Thermohaline staircase

Oceanographic Phenomenon

Thermohaline staircases are patterns that form in oceans and other bodies of salt water, characterised by step-like structures observed in vertical temperature and salinity profiles; the patterns are formed and maintained by double diffusion of heat and salt. The ocean phenomenon consists of well-mixed layers of ocean water stacked on top of each other. The well-mixed layers are separated by high-gradient interfaces, which can be several meters thick. The total thickness of staircases ranges typically from tens to hundreds of meters.

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