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Evaporation is an essential part of the water cycle. The sun (solar energy) drives evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, moisture in the soil, and other sources of water. In hydrology, evaporation and transpiration (which involves evaporation within plant stomata) are collectively termed evapotranspiration. Evaporation of water occurs when ...
An evaporite (/ ɪ ˈ v æ p ə ˌ r aɪ t /) is a water-soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. [1] There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as ocean deposits, and non-marine, which are found in standing bodies of ...
The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle as it is the source of 86% of global evaporation. [2] The water cycle involves the exchange of energy, which leads to temperature changes. When water evaporates, it takes up energy from its surroundings and cools the environment. When it condenses, it releases energy and warms the environment.
Dissolved salt does not evaporate back into the atmosphere like water, but it does form sea salt aerosols in sea spray. Many physical processes over ocean surface generate sea salt aerosols. One common cause is the bursting of air bubbles, which are entrained by the wind stress during the whitecap formation.
Approaching the saturation of the air with water vapour, the evaporation rate decreases, i.e. a lower air–sea humidity gradient decreases evaporation. [2] Main Ocean basins: North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. Precipitation [mm/day] over the ocean, averaged over the time period 1987–2014.
NADW is formed because North Atlantic is a rare place in the ocean where precipitation, which adds fresh water to the ocean and so reduces its salinity, is outweighed by evaporation, in part due to high windiness. When water evaporates, it leaves salt behind, and so the surface waters of the North Atlantic are particularly salty.
The same amount of water falls as atmospheric precipitation, 458,000 km 3 on the ocean and 119,000 km 3 on land. The difference between precipitation and evaporation from the land surface (119,000 − 74,200 = 44,800 km 3 /year) represents the total runoff of the Earth's rivers (42,700 km 3 /year) and direct groundwater runoff to the ocean ...
Open ocean convection is a process in which the mesoscale ocean circulation and large, strong winds mix layers of water at different depths. Fresher water lying over the saltier or warmer over the colder leads to the stratification of water, or its separation into layers. Strong winds cause evaporation, so the ocean surface cools, weakening the ...