Synonyms
Definition
Thermal expansion. The expansion of the ocean water column due to heating of the water. The opposite occurs at cooling of the water.
Steric effects. Expansion or contraction of the oceanic water column due to changes in temperature and/or salinity.
Introduction
Steric effects were realized as secondary factor to glacial eustasy in the science of Holocene sea level changes (Fairbridge 1961). According to Schofield (1980), the steric changes in sea level were driven by changes in salinity, rather than changes in temperature. With the initiation of the IPCC project (IPCC 1988/1990), “thermal expansion” became a fashionable factor is sea level research, and it is nowadays commonly addresses in sea level papers. Often, however, it is used without basic anchoring in physical and oceanographic facts.
Origin of Thermal Expansion
Thermal expansion (as well as thermal contraction) leads its origin to the...
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Bibliography
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Mörner, NA. (2017). Thermal Expansion. In: Finkl, C., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science . Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_375-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_375-1
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