Life Goes On: Fishes: Survival in a Challenging Environment
Two features of water, viscosity and density, present challenges for fishes that are very different from what animals who live on land or in the air must face. Fishes have been able to meet these challenges through a number of physiological adaptati...
Its in the Water: Thermohaline Circulation
Thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in temperature and salinity, as opposed to circulation driven by wind. Understanding patterns of water movement may be crucial to better understanding global climate and climate change.
Its in the Water: Salinity, Density, and Temperature
Obtaining accurate salinity measurements is vitally important because salt, along with temperature, has a significant impact on the density of seawater. And this, in turn, greatly affects ocean structure and circulation.
World in Motion: Heat, Convection and Plate Tectonics
Most scientists believe heat and convection probably play a major role in plate tectonics. And, yet, many questions remain.
Deep Connections: Tracers
A tracer is a property or substance that can be used to track the movement of individual water masses. While the utility of specific tracers varies according to the locale and circumstance, tracers as a group provide a rich source of information ab...
Deep Connections: Water Masses
Water masses are layers of water distinguished by a particular temperature and salinity. Understanding how water masses form and move around is critical in understanding global climate.
Deep Connections: Thermohaline Circulation
The movement of water due to differences in density is called thermohaline circulation. This process is responsible for not only the vertical movement of ocean water, but for the circulation of the global ocean as a whole.