Why don't waters mix? Atlantic Ocean And Mediterranean Sea meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar? Of the 23 groups studied in the Gulf of Alaska, 18 consisted of whales of similar sizes, and only the remaining 5 were of different sizes. The stomach of the sperm whale, like that of all toothed whales, is multi-chambered.
However, even in places where the waters converge closest, they nevertheless retain their properties, i.e. don't mix. How can they not mix if in both cases the solvent is water? Do not contradict the laws of thermodynamics! A photo with a sharp boundary does not mean anything, even if it is a photograph in the area of the strait, etc., it is simply a recording of some moment of mixing. This is called a halocline or salinity jump layer - a transitional boundary between waters of different salinity.
Most maps do not indicate the boundaries of the seas, so it seems that they simply smoothly pass into each other and into the oceans. The boundaries of the seas (or sea and ocean) are most clearly visible where a vertical halocline appears. A halocline is a strong difference in salinity between two layers of water. Jacques Cousteau discovered the same phenomenon while exploring the Strait of Gibraltar.
For a halocline to arise, one body of water must be five times saltier than another. In this case, physical laws will prevent the waters from mixing. Now imagine a vertical halocline that occurs when two seas collide, one of which has a salt percentage five times higher than the other. This is where you will see the place where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet.
They also cannot mix right away, and not only because of the difference in salinity. In other places, water boundaries also exist, but they are smoother and not noticeable to the eye, since the mixing of waters occurs more intensely. White_raccoon: it is at the Cape of Good Hope that the Atlantic and Indian currents meet. A wave that has passed the entire Atlantic can meet a wave that has passed through the entire Indian Ocean, but they will not cancel each other out, but will go further and reach Antarctica.
This is the mixing of the waters of the Gulf of Alaska with the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The sperm whale is a herd animal that lives in large groups sometimes reaching hundreds and even thousands of heads. It is distributed throughout the world's oceans with the exception of the polar regions. In nature, the sperm whale has practically no enemies; only killer whales can occasionally attack females and young animals.
Descriptions of the sperm whale are found in famous authors. Linnaeus cited two species of the genus Physeter in his work: catodon and macrocephalus. The weight of the “spermaceti sac” reaches 6 tons and even 11 tons. Behind the head, the body of the sperm whale expands and in the middle becomes thick, almost round in cross-section.
The border is outlined with a thin layer of foam.
When the sperm whale exhales, it produces a fountain directed obliquely forward and upward at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. At this time, the whale lies almost in one place, only moving forward a little, and, being in a horizontal position, rhythmically plunges into the water, releasing a fountain. Often there are brown tones in the color (especially noticeable in bright sunlight), there are brown and even almost black sperm whales. In the past, when sperm whales were more numerous, specimens weighing close to 100 tons were occasionally encountered.
Two harpoons belonging to the crew of the Anne Alexander were found in the sperm whale carcass.
The difference in size between male and female sperm whales is the largest among all cetaceans. The size of the heart of an average sperm whale is a meter in height and width. The sperm whale's spine has 7 cervical vertebrae, 11 thoracic, 8-9 lumbar and 20-24 caudal vertebrae. It consists of two main parts filled with spermaceti.
Back in the 1970s, studies appeared that showed that the spermaceti organ regulates the buoyancy of the sperm whale when diving and rising from the depths. However, both liquid and solid spermaceti are significantly lighter than water - its density at 30 °C is about 0.857 g/cm³, 0.852 at 37 °C and 0.850 at 40 °C.
Males are found over a wider range than females, and it is adult males (only they) that regularly appear in subpolar waters. IN warm waters Sperm whales are more common than in cold weather. Leay, 1851), living in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. The whales of this herd are holding on all year round off the Pacific coast of the United States, but maximum numbers in these waters reach from April to mid-November.
