Subantarctic Front

E98875

The Subantarctic Front is a major oceanographic boundary in the Southern Ocean that separates relatively warm, salty subtropical waters from cooler, fresher subantarctic waters and plays a key role in global heat and nutrient transport.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
Southern Boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current 0 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ocean current boundary
oceanographic front
physical oceanographic feature
affects pathways of heat transport from low to high southern latitudes
pathways of nutrient transport into subantarctic surface waters
associatedWith enhanced vertical mixing
sharp density gradients
strong horizontal salinity gradients
strong horizontal temperature gradients
upwelling of nutrient-rich waters
boundedBy Polar Front to the south
Subtropical Front to the north
characterizedBy frontal jets
meanders and eddies
strong eastward flow
circles Antarctica
extendsAcross South Atlantic
surface form: South Atlantic Ocean

South Indian Ocean NERFINISHED
South Pacific Ocean
hasAlternativeName Subantarctic Convergence NERFINISHED
hasApproximateLatitudeRange around 45°S to 55°S depending on longitude
hasRole key component of global heat transport
key component of global nutrient transport
major oceanographic boundary in the Southern Ocean
influences air–sea heat exchange in the Southern Ocean
biogeographic boundaries of marine species
carbon uptake by the Southern Ocean
distribution of marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean
global climate system
isPartOf Southern Ocean frontal system
global ocean circulation
linkedTo Southern Ocean carbon cycle
Southern Ocean nutrient cycle
biological productivity in the Southern Ocean
locatedIn Southern Ocean
monitoredBy Argo profiling floats
satellite altimetry
satellite sea surface temperature observations
ship-based hydrographic sections
partOf Antarctic Circumpolar Current
surface form: Antarctic Circumpolar Current system
playsRoleIn exchange between subtropical and subpolar water masses
global meridional overturning circulation
ventilation of the upper ocean in the Southern Hemisphere
separates relatively warm, salty subtropical waters from cooler, fresher subantarctic waters
subantarctic waters
subtropical waters
studiedIn climate science
marine biogeography
physical oceanography

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Antarctic Circumpolar Current associatedWith Subantarctic Front
ACC associatedWith Subantarctic Front
subject surface form: Antarctic Circumpolar Current
Antarctic Convergence distinguishedFrom Subantarctic Front
Antarctic Convergence distinguishedFrom Subantarctic Front
this entity surface form: Southern Boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current