Whipped and mixed warm clouds in the deep sea

Abstract

Turbulence is indispensable to redistribute nutrients for all life forms larger than microbial, on land and in the ocean. Yet, the development of deep-sea turbulence was not studied in three dimensions to date. As a disproportionate laboratory, an array of nearly 3000 high-resolution temperature sensors had been installed for three years on the flat 2500-m deep bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The time series from the half-cubic hectometer mooring-array allows for the creation of unique movies of deep-sea water motions. Although temperature differences are typically 0.001degrC, variable convection-turbulence is observed as expected from geothermal heating through the flat seafloor. During about 40% of the time, an additional turbulence, 3 times stronger in magnitude, is observed from slantwise advected warmer waters to pass in turbulent clouds. Besides turbulent clouds and seafloor heating, movies also reveal weakly turbulent interfacial-wave breakdown that commonly occurs in the open ocean far away from boundaries.

27 pages, 5 figures