The meeting of two oceans why do not mix. Why the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea do not mix when they meet in the Strait of Gibraltar
All myths cannot be broken at once, especially when they are created daily by those who wish, but as such questions come in and a small technical or analytical study is carried out, it is possible and I would even say necessary.
Just recently, one of my old acquaintances wrote to me and good friend who had not been seen for a long time. Nothing out of the ordinary "hello, how are you, haven't seen you for a long time", and in the text of the letter he said that he read my works and decided to ask a question that had tormented him for a long time - Why in some places fresh and salty sea water does not mix. Thus, the topic for the next post in LabOrder (laboratory of orders) was determined.
I have already come across this question, and often in conversations with the same people - religious ones, who at every opportunity mentioned that in Holy Quran speaks of not mixing fresh and salt water, and used this statement as an argument in favor of the fact that this book knows something that science still cannot explain. Previously, I simply dismissed such "arguments" due to the fact that I am an agnostic, and I have an irreparable conviction that religion often either misinterprets physical phenomena, or creates and demonstrates certain tricks in order to attract more adherents to its ranks. But since a person asked, especially my old friend - let's figure it out.
To begin with, let's ask the holy book what it says about immiscible waters, specifically and in the text. Why text? Often, everyone interprets certain words, in an incomprehensible translation, and wishful thinking.
Since this sura consists of 77 ayat, we will consider only the ayat that we need where this statement about not mixing water is mentioned. ayat
<<25:53. Аллах - Тот, кто создал два моря рядом: в одном море - пресная вода, а в другом море - солёная. Оба моря рядом друг с другом, но Он поставил нерушимую преграду между ними, и они не смешиваются благодаря благоволению Аллаха и Его милосердию к людям>>
But even on this site, the substitution of concepts and the reinterpretation of original statements are already underway. From which I ask people who read such literature to be careful. Here, for example, is the translation of the Quran by Valeria Porokhova (Al Furqan 25:53):
<<Он - Тот, Кто в путь пустил два моря:
Pleasant and fresh - one,
Salty and bitter - another.
He put a barrier between them -
Such an unbreakable barrier
(Which never allows them to merge)>>
It should also be noted that this phenomenon is repeated in sura ayat 19-20.
Pleasant and insipid - Salty and bitter. Well, now you can more or less reliably see what, where and where. It is quite possible that the example with the seas is a metaphor and nothing more. But let's even say that.
In general, I repeat that the main argument is often that the Holy Book mentions the truth that was not yet known to science until now. And they even say that the famous scuba inventor and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau converted to Islam when he first saw this phenomenon in reality. But I'm afraid it might not happen, as with the astronaut Armstrong.
In order to begin to understand this problem, we need to list the places on the planet and the conditions in which a similar phenomenon is observed, where water from one reservoir does not mix with water from another.
<< Галоклин - слой воды, в котором солёность резко изменяется с глубиной (наблюдается большой вертикальный градиент солёности). Один из видов хемоклина. Ввиду того, что солёность влияет на плотность воды, галоклин может играть роль в её вертикальной стратификации (англ.) (расслоении). Повышение солёности на 1 кг/м3 приводит к увеличению плотности морской воды приблизительно на 0,7 кг/м3 >>
<<…А. И. Воейков впервые дал верное объяснение наличию теплой воды на глубинах северной части indian ocean. He argued that IN BAB EL-MANDEB STRAIT THERE SHOULD BE A DOWNSTREAM OF VERY WARM AND SALT WATER FROM THE RED SEA TO THE INDIAN OCEAN. Subsequently, this WAS TWICE CONFIRMED BY OBSERVATIONS in the indicated strait: during the voyages of S. O. Makarov on the Vityaz in 1886-1889. AND THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION on the ship "Stark" in 1898>>
2) Strait of Gibraltar - between the Iberian Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
If you believe this photo, then it was taken in this very place. And the interface that is visible on it is the difference in salinity, which for some reason does not mix.
Again, there are no reliable sources of information that this phenomenon can be observed in this form as shown in the picture above, again, except for you know which sites. Moreover, in different sources this image is attributed to a different location. Okay, let's see where we have "fresh" here and where there is "salt". The Atlantic Ocean is salty, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, which is more salty than the ocean itself. It has been established that the water exchange between these two reservoirs along the upper reaches brings 42.3 thousand km3 to the Mediterranean Sea, and the lower reaches 40.8 thousand km3 of water per year from the sea. What kind of "non-mixing" of water is in question here, one can only guess.
Also, if you believe Valeria Porokhova herself, this barrier and a clear separation is observed in almost every river that flows into any sea (on video from 2:00). Yeah especially where we are talking about the Volga and the Caspian Sea, where could an astronaut see the dividing line? History is silent.
