Deep Ocean Circulation (IMAGE)

Rutgers University

Deep Ocean Circulation

Caption

The warm North Atlantic Current - the northernmost part of the Gulf Stream - flows into the Greenland Sea. It becomes progressively colder and saltier due to heat loss to the air, eventually sinking and forming the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation - a mass of deep, cold water that flows southward. Melting of the polar ice sheet in the Arctic region would result in more fresh water entering the ocean and disrupting that circulation pattern, potentially causing cooling in northern areas of Europe and North America.

Credit

Yair Rosenthal/Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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