Sketch of water mass formation by subduction. First diagram: Convergence in the Ekman layer (surface mixed layer) forces water downward, where it moves along surfaces of constant density. The 27.04 σt surface, given by the TS-combination 8°C and 34.7 salinity, is identified.

Second diagram: A TS- diagram along the surface through stations A -> D is identical to a TS-diagram taken vertically along depths A´ - D´.

© 1996 M. Tomczak, from M. Tomczak and J. S. Godfrey, Regional Oceanography: an Introduction. Pergamon, New York (1994), 422 pp.

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