Abstract
The base of the thermocline at a depth of roughly 1 km represents the lower boundary of the domain of the vigorous ocean circulation driven by the wind-stress and the large-scale distribution of heating and cooling. Below this region lies a vast volume of fluid extending to depths typically of 4–5 km although the depth diminishes to about 2 km in the vicinity of the great midocean ridge systems. This region is everywhere very cold. In the world ocean the potential temperature is less than 4 °C virtually everywhere below 2 km and in most areas is closer to 2 °C at this depth (e.g. Levitus 1982) and the temperature falls typically to 0–2 °C at 4 km. This abyssal region of the ocean is so vast that Worthington (1981) attributes an average temperature of only 3.51 °C to the entire world ocean, so great is the domain of the cold water — in spite of the widespread areas of surface temperatures of the order of 20 °C.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Edwards, C. A. and Pedlosky J., 1995: The influence of distributed sources and upwelling on the baroclinic structure of the abyssal circulation. J. Phys. Ocean., 25, 2259–2284.
Friedrichs, M.A.M., and Hall M.M., 1993: Deep circulation in the tropical North Atlantic. J. Mar. Res., 51, 697–736.
Godfrey, J.S., 1989: A Sverdrup model of the depth-integrated flow for the world ocean allowing for island circulations. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 45, 89–112.
Gregg, M.C. and Sanford T.B., 1988: The dependence of turbulent dissipation on stratification in a diffusively stable thermocline. J. Geophys. Res., 93, 12,381–12, 392.
Kawase, M., 1987: Establishment of deep ocean circulation driven by deep-water production.. 1 Phys. Ocean., 17, 2294–2317.
Kawase, M., 1993. Topographic effects on the bottom water circulation of the western tropical North Atlantic ocean. Deep — Sea Res., 40, 1259–1283.
Kawase, M., and Straub D., 1991: Spinup of source-driven circulation in an abyssal basin in the presence of bottom topography. J. Phys. Ocean., 21, 1501–1514.
Kuo, H.-H. and Veronis G., 1970: Distribution of tracers in the deep oceans of the world. Deep Sea Res., 17, 29–46.
Ledwell, J.R., Watson A.J. and Law C.S., 1993: Evidence for slow mixing across the pycnocline from an open-ocean tracer release experiment. Nature, (Letters), 364, 701–703.
Levitus, S. 1982: Climatological atlas of the world ocean. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp 173.
McCartney, M.S. and Talley L.D., 1984: Warm–to–cold conversion in the northern North Atlantic Ocean. J. Phys. Ocean., 14, 922–935.
McCartney, M.S., Bennett S.L., and Woodgate-Jones M.E., 1991: Eastward flow through the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 110 N and its influence on the abyss of the eastern basin. J. Phys. Ocean., 21, 1089–1121.
Osborn, T. R., 1980: Estimates of the local rate of vertical diffusion from dissipation measurements. J. Phys. Ocean., 10, 83–89.
Pedlosky, J., 1987: Thermocline theories. In: General Circulation of the Ocean, Eds. Abarbanel H.D.I. and Young W.R., Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp. 55–101.
Pedlosky, J., 1992: The baroclinic structure of the abyssal circulation. J. Phys. Ocean., 22, 652–659.
Pedlosky, J., 1994a: Stratified abyssal flow in the presence of fractured ridges. J. Phys. Ocean., 24, 403–417.
Pedlosky, J., 1994b: Ridges and recirculations — gaps and jets. J. Phys. Ocean., 24, 2703–2707.
Pedlosky, J., and Chapman D.C., 1993: Baroclinic structure of the abyssal circulation and the role of meridional topography. J. Phys. Ocean., 23, 979–991.
Pickard, G.L. and Emery W.J., 1982: Descriptive physical oceanography. Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp 249.
Price, J.F. and Barringer M.O., 1994, Outflows and deep water production by marginal seas. Prog. in Ocean.,33, 161–200.
Stommel, H., 1958: The abyssal circulation. Deep Sea Res. (Letters), 5, 80–82.
Stommel, H., and Arons A.B., 1960a: On the abyssal circulation of the world ocean. I. Stationary planetary flow patterns on a sphere. Deep Sea Res., 6, 140–154.
Stommel, H., and Arons A.B., 1960b: On the abyssal circulation of the world ocean. II. An idealized model of the circulation pattern and amplitude in oceanic basins. Deep- Sea Res., 6, 217–233.
Stommel, H., Arons A.B. and Faller A.J., 1958: Some examples of stationary planetary flow patterns in bounded basins. Tellus, 10, 179–187.
Toole, J.M., Polzin K.L., and Schmidt R.W., 1994: Estimates of diapycnal mixing in the abyssal ocean. Science, 264, 1120–1123.
Tziperman, E., 1987: The Mediterranean outflow as an example of deep buoyancy driven flow. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 14510–14520.
Warren, B.A., 1981: Deep circulation of the world ocean. In: Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Eds. Warren, B.A. and Wunsch C. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 6–41.
Warren, B.A., and Owens W.B., 1988: Deep currents in the central Subarctic Pacific Ocean. J. Phys. Ocean., 18, 529–551.
Worthington, L.V., 1981: The water masses of the world ocean: some results of a fine-scale census. In: Evolution of Physical Oceanography. Eds. Warren, B.A. and Wunsch C. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 42–69
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pedlosky, J. (1996). Abyssal Circulation. In: Ocean Circulation Theory. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08224-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-03204-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive