The Deep Waters of the Ocean

A schematic showing the ocean "conveyor belt", where surface waters sink, enter deep water circulation, then resurface after slowly flowing through the deep ocean.
Click on image for full size (146K JPEG)
Windows Original

Do you know how deep the ocean is? In a lot of places, it is as deep as some of the mountains on Earth are tall. When we swim in the ocean or go sailing on the ocean, we are in the surface waters of the ocean. But, most of the water in the ocean is in the deep ocean.

The deep ocean isn't directly affected by wind or storms or waves or tides. The deep waters in the ocean are in layers. The top layers are less dense than the bottom layers. All of the deep ocean water is very cold and salty!

Some of the water on the surface of the ocean sinks to the deep parts of the ocean. Then the water spends a long time (thousands of years, sometimes!) in the deep part of the ocean. Then the water comes back to the surface. The picture above shows that. Take your finger and trace a path that the ocean water could take. Can you see a way that the ocean water could take a different path?

Salinity of the Ocean

Density of the Ocean

Temperature of the Ocean

Last modified September 27, 2001 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer

The Deep Waters of the Ocean

A schematic showing the ocean "conveyor belt", where surface waters sink, enter deep water circulation, then resurface after slowly flowing through the deep ocean. Click on image for full size (146K JPEG) Windows Original

A schematic showing the ocean "conveyor belt", where surface waters sink, enter deep water circulation, then resurface after slowly flowing through the deep ocean.
Click on image for full size (146K JPEG)
Windows Original