Hawaiian. During the summer and fall, this herd stays in the eastern Pacific Ocean
Its habitat is the Bering Sea, well separated from the main part Pacific Ocean the ridge of the Aleutian Islands, which the sperm whales of this herd rarely cross. Most sperm whales can be found here in the fall in the waters of the New England continental shelf. Sperm whales modern type appeared about 10 million years ago and, apparently, changed little during this time, during which they remained at the top the food chain oceans.
The colossal pressure of water at depth does not harm the whale, since its body largely consists of fat and other liquids that are very little compressed by pressure. There are suggestions that the sperm whale uses echolocation not only to find prey and navigate, but also as a weapon. Yes, according to Soviet research, in the stomachs of sperm whales from the waters Kuril Islands(360 stomachs) there were up to 28 species of cephalopods.
But female sperm whales were also very thoroughly killed in the years after World War II, especially in the waters washing the coasts of Chile and Peru
In the 1980s, it was estimated that sperm whales ate about 12 million tons of cephalopods per year in the waters of the Southern Ocean. A case is described in which a sperm whale was caught that had swallowed a squid so large that its tentacles did not fit in the whale’s belly, but stuck out and attached themselves to the sperm whale’s snout. In an adult male sperm whale, when he enormous power and powerful teeth, there are no enemies in nature. There are different estimates of the current number of sperm whales in the World Ocean.
Sea pollution is an important factor influencing the number of sperm whales in a number of areas of the World Ocean.
Be that as it may, the number of sperm whales so far, especially in comparison with the number of other large whales, remains relatively high. The harvest of sperm whales was sharply limited in the second half of the 1960s, and in 1985, sperm whales, along with other whales, were completely protected.
According to some estimates, between 184,000 and 230,000 sperm whales were caught in the 19th century, and in modern era about 770,000 (of which most of between 1946 and 1980). All sperm whales were caught in the Northern Hemisphere. Before attacking the ship, the sperm whale managed to destroy two boats. Fortunately, there were no casualties, as the crew was rescued two days later. In 2004, data was published that from 1975 to 2002, sea vessels collided with large whales 292 times, including sperm whales 17 times. Moreover, in 13 cases, sperm whales died.
Jacques was impressed by the fact that this place was written about in the Koran 1,400 years ago. After this, he was attracted to the religion of Islam. The point here is surface tension: transport?r - what is the meaning of this word, in what language is it written? Here you can see a clear boundary between waters of different salinity.
Northern Gulf of Mexico herd. But, despite the spectacular border of these two seas, their waters gradually mix. Cousteau, having traveled a lot, discovered a place where the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean touch in the strait, without mixing with each other.
Photo - The Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The waters seem to be separated by a film and have a clear boundary between them. Each of them has its own temperature, its own salt composition, flora and fauna.
Earlier, in 1967, German scientists revealed the fact of non-mixing of water columns in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, the waters of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Following the example of his colleagues, Jacques Cousteau began to find out whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea mix. First, he and his team examined the water of the Mediterranean Sea - its natural level of salinity, density and the life forms inherent in it. They did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. These two masses of water have been meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar for thousands of years and it would be logical to assume that these two huge water masses should have mixed long ago - their salinity and density should have become the same, or, according to at least, similar. But even in the places where they converge closest, each of them retains its properties. In other words, at the confluence of two masses of water, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.
If you look closely, you can see different colors of the sea in the second photo, and different wavelengths in the first. And between them there seems to be an impenetrable wall.
The issue here is surface tension:
Surface tension is one of the most important parameters of water. It determines the strength of adhesion between liquid molecules, as well as the shape of its surface at the border with air. It is precisely because surface tension a drop, puddle, stream, etc. is formed. The volatility (evaporation) of any liquid also depends on the adhesion forces of molecules. The lower the surface tension, the more volatile the liquid. Alcohols and other organic solvents have the lowest surface tension.
If water had low surface tension, it would evaporate very quickly. But water still has a fairly high surface tension.
Visually, surface tension can be represented as follows: if you slowly pour tea into a cup to the brim, then for some time it will not pour out through the rim. In transmitted light, you can see that a thin film has formed above the surface of the liquid, which prevents the tea from spilling out. It swells as you add it and only, as they say, with “ the last straw” liquid spills over the edge of the cup.
