Flow of Antarctic Bottom Water from the Vema Channel

We analyze measurements of bottom currents and thermohaline properties of water north of the Vema Channel with the goal to find pathway continuations of Antarctic Bottom Water flow from the Vema Channel into the Brazil Basin. The analysis is based on CTD/LADCP casts north of the Vema Channel. The flow in the deep Vema Channel consists of two branches. The deepest current flows along the bottom in the center of the channel and the other branch flows above the western wall of the channel. We found two smaller channels of the northern continuation of the deeper bottom flow. These flows become weak and almost disappear at a latitude of 25°30’S. The upper current flows at a depth of 4100-4200 m along the continental slope. We traced this current up to 24°S over a distance exceeding 250 km. This branch transports bottom water that eventually fills the deep basins of the North Atlantic. Key words: Vema Channel; abyssal currents; Antarctic Bottom Water; CTD/LADCP profiles; bottom layer

Intra-seasonal Oscillation of Abyssal Currents in the Middle East Pacific Ocean

<p>In this work, the intra-seasonal oscillation of the abyssal currents in the Middle East Pacific Ocean is investigated using direct observations from ADCP instruments, which are mounted on a subsurface mooring deployed at 154oW，10oN. The observation shows that the intra-seasonal (20-100 days) oscillation part of the kinetic energy accounts for more than 40% of the low-frequency flow kinetic energy between 200~2000m, while accounts for more than 50% under 2000m; the intra-seasonal oscillation of meridional flow is more obvious than that of zonal flow. The meridional velocity in the upper layer (100-1000m) shows an oscillation at periods of 50~90 days, which is most obvious at the depth of 500m; from 200m to the bottom layer currents shows an synchronous oscillation at a period of 30 days lasting for several months, and the oscillation signal is the strongest in the deep layer (4600m); The correlation is good between the 20~40 day band passed meridional current at the bottom layer and that of the geostrophic current. The observed temperature of 4000m and 5000m also shows similar characteristics of 30 days period oscillation, which has good correlation to the sea level height. The reanalysis data shows the 30 days oscillation of the abyssal currents is propagated from west to east at a speed of about 0.29m/s while the 40~100 day oscillation is propagated at a speed of about 0.1m/s; the intensity of the intra-seasonal oscillation has obvious interannual variations, which may be related to the change of the eddy energy of the sea surface.</p>

Evidence of Bottom-Trapped Currents in the Kuroshio Extension Region

As part of the Kuroshio Extension System Study, observations from five current meter moorings reveal that the abyssal currents are weakly bottom intensified. In the framework of linear quasigeostrophic flow, the best fitted vertical trapping depths range from 8 to 15 km in the absence of steep topography, but one mooring near an isolated seamount exhibited vertical trapping that was more pronounced and energetic with a vertical trapping depth of 5 km. The ratios of current speeds and geostrophic pressure streamfunctions at the sea surface compared to the bottom are 88% in the absence of steep topography, 63% near an isolated seamount, and overall on average 83% of their value at a reference depth of 5300 m. It is hypothesized that weakly depth-dependent eddies impinging upon topographic features introduce to the flow the horizontal length scales of the topography, and these smaller lateral scales are subject to bottom intensification.

The Meridional Flow of Source-Driven Abyssal Currents in a Stratified Basin with Topography. Part I: Model Development and Dynamical Properties

The equatorward flow of source-driven grounded deep western boundary currents within a stratified basin with variable topography is examined. The model is the two-layer quasigeostrophic (QG) equations, describing the overlying ocean, coupled to the finite-amplitude planetary geostrophic (PG) equations, describing the abyssal layer, on a midlatitude β plane. The model retains subapproximations such as classical Stommel–Arons theory, the Nof abyssal dynamical balance, the so-called planetary shock wave balance (describing the finite-amplitude β-induced westward propagation of abyssal anomalies), and baroclinic instability. The abyssal height field can possess groundings. In the reduced gravity limit, a new nonlinear steady-state balance is identified that connects source-driven equatorward abyssal flow (as predicted by Stommel–Arons theory) and the inertial topographically steered deep flow described by Nof dynamics. This model is solved explicitly, and the meridional structure of the predicted grounded abyssal flow is described. In the fully baroclinic limit, a variational principle is established and is exploited to obtain general stability conditions for meridional abyssal flow over variable topography on a β plane. The baroclinic coupling of the PG abyssal layer with the QG overlying ocean eliminates the ultraviolet catastrophe known to occur in inviscid PG reduced gravity models. The baroclinic instability problem for a constant-velocity meridional abyssal current flowing over sloping topography with β present is solved and the stability characteristics are described.

The Meridional Flow of Source-Driven Abyssal Currents in a Stratified Basin with Topography. Part II: Numerical Simulation

A numerical simulation is described for source-driven abyssal currents in a 3660 km × 3660 km stratified Northern Hemisphere basin with zonally varying topography. The model is the two-layer quasigeostrophic equations, describing the overlying ocean, coupled to the finite-amplitude planetary geostrophic equations, describing the abyssal layer, on a midlatitude β plane. The source region is a fixed 75 km × 150 km area located in the northwestern sector of the basin with a steady downward volume transport of about 5.6 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) corresponding to an average downwelling velocity of about 0.05 cm s−1. The other parameter values are characteristic of the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes about 3.2 yr for the abyssal water mass to reach the southern boundary and about 25 yr for a statistical state to develop. Time-averaged and instantaneous fields at a late time are described. The time-averaged fields show an equatorward-flowing abyssal current with distinct up- and downslope groundings with decreasing height in the equatorward direction. The average equatorward abyssal transport is about 8 Sv, and the average abyssal current thickness is about 500 m and is about 400 km wide. The circulation in the upper layers is mostly cyclonic and is western intensified, with current speeds about 0.6 cm s−1. The upper layer cyclonic circulation intensifies in the source region with speeds about 4 cm s−1, and there is an anticyclonic circulation region immediately adjacent to the western boundary giving rise to a weak barotropic poleward current in the upper layers with a speed of about 0.6 cm s−1. The instantaneous fields are highly variable. Even though the source is steady, there is a pronounced spectral peak at the period of about 54 days. The frequency associated with the spectral peak is an increasing function of the downwelling volume flux. The periodicity is associated with the formation of transient cyclonic eddies in the overlying ocean in the source region and downslope propagating plumes and boluses in the abyssal water mass. The cyclonic eddies have a radii about 100–150 km and propagation speeds about 5–10 cm s−1. The eddies are formed initially because of stretching associated with the downwelling in the source region. Once detached from the source region, the cyclonic eddies are phase locked with the boluses or plumes that form on the downslope grounding of the abyssal current, which themselves form because of baroclinic instability. Eventually, the background vorticity gradients associated with β and the sloping bottom arrest the downslope (eastward) motion, the abyssal boluses diminish in amplitude, the abyssal current flows preferentially equatorward, the upper layer eddies disperse and diminish in amplitude, and westward intensification develops.