Salinity's Connection to Climate Change and an Accelerated Water Cycle

What affects ocean salinity, and why should we care? The saltiness of the ocean is controlled by the water cycle. And the temperature and salinity of ocean water together control ocean density - the crucial driver of ocean circulation. Dr. Schmitt will explain how ocean circulation works and its profound impacts on the climate.

SPURS Chief Scientist Dr. Raymond Schmitt is a Senior Scientist in Physical Oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research interests include ocean mixing and microstructure; double-diffusive convection; relationships between small scale mixing processes and large-scale temperature and salinity distributions; the thermohaline circulation of the ocean; development of microprofiling instrumentation; oceanic freshwater budget; autonomous profiling floats; the salinity distribution and its measurement; and seismic oceanography.