Thursday, January 22, 2004

New Study Reports Large-scale Salinity Changes in the Oceans
Saltier tropical oceans and fresher ocean waters near the poles
are further signs of global warming's impacts on the planet

Tropical ocean waters have become dramatically saltier over the past 40 years, while oceans closer to Earth's poles have become fresher, scientists reported today in the journal Nature. Earth's warming surface may be intensifying evaporation over oceans in the low latitudes--raising salinity concentrations there--and transporting more fresh water vapor via the atmosphere toward Earth's poles.

These large-scale, relatively rapid oceanic changes suggest that recent climate changes, including global warming, may be altering the fundamental planetary system that regulates evaporation and precipitation and cycles fresh water around the globe.

Click to enlarge for full page images and captions.

Tropical Atlantic surface waters have become saltier while North Atlantic deep water have become fresher.

The study was conducted by Ruth Curry, a research specialist in the WHOI Physical Oceanography Department, Bob Dickson of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science in Lowestoft, United Kingdom , and Igor Yashayaev of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.

An acceleration of Earth's global water cycle can...(full article)

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