Rarely observed movement of water identified in Gibraltar Strait

NASA Terra MODIS detected on May 22 a rarely witnessed movement of water, called internal waves in the Strait of Gibraltar, reported Eumetsat.

Internal waves occur within the ocean’s interior when the water body has strata of varying density, and are frequently induced by a change in water temperature. They form when the interface between the water layers is disrupted.

The Gibraltar Strait contains all of the necessary conditions for the occurrence of internal waves. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, operating as an exchange point in the flow between both bodies of water and therefore consists of two distinct layers — a deep layer of salty Mediterranean water and an overlaying layer of less salinity Atlantic water.