Transport of Antarctic bottom water through the Kane Gap, tropical NE Atlantic Ocean

• Published in: Ocean science 2013-09, Vol.9 (5), p.825-835
• Main Authors: Morozov, E. G, Tarakanov, R. Y, van Haren, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Marine; Oceans
• ISSN: 1812-0792; 1812-0784; 1812-0792
• DOI: 10.5194/os-9-825-2013

We study low-frequency properties of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) flow through the Kane Gap (9° N) in the Atlantic Ocean. The measurements in the Kane Gap include five visits with CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) sections in 2009–2012 and a year-long record of currents on a mooring using three AquaDopp current meters. We found an alternating regime of flow, which changes direction several times during a year. The seasonal signal seems to dominate. The maximum daily average values of southerly velocities reach 0.20 m s−1, while the greatest north-northwesterly velocity is as high as 0.15 m s−1. The velocity and transport at the bottom are aligned along the slope of a local hill near the southwestern side of the gap. The distribution of velocity directions at the upper boundary of AABW is wider. The transport of AABW (Θ < 1.9 °C) based on the mooring and LADCP (Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data varies approximately within ±0.35 Sv in the northern and southern directions. The annual mean AABW transport through the Kane Gap is almost zero.