If I had to guess, it’s because the temperature above the water is constantly colder than the water itself – but that is what I actually don’t understand.
If the surface temperate is extremely colder than the temperature of the water itself, wouldn’t the cold “sink” that much faster, making the warm water “rise” at an equivalent rate, and thus forcing more of the cold water to the bottom?
Maybe a better post for stupid questions, but I’m very curious what causes this – perhaps this just applies to air, and not water? And if that’s the case, then also why?
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Heat rises because hot air is less dense than cold air. This difference in density makes the hot air buoyant in the cold air.
This same principle applies to most things, when they get hot, they expand, but water is unique in that ice is less dense than water. Water is most dense at 4°C, so colder and warmer water will still rise. This means that the bottom of the ocean is pretty universally 4°C
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