What changes drastically at the thermocline?

What changes drastically at the thermocline?

In the thermocline, temperature decreases rapidly from the mixed upper layer of the ocean (called the epipelagic zone) to much colder deep water in the thermocline (mesopelagic zone). It is relatively easy to tell when you have reached the thermocline in a body of water because there is a sudden change in temperature.

How does climate change affect the thermocline?

During summer, the sun heats the ocean’s surface more strongly than in winter. Most of the additional heat is absorbed in a very shallow surface layer, generating a sharper “seasonal” thermocline above the main thermocline.

What are the factors that cause the thermocline and how do they affect it?

Factors that affect the depth and thickness of a thermocline include seasonal weather variations, latitude, and local environmental conditions, such as tides and currents.

How does wind affect thermocline?

A thermocline is a transition layer between deep and surface water (or mixed layer). Once the wind increases over the lake causing wave action, the warmer mixed layer at the surface starts to mingle with the deep water which results in a fluctuation of the depth of the thermocline.

How does a thermocline change differ from summer to winter?

In temperate regions, the surface water is much warmer in the summer and the thermocline is more pronounced compared to the winter months. But in the winter the thermocline is deeper at mid-latitudes than it is in the summer.

How cold is the thermocline near the equator?

The Subtropical Gyres and the Permanent Thermocline It is characterized by a relatively rapid decrease of temperature with depth, with a total temperature drop of some 15°C over its vertical extent, which varies from about 800 m in the subtropics to less than 200 m near the equator.

Does the equator have a thermocline?

The equatorial thermocline☆ One striking feature of the meridional circulation is the occurrence of downwelling. It is suggested that this accounts for the downward spreading of the equatorial thermocline and for the deep penetration of water of high oxygen and low phosphate concentration at the equator.

Why does the thermocline change with latitude?

Temperature profiles vary at different latitudes, as the surface water is warmer near the equator and colder at the poles. In low latitude tropical regions the sea surface is much warmer, leading to a highly pronounced thermocline (Figure 6.2.

How does the thermocline change during an El Nino?

In very strong El Niño episodes, the thermocline can actually become flat across the entire tropical Pacific for periods of several months. Accompanying these conditions, the sea level height is higher than normal over the eastern Pacific, resulting in a decreased slope of the ocean surface height across the basin.

What happens at the thermocline?

In the thermocline, the temperature decreases rapidly from the mixed layer temperature to the much colder deep water temperature. The mixed layer and the deep water layer are relatively uniform in temperature, while the thermocline represents the transition zone between the two.

What problem regarding life does thermocline cause in tropical oceans?

One result of this stability is that as the summer wears on, there is less and less oxygen below the thermocline as the water below the thermocline never circulates to the surface and organisms in the water deplete the available oxygen.