Salt fingering

From Glossary of Meteorology
Revision as of 17:54, 26 January 2012 by imported>Perlwikibot (Created page with " {{TermHeader}} {{TermSearch}} <div class="termentry"> <div class="term"> == salt fingering == </div> <div class="definition"><div class="short_definition">A form of [[...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)



salt fingering

A form of double-diffusive convection that occurs when warm, salty water overlies cold freshwater.

A parcel of freshwater moved upward will gain heat more quickly than it gains salt and so will become lighter than the surrounding water. It will rise unstably as a result. Salt fingering has been observed in the Caribbean Sea where it gives rise to stable layers hundreds of kilometers in extent. The process transports salt much more efficiently than heat.
See also Turner angle.


Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.