Editing 2859: Oceanography Gift
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The title text also mentions {{w|inland sea}}s, which can be generalised as bodies of water that are very large in area but either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean only by a river or a strait. He mentions the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} which is only connected to the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} through the narrow {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}}; the intention of the title text is to suggest that water molecules dumped in an ocean would not get to appear in such a sea (except by {{w|evaporation}} and re{{w|precipitation}}) into its catchment area) and thus they can only ever circulate back to the dumping point (deemed 'undeliverable'). | The title text also mentions {{w|inland sea}}s, which can be generalised as bodies of water that are very large in area but either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean only by a river or a strait. He mentions the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} which is only connected to the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} through the narrow {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}}; the intention of the title text is to suggest that water molecules dumped in an ocean would not get to appear in such a sea (except by {{w|evaporation}} and re{{w|precipitation}}) into its catchment area) and thus they can only ever circulate back to the dumping point (deemed 'undeliverable'). | ||
| − | In reality, the Mediterranean Sea is not completely cut off from the main oceans and surface currents actually do reach into and around the Mediterranean. The natural loss from evaporation is not fully compensated for by the inflow of the incident rivers from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia, directly or via other attached bodies of water (e.g. the Black Sea). The movement of water also involves the deeper Levantine Intermediate Waters layer (a subsurface current) which exits via Gibraltar and helps to further draw current inwards at the surface level. As such, except for a limited amount of water which reverses direction within the extreme western end the Mediterranean, it is more true to say that ''surface'' currents cannot actually transport water from within the sea outwards into the Atlantic (and beyond). | + | In reality, the Mediterranean Sea is not completely cut off from the main oceans and surface currents actually do reach into and around the Mediterranean. The natural loss from evaporation is not fully compensated for by the inflow of the incident rivers from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia, directly or via other attached bodies of water (e.g. the Black Sea). The movement of water also involves the deeper Levantine Intermediate Waters layer (a subsurface current) which exits via Gibraltar and helps to further draw current inwards at the surface level. As such, except for a limited amount of water which reverses direction within the extreme western end the Mediterranean, it is more true to say that ''surface'' currents cannot actually transport water from within the sea outwards into the Atlantic (and beyond). |
The {{w|Caspian Sea}} is a real inland sea that has no outlet to any oceans and only inlets from rivers, one of a number of [[2325: Endorheic Basin|endorheic basins]] that are also {{w|Endorheic lake|lakes}}, and thus trivially isolated from all other maritime currents. | The {{w|Caspian Sea}} is a real inland sea that has no outlet to any oceans and only inlets from rivers, one of a number of [[2325: Endorheic Basin|endorheic basins]] that are also {{w|Endorheic lake|lakes}}, and thus trivially isolated from all other maritime currents. | ||
