Why is the water in Antarctica frozen?
As you begin adding salt to the water, the freezing point of the water goes down. The more salt you add, the lower the temperature at which the water will freeze. Antarctica has some of the saltiest ocean water on Earth. When these tiny crystal structures form, they form only out of water without salt in it.
Is Antarctic Bottom Water cold or warm?
Antarctic bottom water is an important water mass that forms on the Antarctic continental shelf as a cold, dense residual brine during the formation of sea ice. Its salinity of 34.62 parts per thousand and temperature of -1.9° C (28.6° F) result in a high…
Which process is the main reason for the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water?
Antarctic bottom water is created in part due to the major overturning of ocean water. Surface water is enriched in salt from sea ice formation. Due to its increased density, it flows down the Antarctic continental margin and continues north along the bottom.
Why is the Antarctic Bottom Water so dense?
1) Antarctic bottom water is so dense because it forms off the southern coast of South America, where salt is concentrated in the ice, then squeezed out into the water, making a brine.
How cold are Antarctic waters?
The Antarctic Ocean’s freezing temperatures of 28.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1.8 degrees Celsius) are lower than the freezing point of fish blood, which is about 30.4 degrees F (minus 0.9 degrees C), which would seem to suggest that all those fish should be frozen in their tracks.
Why oceans do not freeze Give two reasons?
(i) Oceans contain huge amounts of salts dissolved in the water. As a result, freezing point of water is depressed considerably. (ii) Winds blow over the surface of sea water and keep it agitated.
Why is Antarctica so cold?
Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are cold because they don’t get any direct sunlight. The Sun is always low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer. In winter, the Sun is so far below the horizon that it doesn’t come up at all for months at a time.
Is Antarctic Bottom Water colder than North Atlantic?
At intermediate depths the Atlantic is too warm, while the bottom water is too cold. The signature of Antarctic Intermediate Water is simulated well for a coarse resolution model. Nevertheless, the intermediate water tongue is shallower than in reality and its salinity values are 0.3 to 0.4 psu higher.
Why does North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water override Antarctic Bottom Water?
density of water and the formation of deepwater masses. slightly warmer and less dense North Atlantic Deep Water. Antarctic Intermediate Water is still warmer and less dense, and thus it overrides the other two deepwater masses.
What forms Antarctic Bottom?
Antarctic Bottom Water is formed around the edge of Antarctica, especially in the Ross and Weddell seas, where the formation of ice during the winter season adds salt to the water below the ice, making very dense water.
Is the Antarctic water cold?
Surrounding Antarctica is a vast ocean known as the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is significantly warmer than the continent, with water temperatures ranging between -2 °C and 10 °C. During winter, most of the Southern Ocean freezes solid, all the way up to the 65-degree South latitude.
Why is the bottom water of Antarctica Cold?
A unique feature of Antarctic bottom water is the cold surface wind blowing off the Antarctic continent. The surface wind creates the polynyas which opens up the water surface to more wind. This Antarctic wind is stronger during the winter months and thus the Antarctic bottom water formation is more pronounced during the Antarctic winter season.
How is the Antarctic Bottom Water ( AABW ) formed?
…and this water forms the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). Alternatively, an intermediate layer is created if the density difference with the surrounding waters reaches zero before the density current arrives at the bottom of the ocean. In this scenario, the current spreads horizontally at an intermediate depth. Such intermediate layers…
How long does it take for water to return to Antarctica?
In this way the overturning thermohaline circulation cell forced by AABW formation is closed; the escape of very cold shelf water, spreading northward, mixing en route with warmer overlying water, eventually results in upwelling to return to the Antarctic. The whole process takes some hundreds of years.
Why is there water at the bottom of the ocean?
This is due to the oxidation of deteriorating organic content in the rest of the deep oceans. Antarctic bottom water has thus been considered the ventilation of the deep ocean. Antarctic bottom water is created in part due to the major overturning of ocean water.