Deep Bottom Water Research Articles

Study on the Effect of Nitrogen Bubble Foam Flooding in Deep Heavy Oil Reservoirs with Edge And Bottom Water

Abstract The oil recovery rate is low, the degree of recovery is low and the water content rises fast after water flooding in deep edge and bottom water heavy oil reservoir in Lukeqin oilfield. In order to explore the method to improve the production effect, the integrated foam system of high temperature and high pressure resistant viscosity reduction and oil displacement is optimized. On the basis of clarifying the mechanism of improving the production effect of nitrogen foam flooding for deep heavy oil, taking the west area of Lukeqin oilfield as the research object, the parameter optimization design of nitrogen foam flooding for deep edge and bottom water heavy oil is carried out, such as injection section plug, gas-liquid ratio and injection-recovery ratio. The optimization results are as follows: the injected nitrogen foam slug is 0.2pv, the gas-liquid ratio is 1-1.2, and the injection production ratio is 1:1. The pilot test of 4 well groups was carried out on the site. After foam flooding, the injection pressure was increased by 5.2mpa, the daily oil production of the oil well was increased by 43T / D, the water cut was decreased by 45%, the accumulated oil production was increased by 32000 tons, and the oil recovery was expected to be increased by more than 10%. The purpose of improving the development efficiency of this type of oil reservoir was achieved. Using this optimization technology for scheme design and field implementation, the oil enhancement effect is remarkable and improves the benefit of deep thick oil development, which can provide technical support for the development of similar domestic reservoirs.

Geochemical and Isotopic (Nd, Sr) Tracing of the Origin of REE Enrichment in the Cambrian Georgina Basin Phosphorites

AbstractPhosphorites of the Georgina Basin (northern Australia) are an established economic source of phosphate and have recently been recognized to be a potential source of rare earth elements (REE). Previous bulk‐rock geochemistry work focused on the eastern margin of the basin revealed that phosphorites from the southern region have significantly higher (up to 0.5%) REE contents than equivalent prospects further to the north. In this study, we examine the origin of REE enrichment in the Georgina Basin phosphorites using an integrated geochemical, petrographic, mineralogical, and isotopic (Sm‐Nd and Sr) approach. The trace element geochemistry of primary phosphate minerals is consistent with a seawater origin for the REEs in phosphorites, with minimal input from the underlying basement rocks. Variations in total REE concentrations are controlled largely by the seawater composition, depositional environment, and the texture of the phosphorite (grainstone vs. mudstone phosphorite). Grainstone phosphorite yields on average higher concentrations of REEs compared to the mudstone phosphorite, likely due to the higher surface‐to‐mass ratio of the grainstone phosphorite resulting in the uptake of higher concentrations of REEs during coastal reworking. The formation of the low‐REE northern and central deposits took place during early transgression in oxidized, shallow supratidal to subtidal platformal environments. During the subsequent main transgressive event, fault‐controlled topography in the southern domain allowed phosphogenesis along basement highs to be facilitated along a redox boundary, where more saline and REE‐rich deep anoxic bottom waters, along with Fe‐cycling and bacterial mediation played a major role in the enrichment of REEs in the southern phosphorites.

Pulsed inputs of high molecular weight organic matter shift the mechanisms of substrate utilisation in marine bacterial communities.

Heterotrophic bacteria hydrolyze high molecular weight (HMW) organic matter extracellularly prior to uptake, resulting in diffusive loss of hydrolysis products. An alternative 'selfish' uptake mechanism that minimises this loss has recently been found to be common in the ocean. We investigated how HMW organic matter addition affects these two processing mechanisms in surface and bottom waters at three stations in the North Atlantic Ocean. A pulse of HMW organic matter increased cell numbers, as well as the rate and spectrum of extracellular enzymatic activities at both depths. The effects on selfish uptake were more differentiated: in Gulf Stream surface waters and productive surface waters south of Newfoundland, selfish uptake of structurally simple polysaccharides increased upon HMW organic matter addition. The number of selfish bacteria taking up structurally complex polysaccharides, however, was largely unchanged. In contrast, in the oligotrophic North Atlantic gyre, despite high external hydrolysis rates, the number of selfish bacteria was unchanged, irrespective of polysaccharide structure. In deep bottom waters (> 4000 m), structurally complex substrates were processed only by selfish bacteria. Mechanisms of substrate processing-and the extent to which hydrolysis products are released to the external environment-depend on substrate structural complexity and the resident bacterial community.

Reduced Deep Convection and Bottom Water Formation Due To Antarctic Meltwater in a Multi‐Model Ensemble

AbstractThe additional water from the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves due to climate‐induced melt can impact ocean circulation and global climate. However, the major processes driving melt are not adequately represented in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) models. Here, we analyze a novel multi‐model ensemble of CMIP6 models with consistent meltwater addition to examine the robustness of the modeled response to meltwater, which has not been possible in previous single‐model studies. Antarctic meltwater addition induces a substantial weakening of open‐ocean deep convection. Additionally, Antarctic Bottom Water warms, its volume contracts, and the sea surface cools. However, the magnitude of the reduction varies greatly across models, with differing anomalies correlated with their respective mean‐state climatology, indicating the state‐dependency of the climate response to meltwater. A better representation of the Southern Ocean mean state is necessary for narrowing the inter‐model spread of response to Antarctic meltwater.

