On the planet we live on, the two big oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic converge at a fairly precise location.
At the southernmost point of Chile, South America, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans converge at Cape Horn, which is an oceanic bottleneck that separates Antarctica from South America, roughly 850 kilometers (or 528 miles) in width.
Water is swept from the Pacific into the Atlantic in this area by a powerful current that flows from west to east.
But how come these two do not get mixed?
“We have to think about two things when we’re considering this question: what’s happening at the surface where people are seeing these lines of different color or turbidity, and what’s happening under the surface?” comments Brandeis University physical oceanographer and professor Sally Warner.
Of all, waters from several origins might circulate throughout the ocean with little to no mixing. According to Ramírez, the ocean is “like a cake with different layers, but the layers are water.”
These strata are known as clines because of their distinct characteristics depending on the source of the water.
The peculiar occurrence can be attributed to the disparity in water density, temperature, and salinity between the glacial melt water and the offshore seas in the Gulf of Alaska, which makes mixing difficult.
Compared to the Pacific, the Atlantic has a higher surface salinity. Because the Pacific receives more rain than other regions, the water that flows from it is different.
Surface water masses with varying salinities or temperatures are called ocean fronts.
Out on open waters, fronts can be incredibly sharp and occasionally come together in a way that resembles two different flavors of ice cream placed next to one another in a container.
Among the most important contributing factors to the distinct horizontally divided layers of Pacific & Atlantic, the haloclines & the thermoclines are the most crucial.
Below the well-mixed, evenly saline surface water layer is the halocline, a vertical zone in the oceanic water column where salinity fluctuates quickly with depth.
However, it should be mentioned that in order to make this division happen, the salinity difference of the two oceans is to be five times the other.
The thing is, the water salinity of the Atlantic is not that much higher than that of the Pacific; but it is much enough to create a notable separation line at the convergence.
Warmer mixed water at the top and colder deep water below are separated by a layer known as the thermocline. The thermocline’s strength and depth in the ocean change with the seasons and the year.
Compared to the sea to the north, the water surrounding Antarctica is colder.
Ocean currents are one factor contributing to the warmer temperatures in Western Europe.
The tensile strength at the surface of the two oceans are different that resist the water of the two get blended. Again the inertia of the Earth is also responsible for this drifting away phenomenon.
Due to inertia of the Earth, the water of the Pacific and the Atlantic flows in the opposite direction causing a sharp contrast between the mutual meeting point. This is a mystery of science and nature!
To read more blogs, click here.
Writer
Jarin Anan Tanha
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE