Antarctic Bottom Water
E26551
Antarctic Bottom Water is a cold, dense water mass formed around Antarctica that spreads along the ocean floor and plays a key role in global deep-ocean circulation and climate regulation.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Weddell Sea Deep Water | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
bottom water
ⓘ
component of global ocean circulation ⓘ water mass ⓘ |
| affectedBy |
atmospheric climate variability
ⓘ
changes in Antarctic sea-ice production ⓘ freshwater input from Antarctic ice melt ⓘ |
| circulationTimescale | hundreds to over a thousand years ⓘ |
| densityRange | approximately 27.8 to 28.3 kg/m³ (sigma-theta) ⓘ |
| flowsAlong | ocean floor ⓘ |
| formedByProcess |
brine rejection
ⓘ
sea-ice formation ⓘ surface water cooling ⓘ |
| formedFrom |
Antarctic shelf waters
ⓘ
Antarctic surface waters ⓘ |
| formedInOcean | Southern Ocean ⓘ |
| formedInRegion | around Antarctica ⓘ |
| hasProperty |
very cold
ⓘ
very dense ⓘ |
| importance |
critical for global deep-ocean circulation
ⓘ
important for long-term climate regulation ⓘ |
| influences |
deep-ocean salinity structure
ⓘ
deep-ocean stratification ⓘ deep-ocean temperature structure ⓘ global climate ⓘ |
| keyFormationRegion |
Adélie Coast region
ⓘ
Prydz Bay region ⓘ Ross Sea ⓘ Weddell Sea ⓘ |
| liesBelow | North Atlantic Deep Water ⓘ |
| monitoredBy |
autonomous floats
ⓘ
hydrographic sections ⓘ oceanographic moorings ⓘ |
| occupies | deepest layers of the global ocean ⓘ |
| partOf |
global overturning circulation
ⓘ
global thermohaline circulation ⓘ |
| role |
sequesters carbon in deep ocean
ⓘ
stores heat in deep ocean ⓘ transports oxygen to deep ocean ⓘ ventilates the abyssal ocean ⓘ |
| salinityRange | approximately 34.6 to 34.8 PSU ⓘ |
| spreadsIntoOcean |
Atlantic Ocean
ⓘ
Indian Ocean ⓘ Pacific Ocean ⓘ |
| temperatureRange | approximately −0.8 °C to 2 °C ⓘ |
| thicknessRange | up to several kilometers thick in deep basins ⓘ |
| transportDirection | generally northward from Antarctica ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Weddell Sea Deep Water