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  • Sea Surface Scanner S³ on duty in the Pacific Ocean. In the background RV Falkor, Schmidt Ocean Institute. [Photo: Dr. Oliver Wurl, ICBM].

Heavy Surface Layer Floats on Top

A gossamer pellicle, frequently observed on marine surfaces, often is more saline than the underlying bulk water in the tropical Pacific, despite the fact that regional freshwater input by precipitation surpasses evaporation. This is what marine scientists from Oldenburg, Germany, report in an international study, together with their colleagues from Florida State University and Columbia University in the U.S., recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans.

Oldenburg. A gossamer pellicle, frequently observed on marine surfaces, often is more saline than the underlying bulk water in the tropical Pacific, despite the fact that regional freshwater input by precipitation surpasses evaporation. This is what marine scientists from Oldenburg, Germany, report in an international study, together with their colleagues from Florida State University and Columbia University in the U.S., recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans.

The surface layer, which influences the exchange between the ocean and atmosphere, consequently is more dense and heavy. It nevertheless keeps remaining at the surface. „Our recent findings are particularly important for an improved understanding of the oceanic water cycle, especially while being altered by climate change. They also help us in evaluating satellite observations of surface-near salinity. In this way, we get a deeper insight in the changes of the water cycle in general and the marine currents in particular,“ says marine chemist Dr. Oliver Wurl, who heads the research group Marine Surface at ICBM of the Oldenburg University.

University Press Release [German only]

(Changed: 07 Mar 2024)  | 
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