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Analyzing
monthly environmental data from the North
Atlantic Ocean will
help you to learn more about how the water cycle
affects sea
surface salinity. Your challenge is to
find the data
set that most closely corresponds to sea surface salinity
patterns. A "Data Analysis
Sheet" will help keep track of your findings and
respond to the "Key Question"
for each data set. Data to view include air
temperature at the ocean surface (AT), sea
surface temperature (ST), evaporation
(EV), and precipitation
(PT). Another data set of interest is the
calculation of evaporation
minus precipitation (EP). Be sure to view all
five pairs
of data maps before completing your
investigation. GOOD LUCK!
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Questions or comments? Contact Annette deCharon, Senior Science Educator and Aquarius EPO Manager
Glossary Words
conductivity: A measure of the ability of a material to conduct or transmit an electric charge.
evaporation: The physical process of converting a liquid to a gas. Commonly considered to occur at a temperature below the boiling point of the liquid.
practical salinity unit (psu): Used to describe the concentration of dissolved salts in water, the UNESCO Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS78) defines salinity in terms of a conductivity ratio, so it is dimensionless. Salinity was formerly expressed in terms of parts per thousand (ppt) or by weight (parts per thousand or 0/00). That is, a salinity of 35 ppt meant 35 pounds of salt per 1,000 pounds of seawater. Open ocean salinity is generally in the range from 32 to 37.
precipitation: Water released from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, or sleet from the atmosphere onto Earth's surface.
salinity: A measure of the quantity of dissolved solids in ocean water. In general, salinity reflects the total amount of dissolved solids in ocean water in parts per thousand by weight after all carbonate has been converted to oxide, the bromide and iodide to chloride, and all the organic matter oxidized. Salinity is now measured as practical salinity units (psu).
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