What is meant by meridional overturning circulation?
What is meant by meridional overturning circulation?
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics northwards into the North Atlantic.
What is overturning in the ocean?
At the Indian Ocean, some of the cold and salty water from the Atlantic—drawn by the flow of warmer and fresher upper ocean water from the tropical Pacific—causes a vertical exchange of dense, sinking water with lighter water above. It is known as overturning.
What is another term for AMOC?
But global warming hampers the cooling of the water, while melting ice in the Arctic, particularly from Greenland, floods the area with less dense freshwater, weakening the Amoc current….AMOC.
| Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|
| AMOC | Alternate Means of Compliance |
| AMOC | Air Marine Operations Center |
| AMOC | Alternative Means of Compliance |
What is the AMOC and why is it important?
The AMOC is a large system of ocean currents. It is the Atlantic branch of the ocean conveyor belt or Thermohaline circulation (THC), and distributes heat and nutrients throughout the world’s ocean basins. AMOC carries warm surface waters from the tropics towards the Northern Hemisphere, where it cools and sinks.
What is Atlantic meridional overturning circulation Upsc?
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics northwards into the North Atlantic. The AMOC is an important component of the Earth’s climate system and is a result of both atmospheric and thermohaline drivers.
What is the relationship between the great ocean conveyor and the Atlantic meridional overturn circulation?
The ocean-climate connection The dense waters are replaced by salty, tropical, surface waters that flow north, where they release heat to the atmosphere and temper the climate of the North Atlantic region. This conveyor-like movement of water is called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
What types of data are scientists studying to better understand the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation?
Several ongoing projects are investigating the variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation in both the North and the South Atlantic Ocean using shipboard measurements, moored buoys, and satellite data.
What is North Atlantic drift Upsc?
It flows across Atlantic as North Atlantic Drift. It is the south equatorial current that gets branched into 2 segments near Brazil. A portion of the north low current enters Mexican Gulf, and south equatorial current enters the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles current passes along the West Indies to the east.
What is thermohaline circulation Upsc?
Thermohaline Circulation (THC) is a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes.
What is Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Upsc?
What is the meaning of thermohaline?
Definition of thermohaline : involving or dependent upon the conjoint effect of temperature and salinity thermohaline circulation in the Pacific.