Water mass.
A body of water that maintains its identity and can be characterized by such parameters as temperature and salinity | ||||
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Water mass Definition from Society & Culture Dictionaries & Glossaries
| Environmental Engineering (English ver.) |
WATER MASS
(Oceanography) An oceanographic term that refers to a large body of water whose density characteristics are distinct from the surrounding aquatic environment because of inherent temperature or salinity differences. Water masses are present in all oceans and are formed where water flows from one type of climatic or physiographic region into another. The North Atlantic Current is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in temperature. It is a relatively warm water body that retains its identity as far north as the Arctic Circle. The huge freshwater volume expelled by the Amazon River into the southern Atlantic Ocean is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in salinity.
(Oceanography) An oceanographic term that refers to a large body of water whose density characteristics are distinct from the surrounding aquatic environment because of inherent temperature or salinity differences. Water masses are present in all oceans and are formed where water flows from one type of climatic or physiographic region into another. The North Atlantic Current is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in temperature. It is a relatively warm water body that retains its identity as far north as the Arctic Circle. The huge freshwater volume expelled by the Amazon River into the southern Atlantic Ocean is an example of a water mass distinguished by a difference in salinity.
Water mass Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
| Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia |
Water mass
An oceanographic water mass is an identifiable body of water which has physical properties distinct from surrounding water. Properties include temperature, salinity, chemical - isotopic ratios, and other physical quantities.
Common water masses in the world ocean are: Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW), Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW), the central waters of various oceanic basins, and various surface waters.
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