Why is the great ocean conveyor belt important
Global Conveyor belt-Ocean Currents caused by temperature and Salinity
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global conveyor belt the global conveyor
belt is a series of ocean currents that
snake around the world they are called
thermal haline currents because they are
the result of changes in temperature and
salinity the adjective thermal haline is
derived from thermo referring to
temperature and hay line referring to
salt cold water is more dense than warm
water and water if high salinity has a
greater density than less salty water
these changes in temperature and
salinity create currents in the ocean
the conveyor belt begins on the surface
of the ocean near the pole in North
Atlantic here the water is chilled by
the Arctic temperature it also gets
saltier because when warm when ice forms
in the ocean the salt does not freeze
and is left behind in the surrounding
water the cold water is now more dense
due to the increased salinity and
temperature and sinks towards the ocean
bottom surface water moves in to replace
the sinking water and creates a current
that moves south towards the equator
down towards the ends of Africa and
South America the current now travels
around the edge of Antarctica where the
water cools and sinks again as it does
in the North Atlantic
thus the conveyor belt gets recharged as
it moves around Antarctica two sections
split off of the conveyor and moved
northward one section moves into the
Indian Ocean the other into the Pacific
Ocean
the two branches of the current warm and
rise as they travel northward then loop
back southward and westward the non warm
surface waters continue circulating
around the globe and eventually return
to the North Atlantic where the cycle
begins again the conveyor belt moves at
a much slower speed than wind driven or
tidal currents and it's estimated that a
cubic metre of water takes roughly a
thousand years to complete the journey
on the global conveyor belt the conveyor
belt is important because it provides
vital ocean nutrient and carbon dioxide
cycles warm surface waters of depleted
of nutrients and carbon
dioxide but they are enriched again as
they travel through the conveyor and
around the world the base of the world's
food chain depends on the cool nutrient
with rich waters that support the growth
of algae and seaweed so there we go the
global conveyor belt keeping the oceans
different full of nutrients and happy
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