Ocean Conveyor Belt Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Ocean Conveyor Belt?

An ocean conveyor belt, also known as the Global Ocean Conveyer Belt (GOCB), is a continuous flow of deep and shallow waters that moves around the globe. This movement, called thermohaline circulation, is driven by differences in temperature and salinity. This phenomenon helps to regulate global climate by transporting heat energy from the tropics to colder regions and back again. The GOCB also plays an important role in redistributing nutrients that are essential for oceanic life.The Ocean Conveyor Belt begins near Greenland where cold water from the Arctic flows south along the east coast of North America before traveling across the Atlantic Ocean at depths between 500-2000 meters. As it crosses over to Europe, this water slowly warms up due to increased sunlight exposure and surface mixing with warmer waters from the Gulf Stream (a warm ocean current). Once it reaches Spain or Portugal, this warm water merges with other currents of similar temperatures before turning back northward towards Greenland and completing its journey around the globe. This cycle has been ongoing for thousands of years with minor variations, but recent research suggests that climate change could have major effects on future thermohaline circulation patterns. A significant reduction in sea ice coverage due to rising temperatures can cause less dense surface waters which can decrease deep-water formation at high latitudes – leading to lower rates of vertical mixing throughout much of the global ocean conveyor belt system. Furthermore, higher atmospheric CO2 levels lead to more acidic oceans which reduce calcium carbonate saturation; this in turn leads to weaker shells being formed by certain marine organisms such as corals or pteropods – potentially disrupting ecosystems further down the line. The GOCB is a complex and dynamic system whose behavior affects all aspects of our lives – both directly through its impact on global climate patterns as well as indirectly through its role in redistributing nutrients across vast oceanscapes. Scientists are continuing their research into understanding how changes in one part of this system will ripple out throughout others – providing valuable insights into how we can better protect our planet’s fragile marine environments now and into future generations.