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EOSC 112: THE FLUID EARTH

This lecture covers the size and shape of the oceans, temperature structure, surface currents, and the oceans' role in global heat transport. It includes information on the average depth of the oceans, continental shelves and slopes, thermocline, and surface currents. The lecture also highlights the significant heat transport by the ocean.

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EOSC 112: THE FLUID EARTH

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  1. EOSC 112: THE FLUID EARTH • Oc-1 Read: Kump et al. Chap.5, • p. 83-85,93-94,101 • Objectives: • To describe the oceans’ size and shape; • To describe the temperature structure of the oceans; • To describe the surface currents; • To describe the Oceans’ role in global heat transport. OCEAN STRUCTURE EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  2. 1. Size & shape of the ocean • Average depth ~ 4 km • Continental shelf: average width ~70 km, average depth at shelf break ~130 m • Further offshore => continental slope => abyssal plain (broad plain of deep ocean) • trenches: deepest 11 km (Mt. Everest 9 km) EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  3. EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  4. 2. Temperature: vertical thermocline-> • Solar radiation absorbed within 100m of sea surface. • Wind => surface mixed layer of 50-200m, (T is nearly uniform). • Thermocline occurs between 200-1000m depth: T decr. rapidly with depth. • Below thermocline, T decr. very slowly to 0-3oC at ocean bottom. EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  5. Vertical section of temperature in Atlantic North South EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  6. 3. Surface currents • Gyres: Large horizontal circulation cells (related to wind stress) • Strong boundary currents: Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, 1-2 m/s (few cm/s elsewhere) EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

  7. 4. Global heat transport • Ocean transports almost as much heat poleward as atmosphere. • Ocean dominates at low latitudes, atm. dominates at mid to high latitudes EOSC 112 lecture Oc-1

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