Geography • Physical GeographyMedium
What is the primary driving force behind deep ocean circulation, also known as the thermohaline conveyor belt?
A. Surface wind friction
B. Tidal forces of the Moon and Sun
C. Variations in water temperature and salinity (density differences)✓ Correct Answer
D. Earth's rotational Coriolis effect exclusively
💡 Solution & Explanation
Deep ocean circulation, known as the thermohaline conveyor belt, is primarily driven by density variations caused by differences in water temperature and salinity across global latitudes. Surface winds and tides dominate upper ocean currents, whereas deep water movement relies on cold, dense water sinking at high latitudes and upwelling elsewhere. This massive global current system plays a vital role in regulating global climate and distributing heat around the planet.
More Geography Physical Geography questions
- Which ocean current is a warm, deep boundary current flowing poleward along the eastern coast of Japan, also…
- In oceanography, what is the zone of rapid temperature change with depth, typically found between the warm…
- Which term describes a gentle, undulating plain of low relief formed by the subaerial denudation of a rock…
- In the geomorphological classification of coasts by D.W. Johnson, which of the following terms describes a…
- Which of the following cloud types is characteristically fibrous, wispy, composed entirely of ice crystals,…