Did an open Panama Isthmus correspond to an invasion of Pacific Water into the Atlantic?

• Published in: Journal of physical oceanography Vol. 33; no. 7; pp. 1324 - 1336
• Main Authors: NOF, Doron, VAN GORDER, Stephen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 01.07.2003
• Subjects: Climate change; Deep water; Dynamics of the ocean (upper and deep oceans); Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Flow; Land; Mathematical models; Oceans; Physics of the oceans; Salinity; Wind; Atlantic Ocean; Pacific Ocean; United States > US; Panama; Wind field; Cooling; Numerical simulation; Wind effect; Deep water; Water flow; Formation rate; Salinity

Recent general circulation simulations suggest that, prior to the closure of the Panama Isthmus (the narrow strip of land connecting North and South America), low-salinity Pacific Ocean water invaded the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between North and South America. According to this scenario, the inva...