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Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.

Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.
Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.
Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.
Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.
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197469
Caracappa-Qubeck, Amy
Illustration explaining winter coastal water mixing profile.
Illustration
12/29/2011
Rachel_SedimentIllus-01.jpg
Caption from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 49, No. 1, page 41:
Warm water is less dense than cold water and fresher water is less dense than saltier water. In winter, frigid air cools water on the surface, making it denser. It sinks, mixing all the water below it on the way down. Winter storm winds also do lots of mixing, so all of the water is the same temperature from top to bottom. With the ocean having one big, thick, cold layer, sand and mud can mix throughout the whole water depth, all the way to the surface, and can potentially be carried a longer distance horizontally.
Illustration by Amy Caracappa-Qubeck
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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