Multiple Abyssal Jets Flowing Into the Vema Deep, Romanche Fracture Zone

Abstract

AbstractStrong acceleration of abyssal flows in narrow deep‐water channels and fracture zones is a key feature of bottom circulation in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Equatorial Atlantic, these bottom currents transport Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) over the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge from west to east. The main pathway for Antarctic waters in this region is the Romanche Fracture Zone. The deepest point of this fracture zone is the Vema Deep; its maximum depth based on the published data is 7,856 m. This deep basin is filled by waters of Antarctic origin overflowing a sill in a narrow channel. During the expedition on the R/V Akademik Ioffe (August 2022), we revealed a strong flow in the middle part of the Romanche Fracture Zone and collected new data on thermohaline and kinematic structures of this gravity current. Our survey is the first observational evidence of the intense flow into the Vema Deep. At the sill, the flow splits into branches flowing through three distinct channels of intricate configuration located in the southern transform valley of the fracture zone. The northern channel is proved to be the main pathway of the coldest and densest bottom waters to the Vema Deep. We also found that vertical structure of the flow is presented by two individual jets, namely the deep and bottom jets. The total transport of AABW through the Romanche Fracture Zone at this location was estimated at 1.40 Sv; the velocities exceeding 10 cm/s were found at depths greater than 5,000 m.