Watch your hands.
Obviously, and most likely, the first thing that surprises people is the clear interface that is shown in the photographs to confirm that the water does not really mix. But my dears, how can water not mix if the world water exchange is almost a fundamental law. Only partly, a relatively blurred interface can be observed due to a number of physical phenomena that can be observed either temporarily or at different depths depending on the changing water temperature, salinity, surface tension and currents carrying it at different speeds, thereby slowing down the diffusion process. I repeat, regarding the clear dividing line, which some people claim and the absence of water exchange, in such places, alas, there are no official and reliable sources.
Why not bring in confirmation of an isolated lake that would have a similar clear division, a "sweet - slide" of water. Maybe because it doesn't exist?
Increasingly, it is the straits and connections of rivers with the seas that are cited as an example. As a result of the connection of two different waters, where the phenomenon appears on which the diffusion process takes place according to the above factors. Why, for example, is no one surprised by such a boundary found in nature?
Maybe because these obvious things were simply not written in Scripture?
On the other hand, no one claims that in the Holy Book, there is generally a detailed explanation of anything except - it was done by God and in His Name!
What is the root of this trick? Yes, in the fact that 1400 years ago this was already described in the Koran, and science is only now making such discoveries. Well, okay. Science simply, besides making discoveries, tries to explain them, by the way, its key difference from any religion, which simply points to God.
That is, what do deeply religious people want to convey to us? And the fact that 1400 years ago, the only one who knew that when connecting two water reservoirs there would be no dividing line, it was Holy Bible Koran. And until this moment, for some reason, no one noticed this phenomenon among people who have already been using the fleet with might and main for at least 4000 years. That's it.
And finally, watch this video (I did not give the name to it). Do you still think that deeply religious people who mix reality with faith are capable of professionalism in a particular profession? Especially such as pilots, doctors, scientists, physicists, teachers, designers, etc. ..?
Miracle of the Qur'an: Seas that don't mix
Sura 55 "The Merciful":
19. He confused two seas that meet each other.
20. Between them there is a barrier that they cannot cross.
Sura 25 "Discrimination":
53. He is the One who mixed two seas (kinds of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle.
Exploring the expanses of water in the Strait of Gibraltar, Jacques Yves Cousteau discovered an amazing fact that cannot be explained by science: the existence of two water bodies that do not mix with each other. They seem to be separated by a film and have a clear boundary between them. Each of them has its own temperature, its salt composition, animal and vegetable world. It's water mediterranean sea and Atlantic Ocean touching each other in the Strait of Gibraltar.
“In 1962,” says Jacques Cousteau, “German scientists discovered that in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea converge, the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean do not mix. Following the example of our colleagues, we began to find out whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea mix. We first explored the waters of the Mediterranean - its natural salinity, density and life forms. We did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. These two masses of water have been meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar for thousands of years, and it would be logical to assume that these two huge water masses should have been mixed long ago - their salinity and density should have become the same, or at least similar. But even in places where they converge closest, each of them retains its properties. In other words, at the confluence of two masses of water, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.”
Upon discovering this obvious and incredible fact, the scientist was extremely surprised. “I rested on my laurels for a long time at this amazing phenomenon, which cannot be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry,” writes Cousteau.
But the scientist experienced even greater surprise and admiration when he found out that this was written in the Koran 1400 years ago. He learned about it from Dr. Maurice Boukay, a Frenchman who converted to Islam.
“When I told him about my discovery, he told me skeptically that this was said in the Koran 1400 years ago. It was like a bolt from the blue for me. And indeed, it turned out that way when I looked at the translations of the Koran. Then I exclaimed: “I swear that this Koran, from which modern science lagging behind by 1400 years, cannot be human speech. This is the true speech of the Most High.” After that, I accepted Islam and every day I was amazed at the truth, justice, ease, usefulness of this religion. I am infinitely grateful that He opened His eyes to the Truth,” Cousteau writes further.
It is strange to see that the water seems to be separated by a film and has a clear boundary inside it. Each part of the water has its own temperature, its own unique salt composition, plant and animal worlds. Where is all this? In the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
In 1967, scientists from Germany recorded the fact of non-mixing of water layers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea meet. Imitating his colleagues, Jacques Cousteau began to find out whether the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean mixed. First, the scientist and his team studied the water from the Mediterranean Sea - its normal level of density, salinity and its characteristic life forms. And they did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. Here, two huge masses of water have been interacting with each other in the Strait of Gibraltar for many thousands of years, and it would be quite logical to think that these two giant water masses should have been mixed long ago - their density and salinity should have been equal, or at least close ones. But even in those places where they come closest, each of the water masses retains its unique properties. In other words, in places where there should have been a confluence of two water layers, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.
