pycnocline permanente

CONT: La pycnocline permanente délimite un important réservoir de chaleur et joue un rôle majeur en empêchant la chaleur accumulée en surface d'atteindre les profondeurs de l'océan.

CONT: Whereas the seasonal pycnocline disappears every winter, the permanent pycnocline is always present in [the subpolar regions]. The vertical density gradient in the main pycnocline is very strong, and the turbulence within the upper mixed layer induced by the air-sea exchanges of wind and heat cannot overcome the great stability of the main pycnocline to penetrate into the deeper ocean. The stability of the main pycnocline acts as a barrier against turbulent mixing processes, and beneath this depth the water has not had contact with the surface for a very long time.