Abstract
The Brazil and Malvinas (Falkland) currents are two major western boundary currents flowing in opposite directions along the western margin of the South Atlantic Ocean. The Malvinas Current carries subantarctic waters derived from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current northward along the western margin of the Argentine Basin. The Malvinas Current extends vertically from the sea surface to the ocean bottom. The Brazil Current carries subtropical waters southward and is restricted to the upper hundreds of meters. The region of collision of these intense flows is the so-called Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, one of the most energetic regions in the World Ocean. Satellite observations of ocean temperature, color and sea surface height reveal that the Confluence is a region of intense mixing of upper ocean subantarctic and subtropical waters. In-situ observations suggest that this mixing of distinct water masses extends to the deep ocean, where salty, high dissolved oxygen waters originated in the North Atlantic Ocean encounter relatively fresh and poorly oxygenated deep waters from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This article discusses the water mass properties and circulation along the western boundary of the South Atlantic, in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, and the neighboring ocean.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call