Which mechanism sustains thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic Ocean when surface water cools significantly during winter?

💡 Explanation

When surface water cools, density increases due to the seawater molecules packing closer, leading to sinking, which drives thermohaline circulation because denser water descends and initiates deep ocean currents. Therefore high-salinity water increasing density sustains circulation, rather than buoyancy, solar radiation, or stratification which would inhibit sinking.

• Which outcome primarily results when coastal upwelling brings deep ocean water to the surface?
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• Which outcome results when upper-level divergence aloft exceeds surface convergence in a monsoonal cell?
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• Which outcome results when the hydraulic conductivity of loess decreases?