Difference between revisions of "Template:This weeks featured article"

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(→‎Sea ice ecosystems)
(Thermohaline circulation of the oceans)
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==Sea ice ecosystems==
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==Thermohaline circulation of the oceans==
  
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[[Image:mis1.jpg|thumb|right|300px| Polar bears which depend on sea ice for many aspects of their life history are particularly vulnerable to the effects of habitat loss. Fot. Wojtek Walkusz]]
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[[Image:Thermohaline.jpg|thumb|center|400px|Fig.1. The Thermohaline Circulation. Source: IPPC 2001.]]
  
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Sea ice covers some 3-7% of the total surface of our planet depending on the season of the year. Apart from being  one of the most important climatic variables and key indicator of [[:Category:Climate_change_and_global_warming|climate change]], sea ice also  provides an extreme and changeable habitat for diverse sympagic organisms, which play an important role in the ecosystems of the polar seas.
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The Thermohaline Circulation (THC) also referred to as the “Great Ocean Conveyor” or the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), can be defined as the density-impelled circulation of the oceans. Thermohaline is derived from the Greek: thermo- for heat and -haline for salt, which constitute the density of water.  The water masses transport both energy (heat) and matter (solids, dissolved substances and gasses) around the globe. Changes in the Thermohaline Circulation alter the global ocean heat transport and affect the global climate.(Broecker, W., 1991<ref>Broecker, W., 1991. The great ocean conveyor. Oceanography 1, 79–89.</ref>)
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Sea ice cover occurs primarily in the polar regions, but in the northern hemisphere it may be also found at lower latitudes (eg. in the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]], Caspian and Okhotsk seas, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Scandinavian fjords). Land-fast ice forms and remains fast along the coast, attached to the shore or grounded to a shallow sea bottom. Pack ice refers to any area of floating sea ice that is not land-fast.
 

Revision as of 16:15, 8 July 2009

Thermohaline circulation of the oceans

Fig.1. The Thermohaline Circulation. Source: IPPC 2001.
The Thermohaline Circulation (THC) also referred to as the “Great Ocean Conveyor” or the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), can be defined as the density-impelled circulation of the oceans. Thermohaline is derived from the Greek: thermo- for heat and -haline for salt, which constitute the density of water. The water masses transport both energy (heat) and matter (solids, dissolved substances and gasses) around the globe. Changes in the Thermohaline Circulation alter the global ocean heat transport and affect the global climate.(Broecker, W., 1991[1])
  1. ↑ Broecker, W., 1991. The great ocean conveyor. Oceanography 1, 79–89.
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