Concept information
Preferred term
thermohaline circulation
Definition
- Thermohaline circulation is a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes. The adjective thermohaline derives from thermo- referring to temperature and -haline referring to salt content, factors which together determine the density of sea water. On a global scale, the surface ocean circulation and the deep ocean circulation form a huge circulation loop called the thermohaline loop, which is the source of a large cycle that stirs up the water and conveys heat to each hemisphere of the globe. It is estimated that one molecule of water makes this entire circuit in about 1 000 to 1 500 years. (Adapted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_current and translated from: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulation_thermohaline)
Broader concept
Entry terms
- deep oceanic circulation
In other languages
-
French
URI
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/QX8-MVK2MF90-6
{{label}}
{{#each values }} {{! loop through ConceptPropertyValue objects }}
{{#if prefLabel }}
{{/if}}
{{/each}}
{{#if notation }}{{ notation }} {{/if}}{{ prefLabel }}
{{#ifDifferentLabelLang lang }} ({{ lang }}){{/ifDifferentLabelLang}}
{{#if vocabName }}
{{ vocabName }}
{{/if}}