If you look closely, then in the second photo you can see that the sea has two different colors, and in the first photo - a different wavelength. And between the water, as if a wall that water can not overcome.
The reason is the surface tension of water: surface tension is one of the most important parameters of water. It sets the force with which the molecules of the liquid adhere to each other, as well as the shape of the surface on the verge with air. It is thanks to surface tension that a drop, jet, puddle, etc. is formed. The volatility (i.e. evaporation) of any liquid substance also depends on the adhesion force of molecules. The lower the surface tension, the more volatile the liquid. Organic solvents (for example, alcohols) have the lowest surface tension.
If water had a low surface tension, it would evaporate very rapidly. But water, fortunately for us, has a rather large surface tension.
Visually, you can imagine surface tension in this way: if you slowly pour tea into a cup along the very edges, then for some time the tea will not pour out of the cup through the rim. In the light, you can see that an extremely thin film has formed above the surface of the water, which does not allow the tea to spill. It increases as it is topped up and only, as they say, with the “last drop”, the liquid flows out over the edge of the cup.
Likewise, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are not able to mix with each other. The magnitude of surface tension causes different degrees of density of sea water, and this factor is like an impenetrable wall that prevents the waters from mixing.
I won't dive into physical theory- It's pretty hard to understand. In short, it is simply physical phenomenon. Not even a strange anomaly, but a simple whim of nature.
All seas and oceans and rivers on Earth communicate with each other. Level water surface everywhere the same.
But you rarely see such a border. This is the border between the seas.
And the most amazing mergers are truly those where a contrast is visible, a clear boundary between the seas or flowing rivers.
North Sea and Baltic Sea
The meeting point of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea near the city of Skagen, Denmark. Water does not mix due to different densities. The locals call it the end of the world.
Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea
The meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea near the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece.
Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Strait of Gibraltar. Water does not mix due to differences in density and salinity.
Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Antilles region
The meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. On the left is the Caribbean Sea (turquoise water), on the right is the Atlantic Ocean (blue water).
Suriname River and Atlantic Ocean
The meeting point of the Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean in South America
Uruguay and tributary (Argentina)
The confluence of the Uruguay River and its tributary in the province of Misiones, Argentina. One of them is cleared for needs Agriculture, the other in the rainy season becomes almost red with clay.
Gega and Yupshara (Abkhazia)
The confluence of the Gega and Yupshara rivers in Abkhazia. Gega is blue, and Yupshara is brown.
Rio Negro and Solimões (cf. section of the Amazon) (Brazil)
The confluence of the Rio Negro and Solimões rivers in Brazil.
Six miles from Manaus in Brazil, the Rio Negro and Solimões join but do not mix for 4 kilometers. Rio Negro has dark water, while Solimões has light water. This phenomenon is explained by the difference in temperature and flow rate. Rio Negro flows at a speed of 2 kilometers per hour and a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, and Solimões at a speed of 4 to 6 kilometers and a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.
Mosel and Rhine (Germany)
The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers in the city of Koblenz, Germany. The Rhine is lighter, the Moselle is darker.
Ilz, Danube and Inn (Germany)
The confluence of the three rivers Ilz, Danube and Inn in Passau, Germany.
Ilts is a small mountain river (on the 3rd photo in the lower left corner), the Danube in the middle and the Inn of light color. The Inn, although wider and fuller than the Danube at the confluence, is considered a tributary.
Kura and Aragvi (Georgia)
The confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers in Mtskheta, Georgia.
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi (India)
The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers in Devaprayag, India. Alaknanda is dark, Bhagirathi is light.
Irtysh and Ulba (Kazakhstan)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba rivers in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. The Irtysh is clean, the Ulba is muddy.
Thompson and Fraser (Canada)
The confluence of the Thompson and Fraser rivers, British Columbia, Canada. The Fraser River is fed by the waters of the mountains and therefore has more muddy water than that of the Thompson River flowing through the plains.
Jialing and Yangtze (China)
The confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers in Chongqing, China. The Jialing River, on the right, stretches for 119 km. In the city of Chongqing, it flows into the Yangtze River. clear waters Jialing meets the brown waters of the Yangtze.
Argut and Katun (Russia)
The confluence of the Argut and Katun rivers in the Ongudai district, Altai, Russia. Argut is muddy, and Katun is clean.
Oka and Volga (Russia)
The confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. On the right - Oka (gray), on the left - Volga (blue).
Irtysh and Om (Russia)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers in Omsk, Russia. The Irtysh is cloudy, the Om is transparent.
Amur and Zeya (Russia)
The confluence of the Amur and Zeya rivers in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, Russia. On the left is Amur, on the right is Zeya.
