Salty Staircase in the Atlantic Provides Clues to Ocean Mixing

摘要

Layers of salty ocean water mix with layers of fresher water,creating a salty staircase or layering,driven by small-scale convection known as salt fingers.Results of a new experiment,sponsored by the National Science Foundation,indicate that salt fingers are vertically mixing ocean water more than previously thought.Scientists hope that the finding will improve understanding of how water masses in the ocean mix,leading to better climate prediction models.