Topic
Abyssal zone
About: Abyssal zone is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1613 publications have been published within this topic receiving 58188 citations. The topic is also known as: abyssopelagic.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
TL;DR: Using the Levitus climatology, the authors showed that 2.1 TW (terawatts) is required to maintain the global abyssal density distribution against 30 Sverdrups of deep water formation.
1,958 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors re-examine the data and conclude that the temperature of the abyssal ocean has been an actively varying component of the climate system, and that there has been a discrepancy between the ice volume record that these records imply and that derived from the altitude of dated coral terraces around the world.
Abstract: From the time that detailed oxygen isotope records derived from foraminifera living in the constant-temperature environment of the abyssal ocean became available, there has been a discrepancy between the ice volume record that these records imply, and that derived from the altitude of dated coral terraces around the world. Here, we re-examine the data and conclude that the temperature of the abyssal ocean has been an actively varying component of the climate system.
1,621 citations
TL;DR: Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise, which implies that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.
Abstract: Ocean microstructure data show that turbulent mixing in the deep Brazil Basin of the South Atlantic Ocean is weak at all depths above smooth abyssal plains and the South American Continental Rise. The diapycnal diffusivity there was estimated to be less than or approximately equal to 0.1 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. In contrast, mixing rates are large throughout the water column above the rough Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the diffusivity deduced for the bottom-most 150 meters exceeds 5 x 10(-4) meters squared per second. Such patterns in vertical mixing imply that abyssal circulations have complex spatial structures that are linked to the underlying bathymetry.
1,038 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the foraminiferal oxygen index derived from bathyal and abyssal Holocene faunas correlates well with the dissolved-oxygen levels in overlying waters.
Abstract: Changes in oxygen concentrations at the sediment-water interface play a major role in controlling benthic foraminiferal assemblages and morphologic characteristics; such changes are reflected in size, wall thickness, porosity, and also taxa (genera and species) of foraminifera present. These morphologic and taxonomic differences have been quantified as a dissolved-oxygen index. This paper demonstrates that the foraminiferal oxygen index derived from bathyal and abyssal Holocene faunas correlates well with the dissolved-oxygen levels in overlying waters. This index is then used for paleoenvironmental interpretations.
653 citations
Journal Article•
600 citations