During what researchers call the Messinian Salinity Crisis, a geological event occurring from 5. This enabled the migration of mammals , including camels, into Europe. The basin then filled up again with water from the Atlantic during what is called the Zanclean Flood. As can be seen from the NASA satellite image above, the Mediterranean is still clearly among the saltiest bodies of water anywhere on the planet.
The data depicted shows average salinity from May 27 to June 2, , in a range from 30 to 40 grams per kilogram, with 35 grams being the average. Lower values are represented in purples and blues; higher values are shown in shades of orange and red. Black areas occur where no data was available, either due to the orbit of the satellite or because the ocean was covered by ice, which Aquarius cannot see through.
NASA created an animation, clickable here, of how salinity patterns changed week by week in all the major bodies of water on the Earth, including the Mediterranean, over the year Rivers such as the Amazon carry tremendous amounts of fresh runoff from land and spread plumes far into the sea. Near most coastlines and inland seas in the map, waters appear much fresher or saltier than in open-ocean locations.
Notice the Red Sea and the Mediterranean are remarkable for their much saltier waters. In Spain, oceanographic stations were visited four times over the course of in order to monitor the temperature, salinity and biochemical properties of the Mediterranean. On average, there is a distinct decrease of salinity near the equator and at both poles, although for different reasons.
Near the equator, the tropics receive the most rain on a consistent basis. Much like today, the rate of evaporation in the Mediterranean Sea five million years ago greatly exceeded the incoming flow of water. As no more water was introduced via the Straits of Gibraltar, the water evaporated and the Mediterranean Sea dried up completely.
The waters at the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean are saltier than those of any other ocean — but not near Canada!
The reasons for this high salinity are related to the flow of currents, the rate of evaporation, precipitation, river inflow, and melting of sea ice. We illustrate these two processes with observations from repeat surveys of the western Mediterranean basin we have made over the past 10 years.
Articles Volume 10, issue 4. Article Peer review Metrics Related articles. Articles Volume 10, issue 4 Ocean Sci. It uses three passive microwave sensors, called radiometers, to record the thermal signal from the oceans' top 10 millimeters about 0.
Most global precipitation and evaporation events take place over the ocean and are very difficult to measure. Animation by Robert Simmon. One year after its launch, the Aquarius instrument is giving ocean sciences its first global view of sea surface salinity. Image of the Day Water. Examining temperatures from the depths of the ocean, JPL scientists have found that lower layers of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans grew much warmer during a decade when surface temperatures cooled.
Image of the Day Heat Water. Submerged in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain and Portugal are giant, salty whirlpools of warm water.
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