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Science 29 April 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5722, pp. 641 - 642
DOI: 10.1126/science.1111417
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

OCEAN SCIENCE:
Enhanced: Ocean Mixing in 10 Steps

Bill Merryfield

Since the 1990s, three large-scale experiments involving the release of the nearly inert chemical sulfur hexafluoride into the open ocean have shed light on how ocean waters mix. In his Perspective, Merryfield reviews the insights gained from these studies. He highlights the report by Schmitt et al. of the results from the third study, which focused on ocean mixing in the upper tropical Atlantic, immediately east of the Caribbean. In this region, "salt fingers" play an important role in ocean mixing; the resulting mixing rate is intermediate between those observed in the earlier studies. The results help to achieve a fuller understanding of ocean mixing, which is crucial for understanding and modeling ocean circulation.

The author is with the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Meteorological Service of Canada, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 2Y2 Canada. E-mail: bill.merryfield{at}ec.gc.ca

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)