= Open-ocean convection
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<Open-ocean convection> is vertical mixing driven when near-surface seawater becomes dense enough to overturn the existing <density stratification>. Surface heat loss can increase <mass density>, while <salinity> changes also matter: freshening can stabilize the upper layer, whereas salt enrichment can promote sinking. Deep mixing therefore depends on the prior state of the water column as well as the current surface forcing.
Profiles of <temperature> and <salinity> reveal the mixed layer and its renewal. Labrador Sea observations show why comparable winter cooling need not yield the same mixing depth when the upper ocean has different freshwater content.<2024 and 2025 Oceanographic Conditions in the Labrador Sea by Igor Yashayaev>[Abstract, pp. 1-2: winter heat loss, preconditioning, upper-layer freshening and profiling observations]{ref} A <convective chimney> describes a localized deeply mixed region, rather than requiring a permanently uniform column sinking straight downward.
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