Likewise, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are not able to mix. The amount of surface tension is determined by different degrees of density sea water, this factor is like a wall that prevents the mixing of waters.
A not-so-rare phenomenon is a visible boundary between connected bodies of water: two seas, a sea and an ocean, a river and a tributary, etc. And yet, it always looks so unusual that you can’t help but wonder: why don’t their waters mix?
1. North Sea and Baltic Sea
Meeting point North Sea And Baltic Sea near Skagen, Denmark. Water does not mix due to different densities.
2. Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
3. Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Antilles region.
The meeting place of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on the island of Eleuthera, Bahamas. On the left is the Caribbean Sea (turquoise water), on the right is the Atlantic Ocean (blue water).
4. Suriname River and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean in South America.
5. Uruguay River and its tributary
The confluence of the Uruguay River and its tributary in the province of Misiones, Argentina. One of them is cleared for needs Agriculture, the other becomes almost red with clay during the rainy season.
6. Rio Negro and Solimões (Amazon section)
7. Moselle and Rhine
The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers in Koblenz, Germany. The Rhine is lighter, the Moselle is darker.
8. Ilts, Danube and Inn
The confluence of the three rivers Ilz, Danube and Inn in Passau, Germany. Ilts is a small mountain river (in the 3rd photo in the lower left corner), the Danube in the middle and the Inn of a light color. Although the Inn is wider and deeper than the Danube at its confluence, it is considered a tributary.
9. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi
The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers in Devaprayag, India. Alaknanda is dark, Bhagirathi is light.
10. Irtysh and Ulba
The confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba rivers in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. The Irtysh is clean, the Ulba is muddy.
11. Jialing and Yangtze
The confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers in Chongqing, China. The Jialing River stretches for 119 km. In the city of Chongqing it flows into the Yangtze River. Clear waters Jialing meets the brown waters of the Yangtze.
12. Irtysh and Om
The confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers in Omsk, Russia. The Irtysh is muddy, the Om is transparent.
13. Irtysh and Tobol
The confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers near Tobolsk, Tyumen region, Russia. The Irtysh is light, muddy, the Tobol is dark, transparent.
14. Chuya and Katun
The confluence of the Chuya and Katun rivers in the Ongudai region of the Altai Republic, Russia. The water of the Chuya in this place (after confluence with the Chaganuzun River) acquires an unusual cloudy white lead color and seems dense and thick. Katun is clean and turquoise. Combining together, they form a single two-color stream with a clear boundary and flow for some time without mixing.
15. Green and Colorado
Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in national park Canyonlands, Utah, USA. Green is green and Colorado is brown. The beds of these rivers run through different compositions. rocks, that’s why the colors of the water are so contrasting.
16. Rona and Arv
The confluence of the Rhone and Arve rivers in Geneva, Switzerland. The river on the left is the transparent Rhône, which emerges from Lake Leman. The river on the right is the muddy Arve, which is fed by the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley.
All seas and oceans and rivers on Earth communicate with each other. The water surface level is the same everywhere.
But you rarely see such a border. This is the border between the seas.
And the most amazing mergers are truly those where there is a visible contrast, a clear boundary between seas or flowing rivers.
North Sea and Baltic Sea
The meeting point of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea near the city of Skagen, Denmark. Water does not mix due to different densities. Locals call it the end of the world.
Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea
The meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea near the Peloponnese Peninsula, Greece.
Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean at the Strait of Gibraltar. Water does not mix due to differences in density and salinity.
Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
Meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Antilles region
The meeting place of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on the island of Eleuthera, Bahamas. On the left is the Caribbean Sea (turquoise water), on the right is the Atlantic Ocean (blue water).
Suriname River and Atlantic Ocean
Meeting point of the Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean in South America
Uruguay and tributary (Argentina)
The confluence of the Uruguay River and its tributary in the province of Misiones, Argentina. One of them is cleared for agricultural needs, the other becomes almost red with clay during the rainy season.
