Deep circulation in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean

• Main Authors: Gouriou, Y, Andrie, C, Bourles, B, Freudenthal, S, Arnault, S, Aman, A, Eldin, G, Du Penhoat, Y, Baurand, F, Gallois, F, Chuchla, R
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Amer Geophysical Union 2001
• Subjects: NADW; North Atlantic Deep Water; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/10369/9567.pdf; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/10369/

In the Atlantic Ocean, the northward export of warm surface water is compensated by a southward flow of cold North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). The NADW is transported southward along the American continental margin within the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). Some tracer and float observations have shown that part of the DWBC water flows eastward along the equator. Here we present three meridional velocity sections which give an instantaneous image of the top-to-bottom zonal circulation along the equatorial Atlantic. They reveal the presence of Equatorial Deep Jets (EDJs) between 1 degrees 30'N and 1 degrees 30'S, alternating eastward-westward currents with short vertical scale, surrounded by columns of eastward currents (the Extra Equatorial Jets or EEJs) at 2 degreesN and 2 degreesS. In addition to direct velocity measurements, tracer distributions give indications of water-mass feeding of the EDJs and EEJs by the DWBC.