Clines

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Clines

• Cline means rapid change in
• Thermocline is a rapid change in temperature
• Pycnocline is a rapid change in density

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Three Layered Ocean

• Surface Layer 100-200 m thick
• Much of it is mixed by wind, waves and currents,
  so its known as the mixed layer.
• There often exists a seasonal thermocline, or
  region of rapid temperature change, in this layer
• Intermediate Layer- from 200m to 1,500m
• Characterized by the permanent thermocline, the
  zone of transition between warm surface water and
  the cold water below.
• Do not confuse with seasonal thermocline.
• The permanent thermocline rarely breaks down and
  is a feature of the deep ocean, not of shelf
  regions.
• Deep and Bottom Layers- below 1500m
• Technically these are two different kinds of
  water but they are both uniformly cold at about
  4?C.

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