Fig. 1 Layer Nine |
Those layers have boundaries of latitude lines at their top and bottom (Fig. 1 shows Layer Nine).
That series only dealt with one way of looking at these layers, so today we begin the series that uses three views with which to contemplate each ocean layer.
Fig. 2a |
And as promised, I am showing those three views in both light background and dark background (you are welcome Mark).
Fig. 2b |
The DOY view is graphed from one of three SQL table types in an SQL database.
I explained the first stage in (Databases Galore - 18), containing close to a billion rows of data constructed straight from the WOD "PI format" files I downloaded from the World Ocean Database.
Fig. 3a |
The third stage, from which the graphs are produced, are the most condensed.
Fig.3b |
Fig. 4a |
Fig.4b |
All measurements are placed into the DOY which they were taken, and then a mean average for that DOY is calculated.
Fig. 5a |
Fig.5b |
Fig. 6a |
Fig.6b |
Fig. 7a |
Remember that this is the same exact data, the same exact measurements taken from 1962 through 2017 (~5.5 decades).
Fig.7b |
I mean head-scratching helpful.
It is always a helpful challenge to explain some of these things, because we are too accustomed to the "global mean average cop-out.
The salinity dips are of particular interest (see comments to the previous post in this series here).
Fig. 8 |
In that case there was a sharp drop in salinity around Greenland at about the 240 day mark of the DOY graph.
One one hand it was hypothesized to have taken place because of rain intensity during that time of year.
On the other hand it was hypothesized to have taken place because the most intense melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet impacts the surface waters around Greenland at about that time of year.
Today, we have a repeat of that perplexing pattern in Layer Nine at about DOY 130 (Fig. 2a, Fig. 2b).
In addition, we have the Month view which adds spice to the inquiry (Fig. 4a, Fig. 4b).
"The rain did it" hypothesis has an edge with respect to Layer Nine, because there is no ice sheet there to ponder.
I wonder if it would be helpful to consider the Year view to be like taking a person's blood pressure, while considering the DOY and Month views to be more like taking a look at a person's genetics?
They are bound to produce different patterns, yet they are from the same person's internals.
Let's keep working these hypotheses as we traverse the 18 layers of the vast oceans in upcoming posts.
It is likely that we will see more of this, and it will enhance our ability to falsify or establish the validity of the hypotheses.
There is always the chance that both hypotheses are valid, but not at the same zone or layer.
Where there is no ice sheet near enough to impact local salinity that can be ruled out.
Likewise, remembering that the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are classified as deserts, in terms of annual precipitation, rain or snow are less suspicious than melt is.
Think about it to prepare for the other layers that are in the works.
The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.
Good stuff Dredd! That mean average tells 'a' story but not the 'whole' story. Analogous to the Calculus as t > 0. Now pondering the salinity spike-hope its from evaporation? Thanks for dark backgrounds-they look more 'commanding'.
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