Gega and Yupshara (Abkhazia)
The confluence of the Gega and Yupshara rivers in Abkhazia. Gega is blue, and Yupshara is brown.
Rio Negro and Solimões (cf. Amazon section) (Brazil)
The confluence of the Rio Negro and Solimões rivers in Brazil.
Six miles from Manaus in Brazil, the Rio Negro and Solimões rivers join but do not mix for 4 kilometers. Rio Negro has dark water, while Solimões has light water. This phenomenon is explained by differences in temperature and flow speed. The Rio Negro flows at a speed of 2 kilometers per hour and a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, and the Solimoes at a speed of 4 to 6 kilometers and a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.
Moselle and Rhine (Germany)
The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers in Koblenz, Germany. The Rhine is lighter, the Moselle is darker.
Ilz, Danube and Inn (Germany)
The confluence of the three rivers Ilz, Danube and Inn in Passau, Germany.
Ilts is a small mountain river (in the 3rd photo in the lower left corner), the Danube in the middle and the light-colored Inn. Although the Inn is wider and fuller than the Danube at its confluence, it is considered a tributary.
Kura and Aragvi (Georgia)
The confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers in Mtskheta, Georgia.
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi (India)
The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers in Devaprayag, India. Alaknanda is dark, Bhagirathi is light.
Irtysh and Ulba (Kazakhstan)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba rivers in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. The Irtysh is clean, the Ulba is muddy.
Thompson and Fraser (Canada)
Confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers British Columbia, Canada. The Fraser River is fed by mountain waters and therefore has more muddy water than that of the Thompson River flowing across the plains.
Jialing and Yangtze (China)
The confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers in Chongqing, China. The Jialing River, on the right, stretches for 119 km. In the city of Chongqing it flows into the Yangtze River. The clear waters of Jialing meet the brown waters of the Yangtze.
Argut and Katun (Russia)
The confluence of the Argut and Katun rivers in the Ongudai region, Altai, Russia. Argut is muddy, and Katun is clean.
Oka and Volga (Russia)
The confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. On the right is Oka (gray), on the left is Volga (blue).
Irtysh and Om (Russia)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers in Omsk, Russia. The Irtysh is muddy, the Om is transparent.
Cupid and Zeya (Russia)
The confluence of the Amur and Zeya rivers in Blagoveshchensk, Amur region, Russia. On the left is Cupid, on the right is Zeya.
Big Yenisei and Small Yenisei (Russia)
Confluence of the Greater Yenisei and the Lesser Yenisei near Kyzyl, Tyva Republic, Russia. On the left is the Big Yenisei, on the right is the Small Yenisei.
Irtysh and Tobol (Russia)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers near Tobolsk, Tyumen region, Russia. The Irtysh is light, muddy, the Tobol is dark, transparent.
Ardon and Tseydon (Russia)
The confluence of the Ardon and Tseydon rivers in North Ossetia, Russia. Muddy River- this is Ardon, and light turquoise, clean river- Tseydon.
Katun and Koksa (Russia)
The confluence of the Katun and Koksa rivers near the village of Ust-Koksa, Altai, Russia. The Koksa River flows to the right, it has dark color water. On the left is Katun, water with a greenish tint.
Katun and Akkem (Russia)
The confluence of the Katun and Akkem rivers in the Altai Republic, Russia. Katun is blue, Akkem is white.
Chuya and Katun (Russia)
The confluence of the Chuya and Katun rivers in the Ongudai region of the Altai Republic, Russia
The waters of the Chuya in this place (after the confluence with the Chaganuzun River) acquire an unusual cloudy white lead color and seem dense and dense. Katun is clean and turquoise. Combining together, they form a single two-color stream with a clear boundary, and for some time they flow without mixing.
Belaya and Kama (Russia)
The confluence of the Kama and Belaya rivers in Agidel, Bashkiria, Russia. Belaya River blue color, and Kama is greenish.
