What drives Thermohaline Ocean Currents?

Master the Navigation, Seamanship, and Shiphandling (NSS) – Officer of the Deck (OOD) Phase 2 Exam with engaging flashcards and multiple choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Prepare comprehensively for your test!

Multiple Choice

What drives Thermohaline Ocean Currents?

Thermohaline currents arise from density differences in seawater created by temperature and salinity. Cold, saltier water becomes denser and sinks in polar regions, while less dense water rises elsewhere, setting up a global, slow-moving circulation of deep currents. This density-driven process, not surface winds or waves, is the main driver of the deep component of the ocean’s circulation. Surface winds mainly affect the upper ocean, while the deep, long-range flow follows density contrasts from temperature and salinity.

Thermohaline currents arise from density differences in seawater created by temperature and salinity. Cold, saltier water becomes denser and sinks in polar regions, while less dense water rises elsewhere, setting up a global, slow-moving circulation of deep currents. This density-driven process, not surface winds or waves, is the main driver of the deep component of the ocean’s circulation. Surface winds mainly affect the upper ocean, while the deep, long-range flow follows density contrasts from temperature and salinity.

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