Abyssal circulation shifts and deep-sea rivers/volcanism (AABW contraction & AMOC signals)
Key Questions
What changes have been observed in abyssal circulation and the Antarctic Bottom Water?
Deep Argo data shows 0.01°C per decade warming and a 30% slowdown in AABW. Warm Circumpolar Deep Water is also carving channels under East Antarctic ice, increasing melt rates by 42-50%.
What impact could ending the Ocean Observatories Initiative have?
The Trump administration plans to remove 900 instruments over 15 months, prompting bipartisan pushback and concerns over legal violations and lost expertise. This threatens critical ocean monitoring capabilities.
How do long-lived anticyclonic eddies affect deep water formation?
These eddies facilitate deep convection in the Greenland Sea, directly influencing abyssal circulation and deep water formation processes.
Deep Argo tracks 0.01C/decade warming and AABW 30% slowdown. Titan Ridge (PNG) eruption at 1.3 km depth sends plume 28,000 ft. Warm Circumpolar Deep Water carving hidden channels beneath East Antarctic ice, driving melt rates 42-50% higher. CRITICAL: Trump administration ends ocean monitoring system (OOI) – 900 instruments to be removed over 15 months; new article details bipartisan pushback and legal violations, underscoring loss of expertise. EU launches OceanEye (€92M). Study links ice-age sea-level falls to seafloor volcano fertilization. Doldrums Fracture Zone expedition searching for vents. SWOT satellite data paired with gliders improves carbon uptake understanding. Long-lived anticyclonic eddies facilitate deep convection in the Greenland Sea, directly impacting deep water formation and abyssal circulation.