Researchers pinpoint fourth known source of bottom
water, a crucial oceanic heat-sink.
24 February 2013
MARTIN BIUW
By tracking the voyages of elephant seals off
Antarctica, and with the help of satellite imaging and undersea sensors,
researchers have discovered a long-elusive source for the deep-ocean streams of
cold water that help to regulate the Earth's climate.
Antarctic bottom water (AABW) is cold, highly
saline water that forms near the shores of Antarctica .
Being denser than typical seawater, it sinks to the depths and then moves north
in sluggish
currents that spread across the globe.
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