Saturday 2 December 2017

Why Don't the Waters of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Mix at their Meeting Point

Cape Horn, the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. The waters around Cape Horn are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds. Large waves, strong currents and icebergs have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard. The Panama Canal is an artificial 77-km waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The need for ships to round Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.

The Drake Passage is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. The Drake Passage, the opening between the southern tip of Chile and the northern tip of the Palmer Peninsula, connects the Southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with the Southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.



Click here for a very interesting view of ocean currents



Earth-Wind Map


YouTube Video - Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Meeting



The waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean do not get mixed. It is mainly due to the chemical and mineral composition of the waters of the two oceans. Density difference is also a reason behind the fact. The density difference is a function of different salinity and temperatures.

Direction of currents makes it more difficult to mix, though it is false to say that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean never mix. The two oceans have different Surface Currents and Deep Water Currents circulation in them.


You may find this very helpful -




4 comments:

  1. Your video is of the Gulf of Alaska, not the Atlantic/Pacific.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, that is a different account. You’re referring to glacial waters meeting the Atlantic. Same basic scenario, two totally different locales.

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  3. I'm confused. You say the Atlantic and Pacific waters don't mix, then you say it's false to say the Atlantic and Pacific waters never mix. You contradicted yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Like the other guy said the answer as to whether the Atlantic and Pacific mix contradict yourself . Is it Yes or No ? Does it mix?

    ReplyDelete

Why Don't the Waters of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Mix at their Meeting Point

Cape Horn, the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passag...