Comment Re:Changes on natural cycle (Score 1) 426
Good question!
On summary, the OTECs process would make deep water warmer and surface water cooler. Since the heat exchange process on the deep water areas formation keep going, we still have water masses getting denser, and so sinking. Due the continuity the surface water must move to fill that gap. Since the OTECs is making the surface water cooler, the formation area would start with lower temeperature and so the final temperature, after loss heat to atmosphere, should be lesser, so higher density and keep sinking. On this sense you might be right, this circulation shouldn't stop. But thinking on the energy flux, since the tropical waters would be colder, the heat advection to north Atlantic should be lesser, and so the available energy there (N. Atlantic). This is because OTECs process should improve the vertical heat exchange, which now is slow and spread around the world. The conclusion is that the winter on north Atlantic should be more intense.
About the scale, you're right again! They might not be able to develop a complex big enough to make significant difference on energy involved on the Thermohaline Circulation (TC), but conceptualy, more energy took from there, colder winter, higher demand of energy to warm homes. Considering the possible eficiency of the process, this can't has a positive balance (for us).
The most interesting point that you're question bring is, actually the OTECs system should tend to reduce the TC area. What was suposed to run around almost all the world would be confined to the Atlantic, or at least part of the energy. This is interesting! The first thing I can imagine is the movement downard of the thermocline around the world, outside the new reduced TC. Since you close the cicle, why deep water should keep cold? Thermohaline deeper means more energy available on surface oceans, the same energy used by hurricanes. Maybe lesser sazonality due the higher specific heat of the water. But in oposite direction higher evaporation and heat loss from ocean to atmosphere by latent and sensible heat, plus the long wave. All due a higher sea surface temperature. I don't know what would be the new balance!?! I would need to think more about it.
