How does thermohaline circulation work?
Thermohaline circulation is movement between deep and surface ocean layers driven by density differences from temperature and salinity.
How the process forms and its main drivers
Cooling or increased salinity can cause sinking; deep water spreads through basins and rises elsewhere. Wind and mixing interact with this motion.
Evidence, applications and limits
The circulation transports heat, oxygen, carbon and nutrients. The global conveyor is useful shorthand but not one continuous pipe. Local outcomes vary with climate, geology, topography and human influence, so they require long-term measurements.
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