[REQUIRED] Ocean circulation forms a "global conveyer belt" that is driven by density. What is the name for this type of circulation?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks for the name of the global ocean circulation that is driven by density differences in seawater.
Density-driven circulation arises because colder, saltier water is denser and sinks, while warmer, fresher water is less dense and tends to rise, setting up a global pattern of deep and shallow currents.
The term that combines the influence of temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) to describe this mechanism is thermohaline circulation, highlighting both factors in driving the overturning circulation.
In the absence of listed alternatives, it’s useful to recall that purely wind-driven surface currents or solely temperature-based descriptions do not account for the role of salinity in density, which is central to this process.
Thus, understanding the physics of density differences in seawater leads directly to identifying thermohaline circulation as the mechanism behind the global conveyer belt.
If you were comparing options, you would look for terms that explicitly reference density, temperature, and salinity together; terms focusing only on wind, general circulation, or temperature alone would not capture the full mechanism.

EARTHSC 1105 SP2025 (19395) UNIT 10 | Quiz

[REQUIRED] Ocean circulation forms a "global conveyer belt" that is driven by density. What is the name for this type of circulation?

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