Chebdar and Bashkaus (Russia)
The confluence of the Chebdar and Bashkaus rivers near Mount Kaishkak, Altai, Russia.
Chebdar is blue, originates at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, flows through a deep gorge, where the height of the walls reaches 100 meters. The Bashkaus is greenish at the confluence.
Ilet and mineral spring (Russia)
The confluence of the Ilet River and mineral spring in the Republic of Mari El, Russia.
Green and Colorado (USA)
Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Green is green and Colorado is brown. The beds of these rivers run through rocks of different composition, which is why the colors of the water are so contrasting.
Ohio and Mississippi (USA)
Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, USA. Mississippi is green and Ohio is brown. The waters of these rivers do not mix and have a clear boundary at a distance of almost 6 km.
Monongahela and Allegheny (USA)
The confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers joins the Ohio River in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA. At the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers they lose their names and become new river Ohio.
White and Blue Nile (Sudan)
The confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile rivers in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Araks and Akhuryan (Türkiye)
The confluence of the Araks and Akhuryan rivers near Bagaran, on the Armenia-Turkey border. On the right is Akhuryan (clean water), on the left is Araks (muddy water).
Rhone and Saone (France)
The confluence of the Saone and Rhone rivers in Lyon, France. The Rhone is blue, and its tributary the Saone is grey.
Drava and Danube (Croatia)
Confluence of the Drava and Danube rivers, Osijek, Croatia. On the right bank of the Drava River, 25 kilometers upstream from the confluence with the Danube, is the city of Osijek.
Rhone and Arv (Switzerland)
The confluence of the Rhone and Arve rivers in Geneva, Switzerland.
The river on the left is the transparent Rhône, which emerges from Lake Leman.
The river on the right is the muddy Arve, which is fed by many glaciers in the Chamonix valley.
It’s strange to see that the water seems to be separated by a film and has a clear boundary inside it. Each part of the water has its own temperature, its own unique salt composition, plant and animal worlds. Where is all this? In the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1967, scientists from Germany recorded the fact of non-mixing of water columns in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea meet. Imitating his colleagues, Jacques Cousteau began to find out whether the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean had mixed. First, the scientist and his team studied water from the Mediterranean Sea - its normal level density, salinity and its inherent life forms. And they did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. Here, two huge masses of water have been interacting with each other in the Strait of Gibraltar for many thousands of years, and it would be quite logical to think that these two giant water masses should have mixed long ago - their density and salinity should have been equal, or at least loved ones. But even in those places where they come closest, each of the water masses retains its unique properties. In other words, in places where there should have been a confluence of two water layers, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.
If you look closely, you can see in the second photo that the sea has two different colors, and in the first photo there are different wavelengths. And between the water, it’s like a wall that the water can’t overcome.
The reason is the surface tension of water: surface tension is one of the most important parameters of water. It determines the force with which the molecules of the liquid adhere to each other, as well as the shape of the surface on the interface with the air. It is thanks to surface tension that a drop, stream, puddle, etc. is formed. Volatility (i.e. evaporation) of any liquid substance also depends on the strength of adhesion of molecules. The lower the surface tension, the more volatile the liquid. Organic solvents (for example, alcohols) have the lowest surface tension.
If water had low surface tension, it would evaporate very quickly. But fortunately for us, water has a fairly high surface tension.
Visually, you can imagine surface tension in this way: if you slowly pour tea into a cup to the very edges, then for some time the tea will not pour out of the cup through the rim. In the light, you can see that an extremely thin film has formed above the surface of the water, which prevents the tea from spilling. It increases as you add it and only, as they say, with the “last drop” does the liquid flow out over the edge of the cup.
Likewise, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are not able to mix with each other. The magnitude of surface tension determines varying degrees the density of sea water, and this factor is like an impenetrable wall that prevents the mixing of waters.
I will not dive into physical theory - it is quite difficult to understand. In short, it’s simply physical phenomenon. Not even a strange anomaly, but a simple whim of nature.