Big Yenisei and Small Yenisei (Russia)
The confluence of the Greater Yenisei and the Lesser Yenisei near Kyzyl, Tyva Republic, Russia. On the left is the Big Yenisei, on the right is the Small Yenisei.
Irtysh and Tobol (Russia)
The confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers near Tobolsk, Tyumen region, Russia. Irtysh - light, muddy, Tobol - dark, transparent.
Ardon and Tseydon (Russia)
The confluence of the Ardon and Tseydon rivers in North Ossetia, Russia. The muddy river is the Ardon, and the light turquoise, clear river is the Ceydon.
Katun and Koksa (Russia)
The confluence of the Katun and Koksa rivers near the village of Ust-Koksa, Altai, Russia. On the right, the Koksa River flows, it has a dark color of water. On the left - Katun, water with a greenish tinge.
Katun and Akkem (Russia)
The confluence of the Katun and Akkem rivers in the Altai Republic, Russia. Katun is blue, Akkem is white.
Chuya and Katun (Russia)
The confluence of the Chuya and Katun rivers in the Ongudaysky district of the Altai Republic, Russia
The waters of the Chuya in this place (after confluence with the Chaganuzun River) acquire an unusual cloudy white lead color and seem dense and thick. Katun is clean and turquoise. Combining together, they form a single two-color stream with a clear boundary, and, for some time, flow without mixing.
Belaya and Kama (Russia)
The confluence of the Kama and Belaya rivers in Agidel, Bashkiria, Russia. Belaya River blue color, and Kama is greenish.
Chebdar and Bashkaus (Russia)
The confluence of the Chebdar and Bashkaus rivers near Mount Kaishkak, Altai, Russia.
Chebdar blue, originates at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, flows through a deep gorge, where the height of the walls reaches 100 meters. Bashkaus at the confluence is greenish.
Ilet and mineral spring (Russia)
The confluence of the Ilet River and a mineral spring in the Republic of Mari El, Russia.
Green and Colorado (USA)
The confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Green is green and Colorado is brown. The channels of these rivers run through various rocks That's why the colors of the water are so contrasting.
Ohio and Mississippi (USA)
The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, USA. Mississippi is green and Ohio is brown. The waters of these rivers do not mix and have a clear boundary at a distance of almost 6 km.
Monongahela and Allegheny (USA)
The confluence of the Monongayela and Allegheny rivers merge into the Ohio River at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA. At the confluence of the Monongayela and Allegheny rivers, they lose their names and turn into the new Ohio River.
White and Blue Nile (Sudan)
The confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile rivers in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Araks and Akhuryan (Turkey)
The confluence of the Araks and Akhuryan rivers near Bagaran, on the Armenia-Turkey border. On the right is Akhuryan (clean water), on the left is Araks (turbid water).
Rhone and Sona (France)
The confluence of the rivers Saone and Rhone in Lyon, France. The Rhone is blue and its tributary the Sona is grey.
Drava and Danube (Croatia)
The confluence of the Drava and Danube rivers, Osijek, Croatia. On the right bank of the Drava River, 25 kilometers upstream from the confluence with the Danube, is the city of Osijek.
Rhone and Arve (Switzerland)
The confluence of the Rhone and Arves in Geneva, Switzerland.
The river on the left is the transparent Rhone, which emerges from Lake Leman.
The river on the right is the muddy Arve, which is fed by the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley.
It is said that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans do not mix their waters. It is quite difficult for us to understand how the same liquids cannot combine. In this article, "Me and the World" will try to figure it out.
Of course, to say that the waters of the oceans do not mix at all is wrong. So why is the line between them so clearly visible? In the place where they touch the different direction of the currents, as well as the difference in the level of density of water and the amount of salt in it. On the line of their intersection, it is even clearly visible that the colors of the reservoirs are completely different. This joint is clearly visible in the photo.
The famous scientist Jacques Cousteau once spoke about the directions of currents, when the force of the earth at an angle to the axis of rotation does not allow the waters to completely mix at the place of their meeting. But what is interesting is that this phenomenon was written in the Koran 1400 years ago.
The invisible confluence of the oceans occurs only in the Southern Hemisphere, since in the Northern they are separated by continents.
Such clear boundaries can be seen not only at the point where the oceans meet, but also the seas, and between river basins. For example, the North and Baltic Seas do not mix due to the different densities of their waters.
At the confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba, in the first river the water is clear, in the second it is muddy.
In China: the clean Jialing River flows into the brown-dirty Yangtze.
In two rivers, having traveled almost 4 km, they never mix. This is due to the different speed of their currents and temperature. Rio Negro is slower and warmer, while Solimões flows faster but cooler.
And there are many such examples. From the outside, all this seems mystical until an exact explanation comes.
Video: the border of the meeting of two oceans
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