LESSON 2 - THE OCEAN BODYOVERVIEWRecognize the various properties of seawater and the importance of each. Identify the three layers that make up the three-layer ocean model. Define mixed layer, main thermocline, and deep layer. Differentiate between water masses. Recognize how the deep-ocean circulation differs from the surface circulation and how the circulation is maintained.OUTLINEProperties of seawater (Identify the three most important properties of seawater, as well as some of the more common and lesser known properties).Water masses and water types (Define water mass and water type and identify the properties used in their classification; recognize the oceans’ basic vertical structure with regard to their latitudinal distribution; and recognize their source regions and how they are formed).
Just as the air of one region of Earth can differ in its makeup from that of another region, so can seawater. For example, the water around Antarctica differs from that of the mid-latitudes and the tropics, and water found at the ocean surface differs from that found at or near the bottom. The differences found in seawater are related to seawater properties. It is the seawater properties that are used to classify water masses. In this lesson, we will cover various seawater properties, the three-layer ocean model as it relates to the property of temperature, and the water masses of the world’s oceans.
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