Antarctic bottom water in the Scotia Sea and the Drake Passage

The quantitative features and circulation of the Antarctic bottom water (AABW) in the Scotia Sea are investigated using an original procedure for the determination of the boundaries between the water masses. It is shown that the AABW is effectively transferred across the Antarctic Circumpolar Curren...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oceanology
Main Author: Tarakanov, R.
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Drake Passage
Scotia Sea
Pacific
South Shetland Trench
Yaghan Basin
Antarc*
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1834/17073
https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437009050026
Description
Summary:The quantitative features and circulation of the Antarctic bottom water (AABW) in the Scotia Sea are investigated using an original procedure for the determination of the boundaries between the water masses. It is shown that the AABW is effectively transferred across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) from the regions on the south flank of this current where the AABW penetrates into the Scotia Sea. This transfer results in the abyssal water cooling and freshening in the Yaghan Basin of the north Scotia Sea. Some rises and depres- sions in the bottom relief of the western and northern Scotia Sea are important features that impact the AABW transfer. It is shown that there is an additional path of the AABW transit transport to the North Atlantic passing through the western Scotia Sea. The existence of the semienclosed cyclonic abyssal water circulation in the South Shetland Trench and the westward transport of the Atlantic AABW along the Antarctic slope foot into the Pacific are proved. Published

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