Table 3.7
Sea surface salinity departures (2005 to 2017) from the climate normal reference period, by depth class, marine ecoregion and season


Table 3.7
Sea surface salinity departures (2005 to 2017) from the climate normal reference period, by depth class, marine ecoregion and season
Table summary
This table displays the results of Sea surface salinity departures (2005 to 2017) from the climate normal reference period. The information is grouped by Marine ecoregion and depth class (appearing as row headers), Annual, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal and Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal, calculated using Practical salinity scale (PSS) units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Marine ecoregion and depth class Annual Spring Summer Autumn Winter
Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal Average salinity, 1981 to 2010 climate normal Salinity departure of the 2005 to 2017 average from the climate normal
Practical salinity scale (PSS)
Strait of Georgia
Coastal 26.7 -0.44 26.0 -0.41 26.1 -1.56 28.1 -0.21 28.0 0.39
Epipelagic 26.6 -0.46 26.0 -0.45 26.1 -1.57 28.1 -0.24 28.0 0.38
Mesopelagic 26.3 -0.48 25.7 -0.52 25.7 -1.60 27.9 -0.24 27.9 0.43
Bathypelagic 27.3 -0.56 27.0 -0.54 27.2 -1.52 28.7 -0.39 28.4 0.22
Southern Shelf
Coastal 31.2 -0.09 30.8 -0.07 31.3 -0.34 31.5 -0.12 31.0 0.07
Epipelagic 31.3 -0.07 30.8 -0.08 31.3 -0.30 31.5 -0.09 31.1 0.07
Mesopelagic 31.7 -0.08 31.6 -0.05 32.0 -0.16 32.0 -0.12 31.7 0.00
Bathypelagic 31.9 -0.07 31.9 -0.04 32.0 -0.12 32.1 -0.11 31.9 -0.01
Offshore Pacific
Coastal 32.3 0.02 32.3 0.07 32.1 0.08 32.3 -0.04 32.5 -0.02
Epipelagic 32.3 0.02 32.3 0.07 32.1 0.08 32.3 -0.04 32.5 -0.02
Mesopelagic 32.3 0.00 32.3 0.03 32.1 0.03 32.3 -0.05 32.5 -0.02
Bathypelagic 32.3 -0.02 32.3 -0.03 32.1 0.00 32.3 -0.05 32.4 -0.02
Northern Shelf
Coastal 31.4 -0.01 31.4 -0.09 31.1 0.03 31.5 0.02 31.7 0.01
Epipelagic 31.5 -0.01 31.4 -0.06 31.2 0.05 31.5 0.02 31.7 -0.03
Mesopelagic 31.6 0.02 31.6 -0.02 31.3 0.05 31.7 0.02 31.9 0.02
Bathypelagic 32.0 0.00 32.0 -0.01 31.8 0.05 32.1 -0.03 32.1 0.00
Arctic BasinTable 3.7 Note 1
Coastal 26.6 0.09 31.3 -0.01 27.1 0.30 16.2 0.05 31.7 0.00
Epipelagic 27.5 -0.01 30.1 -0.32 27.1 0.25 22.4 0.16 30.5 -0.14
Mesopelagic 29.1 -0.06 29.9 -0.22 28.2 -0.01 28.5 0.07 29.8 -0.10
Bathypelagic 28.2 -0.14 28.5 -0.25 27.8 -0.11 28.2 -0.04 28.4 -0.16
Western ArcticTable 3.7 Note 1
Coastal 26.5 0.35 26.6 0.19 23.3 0.67 27.2 0.53 28.8 0.00
Epipelagic 27.5 0.13 28.8 0.00 24.4 0.35 27.5 0.25 29.4 -0.05
Mesopelagic 28.3 0.25 30.4 0.20 25.3 0.41 27.4 0.34 30.0 0.07
Arctic ArchipelagoTable 3.7 Note 1
Coastal 29.7 -0.03 31.4 -0.01 28.3 -0.08 28.4 0.00 30.7 -0.02
Epipelagic 30.0 -0.02 31.5 0.00 28.8 -0.08 28.8 0.01 30.8 0.00
Mesopelagic 30.3 -0.01 31.6 0.01 29.2 -0.06 29.5 0.00 30.7 -0.01
