LESSON 2 - THE OCEAN BODY
OVERVIEW
Recognize 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.
OUTLINE
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Properties of seawater (Identify the three most important properties of
seawater, as well as
some of the more common and lesser known properties).
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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).
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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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