Image : Double-diffusive staircase

Typical ITP profiles of potential temperature and salinity in the Canada Basin. The insets with expanded scales show the double-diffusive staircase. In these profiles, the Arctic surface mixed layer extends to about 40-m depth, with shelf-modified Pacific water from the Bering Strait immediately below. A strong thermocline denotes the boundary between the upper waters and the Atlantic Water. Within the thermocline, temperature and salinity increase monotonically with depth, a necessary condition for double-diffusive layering. (M. Timmermans)

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Last updated: April 23, 2013