Experts say warmer, saltier water caused by rising temperatures may have profound impact on sea ice
Thu 10 Nov 2022 01.00 EST
Oceanographers sometimes classify seawater aseither “spicy”, meaning warm and salty, or “minty”, when it is cooler and has a lower salt content. Temperature and salinity are important factors because of their effect on the density of seawater.
Cold water is heavier and tends to sink, which can drive large-scale movement. This contributes, for example, to the well-known El Niño oscillation off South America. Salty water is also denser, and again tends to sink.
These two effects may cancel each other out though, so spicy water, which is warmer but saltier, can have the same density as cooler but fresher minty water.
In some sea areas…
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