The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above
Abstract The ocean’s circulation redistributes heat, salt, biota, dissolved gases, microplastics, and sediments on Earth. The abyssal ocean, in the lowest 1000 m above the seafloor, moves on average with the deeper seafloor to its left in the Northern Hemisphere and to its right in the Southern Hemi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61027-2 |
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| author | René Schubert Jonathan Gula Esther Capó Pierre Damien M. Jeroen Molemaker Clément Vic James C. McWilliams |
| author_facet | René Schubert Jonathan Gula Esther Capó Pierre Damien M. Jeroen Molemaker Clément Vic James C. McWilliams |
| author_sort | René Schubert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The ocean’s circulation redistributes heat, salt, biota, dissolved gases, microplastics, and sediments on Earth. The abyssal ocean, in the lowest 1000 m above the seafloor, moves on average with the deeper seafloor to its left in the Northern Hemisphere and to its right in the Southern Hemisphere. This finding has received little attention and its consequences for the abyssal vertical circulation have remained largely unexplored. Here, we show, using current-meter measurements and numerical simulations, that the interior flow, $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (100 m) - $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (1000 m) above the seafloor, is deflected within the bottom boundary layer, the lowest $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (10 m), into a widespread downhill flow. This flow intensifies with the steepness of the seafloor. We further reveal that typical local changes in seafloor steepness lead to a shallow divergence and a deep convergence of this downhill flow. These are connected by an overlying upward recirculation forming closed overturning cells that extend on average over the lowest 1000 m of the ocean. Our study improves the understanding of the oceanic abyssal circulation and the climate-relevant overturning. Future research should focus on quantifying the transports of heat, particles, and dissolved chemicals associated with these abyssal slope overturning cells. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-59cd4f24cd0a47258847ff177f571360 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-59cd4f24cd0a47258847ff177f5713602025-08-20T03:45:35ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111410.1038/s41467-025-61027-2The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward aboveRené Schubert0Jonathan Gula1Esther Capó2Pierre Damien3M. Jeroen Molemaker4Clément Vic5James C. McWilliams6Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEMUniv Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEMUCLAUCLAUCLAUniv Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEMUCLAAbstract The ocean’s circulation redistributes heat, salt, biota, dissolved gases, microplastics, and sediments on Earth. The abyssal ocean, in the lowest 1000 m above the seafloor, moves on average with the deeper seafloor to its left in the Northern Hemisphere and to its right in the Southern Hemisphere. This finding has received little attention and its consequences for the abyssal vertical circulation have remained largely unexplored. Here, we show, using current-meter measurements and numerical simulations, that the interior flow, $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (100 m) - $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (1000 m) above the seafloor, is deflected within the bottom boundary layer, the lowest $${{{\mathcal{O}}}}$$ O (10 m), into a widespread downhill flow. This flow intensifies with the steepness of the seafloor. We further reveal that typical local changes in seafloor steepness lead to a shallow divergence and a deep convergence of this downhill flow. These are connected by an overlying upward recirculation forming closed overturning cells that extend on average over the lowest 1000 m of the ocean. Our study improves the understanding of the oceanic abyssal circulation and the climate-relevant overturning. Future research should focus on quantifying the transports of heat, particles, and dissolved chemicals associated with these abyssal slope overturning cells.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61027-2 |
| spellingShingle | René Schubert Jonathan Gula Esther Capó Pierre Damien M. Jeroen Molemaker Clément Vic James C. McWilliams The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above Nature Communications |
| title | The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| title_full | The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| title_fullStr | The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| title_short | The ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| title_sort | ocean flows downhill near the seafloor and recirculates upward above |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61027-2 |
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