density variations of seawater with latitude are very similar to those for temperature variations with latitude. Because of the influence of temperature on seawater density, low latitudes exhibit lower densities at the surface that rapidly increase with depth. Higher latitudes exhibit little or no difference in density owing to the lack of a thermocline. Such a rapid change in density with depth is called a pycnocline, and like a thermocline is absent at higher latitudes.
What is the pycnocline?
YES. A thermocline is a sudden change in the temperature of the water. A halocline is a sudden change in the salinity of the water. A pycnocline is a sudden change in both. The warmer, fresh water will advance to the top of the water, and the cold, salty water will stay at the bottom. Since there are two factors effecting this, pycnoclines happen to be more distinct.
How are thernocline and pycnocline related?
YES. A thermocline is a sudden change in the temperature of the water. A halocline is a sudden change in the salinity of the water. A pycnocline is a sudden change in both. The warmer, fresh water will advance to the top of the water, and the cold, salty water will stay at the bottom. Since there are two factors effecting this, pycnoclines happen to be more distinct.
What layer of the ocean experiences a rapid change in density of seawater?
pycnocline
Why is the development of internal waves likely within the pycnocline?
The pycnocline is the ocean layer with the greatest density gradient. Internal waves are often caused by currents, which are caused by differing densities. Also, any disturbance to the pycnocline (such as ships, storms, tides, etc.) can generate internal waves.
Does dense water sink into or floats onto less dence water?
Yes, more dense (colder water) sinks below less dense (warmer) water. That is the reason for the Thermocline.^^^^^^A widespread permanent thermocline exists beneath the relatively warm, well-mixed surface layer, from depths of about 200 m (660 feet) to about 1,000 m (3,000 feet), in which interval temperatures diminish steadily. The deep waters below the thermocline layer decrease in temperature much more gradually toward the seafloor. In latitudes marked by distinct seasons, a seasonal thermocline at much shallower depths forms during the summer as a result of solar heating, and it is destroyed by diminished insolation and increased surface turbulence during the winter. Water density is governed by temperature and salinity; consequently, the thermocline coincides generally with the pycnocline, or layer in which density increases rapidly with depth. The middle layer of water in a lake or reservoir during the summer is also called a thermocline.^^^^"thermocline." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Deluxe Edition. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.
A pycnocline is a boundary between changing regions of which of the following properties?
A pycnocline is a boundary between changing regions of water density in the ocean or other bodies of water.
What are the variables that causes water to stratify and why?
Water stratification is when water masses with different properties - salinity (halocline), oxygenation (chemocline), density (pycnocline), temperature (thermocline) - form layers that act as barriers to water mixing which could lead to anoxia or euxinia.
Why does a pycnocline located above the compensation depth promote a phytoplankton bloom?
A pycnocline helps trap nutrients in the upper layer by preventing mixing with deeper, nutrient-poor waters. When the pycnocline is situated above the compensation depth, phytoplankton can access abundant nutrients while still receiving enough light for photosynthesis, promoting their growth and leading to a bloom.