Eastern ArcticTable 3.7 Note 1
Coastal 31.2 0.01 32.0 0.00 29.7 0.05 31.1 -0.01 32.1 -0.02
Epipelagic 31.2 -0.02 31.9 0.01 29.7 -0.03 31.1 -0.01 31.9 -0.04
Mesopelagic 32.1 -0.03 32.7 -0.05 31.3 -0.03 31.7 0.03 32.7 -0.07
Bathypelagic 32.5 -0.03 32.9 -0.04 31.4 -0.07 32.3 0.00 33.3 -0.03
Hudson Bay ComplexTable 3.7 Note 1
Coastal 29.3 0.09 28.8 0.00 28.2 0.36 29.7 0.01 30.4 0.00
Epipelagic 29.2 0.10 28.9 0.00 27.8 0.41 29.3 -0.01 30.8 0.00
Mesopelagic 31.6 -0.02 32.0 -0.01 30.8 -0.03 31.4 -0.03 32.2 -0.01
Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves
Coastal 32.0 -0.04 32.5 -0.09 31.2 -0.04 31.9 -0.07 32.6 0.03
Epipelagic 32.3 -0.01 32.6 -0.09 31.7 0.02 32.1 -0.02 32.7 0.04
Mesopelagic 32.6 0.01 32.8 -0.05 31.9 0.02 32.5 0.01 33.1 0.05
Bathypelagic 33.9 0.04 34.0 0.03 33.6 -0.04 33.8 0.07 34.2 0.11
Abyssalpelagic 33.8 -0.01 33.7 0.10 33.6 -0.51 33.8 0.28 34.1 0.08
Scotian Shelf
Coastal 31.3 -0.08 31.4 -0.12 31.1 -0.03 31.3 -0.16 31.6 -0.01
Epipelagic 31.5 0.03 31.6 0.04 31.1 0.04 31.4 -0.06 31.7 0.08
Mesopelagic 31.9 0.08 32.0 0.12 31.6 0.08 31.9 0.01 32.0 0.10
Bathypelagic 32.9 0.35 33.0 0.46 32.6 0.21 33.0 0.47 33.1 0.25
Abyssalpelagic 34.4 0.30 34.5 0.52 34.0 -0.05 34.3 0.47 34.7 0.26
Gulf of St. Lawrence
Coastal 29.7 -0.23 29.6 -0.23 28.7 -0.08 30.0 -0.30 30.6 -0.29
Epipelagic 30.5 -0.13 30.4 -0.02 29.5 -0.05 30.7 -0.25 31.2 -0.20
Mesopelagic 30.6 -0.05 30.5 0.12 29.7 0.09 31.0 -0.26 31.3 -0.12
Note 1

Data for salinity in the Arctic Ocean are sparser than in other regions. In particular, winter salinity data are more scarce and thus modelled winter salinity values in some regions of the Arctic Ocean may be artificially high, resulting in less robust change values.

Return to note 1 referrer

Notes: The climate normal is the three-decade average of climatological variables from 1981 to 2010. Winter data are from January to March with other seasons following sequentially. Areas classed as coastal have a maximum depth of 50 m, the epipelagic class has depths from 50 m to 200 m, the mesopelagic class has depths from 200 m to 1,000 m, the bathypelagic class has depths of 1 km to 4 km and the abyssalpelagic class includes all areas with depths of more than 4 km. Salinity is a unitless measure related to a ratio of electrical conductivity between a seawater sample at temperature 15°C and pressure of one standard atmosphere to that of a potassium chloride solution in which the mass fraction of KCl is 32.4356E-3 at the same temperature and pressure. For more information, see Practical Salinity Scale – 1978.
Source: Zweng, M. M., et al., 2018, World Ocean Atlas 2018: Volume 2: Salinity, A. Mishonov (Technical Ed.), NOAA Atlas NESDIS 82, https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/SELECT/woaselect/woaselect.html (accessed May 31, 2020).
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