Contrary to a viral claim, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans do mix. This fact is supported by multiple sources, including BBC Science Focus and the Princeton Library.
While differences in density and salinity exist, water currents and eddies facilitate gradual mixing between the two oceans. A strong current at Cape Horn, for example, sweeps Pacific water into the Atlantic.
The apparent lack of mixing on the surface is due to surface currents that affect the flow of water. However, underlying currents and mixing processes still occur.
BBC Science Focus confirms the mixing of the two oceans.
The Princeton Library provides supporting information.
Encyclopaedia Britannica explains the role of surface currents.
The mixing of light-colored freshwater from glaciers with darker, salty ocean water in the Gulf of Alaska further demonstrates the mixing process in oceans.
Do the oceans mix?: The Atlantic and Pacific meet at Cape Horn, at the southernmost tip of Chile, South America. In this region, a strong current carries water from west to east, sweeping water from the Pacific into the Atlantic.
We came across reports by BBC Science Focus and Princeton Library, which mentioned that the two oceans do mix together.
BBC noted the two oceans mix and are not separate. Though there is a difference between their densities and salinity levels, water currents and eddies cause both oceans to mix gradually.
However, ocean water may not always appear to mix due to surface currents on water, which play a role in how water flows on the ocean's surface, as per the Encyclopaedia Brittanica.
The region experiences strong currents; hence, the water flows west to east, "sweeping water from the Pacific into the Atlantic."
BBC also wrote, "in reality, there’s no border between them, and currents continually flow between them and mix their waters."
Additionally, the report mentioned that light-coloured, sediment-rich freshwater from melted glaciers meet the dark, salty ocean water in the Gulf of Alaska and mix together.
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