Why don't the Pacific and Atlantic oceans mix | As a matter of fact

 Why don't the Pacific and Atlantic oceans mix

When the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet, we see the most spectacular haloclines, which are borders between waters of different salinities.

This was discovered by the well-known explorer Jacques Cousteau while he was deep diving in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Each layer of salinity-varying water had its own flora and fauna, and it appeared as though they were divided by a transparent film.

When water in one ocean or sea is at least five times saltier than water in the other, haloclines form.

By pouring seawater or colored salty water into a glass and topping it with fresh water, you can make a halocline at home.

Your halocline will be horizontal, whereas ocean haloclines are vertical. This is the only difference.

You could argue that a denser liquid should ultimately end up lower and a less dense liquid should end up higher if you remember a few fundamental physics concepts.

If that were the case, the boundary that separates the two oceans would appear to be horizontal rather than vertical, and the difference in salinity between them would become less apparent as they got closer to one another.

Why then does it not occur here?

To begin, there isn't much of a difference in the water's density between the two oceans, making it difficult for one to sink and the other to rise.

Yet it is sufficient to prevent them from mixing.

Inertia is yet another explanation.

When the system of axes, which is also moving, is in motion, one of the inertial forces known as the Coriolis force exerts influence on objects.

Simply put, the Earth is moving, and the Coriolis force will act on all moving objects on it, causing them to veer off course.

Consequently, objects on Earth's surface deviate clockwise in the Northern and counterclockwise in the Southern hemispheres rather than moving in a straight line.

However, the Earth moves slowly; it takes a whole day for the planet to complete a full circle around its axis.

Because of this, the Coriolis effect only becomes apparent over extended periods of time: with hurricanes or ocean currents.

Because of this, the Atlantic and Pacific ocean flows move in different directions.

It also prevents them from mixing.

The strength of the connection between molecules, or surface tensile strength, is another significant difference between the water of the two oceans.

Matter's molecules are held together by this strength.

The surface tensile strength of the two oceans is completely different, and they cannot mix.

They might gradually begin to mix with time, but since their flows are going in opposite directions, they simply lack the time for this.

We believe that it is simply water in both oceans, but its distinct molecules only come together for a brief moment before being carried along by the current of the ocean.

Nevertheless, do you not believe that only the Pacific and Atlantic oceans clash?

There are numerous locations on the planet where the waters of two rivers or seas do not mix.

Additionally, there are thermoclines, which are the boundaries between water of varying temperatures, such as the Gulf Stream's warm water and the much colder North Atlantic Ocean.

The most amazing are chemoclines.

These are the boundaries of waters with distinct chemical compositions and micro climates.

The largest and most well-known chemocline is the Sargasso Sea.

You won't be able to miss it because it's a sea in the Atlantic Ocean with no shores.

Let's take a look at some more of the world's most breathtaking cliffs.

 

1. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea These two seas meet close to Skagen, Denmark.

Because of their different densities, the water in them does not mix.

Foam is produced when the waves from the two seas collide with one another on occasion.

The Baltic Sea is slightly saline due to the gradual mixing of their water.

It would have been a huge freshwater lake if the North Sea had not brought water to it.

2. The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Their water does not mix with each other because they meet at the Strait of Gibraltar and have different salinities and densities.

3. The Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Near the Antilles, where they meet, the water looks like it has been painted different shades of blue.

The Bahamas' Eleuthera Island is yet another location where these two meet.

The water in the Atlantic Ocean is dark blue, while the water in the Caribbean is turquoise.

4. In South America, the Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean meet near Paramaribo.

5. The Uruguay River and its efflux These two rivers meet in Argentina's Misiones province.

One of them has been cleaned so that it can be used in agriculture, and the other one turns almost red during rainy seasons because of the loam.

6. Six miles from Manaus, Brazil, are the Rio Negro and Solimoes Rivers, which are both parts of the Amazon River. The Rio Negro and Solimoes rivers low into one another but don't mix for about 2.5 miles.

The Rio Negro is dark, while the Solimoes are light; their temperatures and flow rates differ.

7. Mosel and Rhein meet in Germany's Koblenz.

Mosel's water is darker, while Rheine's is lighter.

8. Ilz, Danube, and Inn: Passau, Germany, is where these three rivers meet.

The Danube is in the middle, the Ilz is a small mountain river to the left, and the Inn is a light river to the right.

The inn is still its afflux, despite being wider than the Danube here.

9. India is where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet.

Bhagirathi is light, while Alaknanda is dark.

10. In Kazakhstan, close to the city whose name neither you nor I can pronounce, Irtysh and Ulba meet. You give it a shot.

(Ust'-Kamenogorsk.)

Ulba has cloudy water, but the Irtysh has clean water.

11. China's Chongqing is where the Jialing and Yangtze rivers meet.

The Yangtze River is brown, while the Jialing is clean.

12. In Omsk, Russia, these two rivers, Irtysh and Om, merge.

The Om is pure and transparent, whereas the Irtysh is cloudy.

13. The Altai Republic in Russia is where the Chuya and Katun rivers meet.

Here, the Chuya's water appears dense and thick, with an unusual cloudy white color.

Katun is turquoise and clean.

They merge to form a single flow of two colors that does not mix for some time.

14. The Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA, is where the Green and Colorado rivers meet.

Green is green, whereas Colorado is brown.

These rivers' corridors pass through rocks with varying chemical compositions, which explains the striking color contrast.

15. The rivers Arve and Rhone meet in Geneva, Switzerland, where they merge.

The Arve is cloudy because it gets its water from the Chamonix valley's glaciers, whereas the Rhone is a pure river that comes from Geneva's lake.

What do you think of all this water, then?