Editing Caribbean Sea (section)

==Oceanography==
[[File:Golfstream.jpg|thumb|Sketch of the [[North Equatorial Current]] and the [[Gulf Stream]]]]

The [[hydrology]] of the sea has a high level of homogeneity. Annual variations in monthly average water temperatures at the surface do not exceed {{cvt|3|C-change}}. In the past 50 years, the Caribbean has gone through three stages: cooling until 1974, a cold phase with peaks during 1974–1976 and 1984–1986, and, finally, a warming phase with an increase in temperature of {{cvt|0.6|C-change}} per year. Virtually all temperature extremes were associated with the phenomena of [[El Niño]] and [[La Niña]]. The [[salinity]] of the seawater is about 3.6%, and its [[density]] is {{cvt|1023.5|-|1024.0|kg/m3|lb/cuft}}. The surface water color is [[blue-green]] to [[green]].

The Caribbean's depth in its wider basins and deep-water temperatures are similar to those of the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic deepwater is thought to spill into the Caribbean and contribute to the general deepwater of its sea.<ref>Pernetta, John. (2004). Guide to the Oceans. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, Inc. p. 178. {{ISBN|978-1-55297-942-6}}.</ref> The surface water (30&nbsp;m; 100&nbsp;ft) acts as an extension of the northern Atlantic as the [[Guiana Current]] and part of the [[North Equatorial Current]] enter the sea on the east. On the western side of the sea, the [[trade winds]] influence a northerly current, which causes an [[upwelling]] and a rich fishery near [[Yucatán]].<ref>Pernetta, John. (2004). Guide to the Oceans. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, Inc. pp. 177–178. {{ISBN|978-1-55297-942-6}}.</ref>