2023-07-30 07:00:48
Fiction and science are separated by a fine line, increasingly blurred by the social networks and ‘fake news’. Now we are more vulnerable to half-lies and manipulations, and because of this, we take things for granted that, in reality, have no scientific foundation.
About the ocean we have read and heard about everything: we know it’s a mystery, and? We only know 20% of its total surface. The challenge to know more has led us to discover how dangerous it can be to experiment with it. Contrary to what many of us think, yesthe waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans they mix.
The curious line that seems to be drawn between the two oceans, characterized by two very different colors, makes us think that their water masses do not mix. This effect can be seen in the Gulf of Alaska. But the reality is that they come together, and in this case, science has an answer to understand this color difference.
1. Density difference
Water in different parts of the ocean can have different salinities (amount of dissolved salt) and temperatureswhich affects your density. The coldest and saltiest water (Peaceful) tends to be denser (and darker) and tends to sink below warmer, less salty water (Atlantic).
The water of the Atlantic is influenced by the fresh water of the rivers (fresh) that flow into this ocean, with a greater amount of sediments that are responsible for the color change.
2. Geographic barriers
The water masses of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are separated by geographic structures important, like the Isthmus of Panamaa narrow strip of land that connects North America with South America.
This land mass acts as a physical barrier between the two oceans, preventing a direct mixing of waters.
3.Ocean Currents
Ocean currents also play a crucial role in separating the waters. currents may flow in specific directions due to the rotation of the earth, the shape of the coasts and the differences in temperature and salinity.
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These currents act as “rivers in the ocean” and they keep the waters of different oceans “separate”, but only visually.
The myth of the waters
The investigator Kenneth W. Bruland of the University of California He debunked the myth that the two oceans did not mix by studying the distinctive eddies that formed along that sea line. He discovered that these eddies were actually thermoclines, layers of water at different temperatures, which They kept the water in constant motion.
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