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic evidence that Kamaʻehuakanaloa (Lōʻihi) Seamount hydrothermal systems are recharged by deep Pacific seawater

We observed negative and positive δ18O and δ2H deviations from fluids collected at Kamaʻehuakanaloa (previously known as Lōʻihi) seamount relative to Pacific seawater from the same depth. Hydrothermal vents on the crater floor of Pele's Pit at Kamaʻehuakanaloa, at a depth of 1320 m, had δ18O and δ2H values as low as −0.19‰ and −0.3‰, respectively. Seawater collected within the caldera, within a zone 45 m above the crater floor, had δ18O and δ2H values as high as 1.15‰ and 6.5‰, respectively. In comparison, Pacific seawater at 1200 m and 1400 m at nearby station ALOHA exhibit intermediate δ18O and δ2H values of 0.2‰ and 0.34‰. The high δ18O and δ2H values observed in the caldera water-column may be explained by isotopic modification processes, including water-rock reactions. However, we did not observe a vent source with similar isotopic composition; this suggests that substantial hydrothermal flow is entering the caldera through unidentified sources, potentially individually small but collectively important. Further, the low δ18O and δ2H values of the crater floor vents cannot be readily explained by isotopic modification processes alone. We conclude the crater floor vents predominantly reflect the isotopic composition of the Pacific seawater entrained into the hydrothermal system. Our observations suggest recharging seawater is entrained from below >4500 m, in the zone of Pacific Bottom Water. These findings illustrate the heterogeneity of hydrothermal transport processes at a volcanic seamount and how seamount hydrothermal convection can provide a mechanism that may contribute to vertical ocean mixing by transporting deep bottom waters to intermediate ocean depths.

Ventilation of the northern Baltic Sea

Abstract. The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed, brackish water sea in northern Europe. The deep basins of the central Baltic Sea regularly show hypoxic conditions. In contrast, the northern parts of the Baltic Sea, the Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay, are well oxygenated. Lateral inflows or a ventilation due to convection are possible mechanisms for high oxygen concentrations in the deep water of the northern Baltic Sea. In March 2017, conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profiles and bottle samples, ice core samples, and brine were collected in the Bothnian Bay. In addition to hydrographic standard parameters, light absorption has been measured in all samples. A complementary numerical model simulation provides quantitative estimates of the spread of newly formed bottom water. The model uses passive and age tracers to identify and trace different water masses. Observations indicate a recent ventilation of the deep bottom water at one of the observed stations. The analysis of observations and model simulations shows that the Bothnian Bay is ventilated by dense water formed due to mixing of Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay surface water initializing lateral inflows. The observations show the beginning of the inflow and the model simulation demonstrates the further northward spreading of bottom water. These events occur during wintertime when the water temperature is low. Brine rejected during ice formation barely contributes to dense bottom water.

Laboratory experiment and field application of high pressure and high quality steam flooding

Steam flooding is an effective way to improve oil recovery after steam huff and puff for heavy oil reservoirs. The typical screening criteria for steam flooding requires reservoir pressure to be less than 5 MPa, the steam quality of conventional steam flooding in bottom hole is about 30%, heavy oil reservoir in Shengli Oilfield with character of deep burial depth, active edge and bottom water and high formation pressure (7–8 MPa), the increase of oil recovery using conventional steam flooding is not obvious, Therefore, the formation and development of steam chamber during steam flooding are studied by indoor physical simulation experiments, the feasibility of high-quality steam flooding under high pressure is analyzed. The experimental results show that the quality of steam injection has obvious influence on the expansion of steam chamber. As the steam quality increases under high pressure, the specific volume of underground steam increases, the formation time of steam chamber is shortened, the expansion distance of steam chamber increases, the effective steam flooding time is prolonged, and recovery rate improves obviously. Field tests of high-quality steam flooding under high pressure were carried out in Gudao Zhongerbei heavy oil reservoir of Shengli Oilfield, the result shows that the bottom-hole steam quality of steam injection wells is 50% and above (20% higher than conventional steam flooding), the steam chamber was effectively expanded and the performance of producing rate for production wells improves obviously. The recovery rate of the test area reached 52.1%, which was 16.8% higher than that of steam huff and puff. High-quality steam flooding technology was an effective way to improve the recovery rate of high-pressure heavy oil reservoirs.

Deep-Water Circulation in the Hunter Channel (Southwest Atlantic) in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Based on Benthic Foraminifera

Was reconstructed deep-sea water circulation near the Hunter Channel (Rio Grande Rise – South-West Atlantic) in a late Pleistocene and Holocene (MIS 4-MIS 1) by benthonic foraminifera. Was studied three cores of bottom sediment. Now moves the upper North Atlantic deep water (NADW) through the Hunter Channel from the North to the South. The lower NADW in the same direction came in MIS 2 and in MIS 4. There was the lower Circumpolar deep water (CPDW), NADW and Antarctic bottom water (AnBW) in MIS 3 periodically. CPDW prevail in a near bottom layer and in Holocene and in the late Pleistocene before the Hunter Channel sidewise the Argentine Basin. So in the Hunter Channel and on the way to it from south side for all studied period AnBW was almost not. Dissolution of carbonates during the Holocene happens in the deepest east part of the Hunter Channel. In Ice Ages processes of dissolution amplified and affected east part of the channel. Dissolution happen and happened not at the expense of AnBW, and at the expense of NADW which becomes there aggressive in relation to a calcium carbonate.

Impact of the Major Baltic Inflow in 2014 on Manganese Cycling in the Gotland Deep (Baltic Sea)

The deep basins of the Baltic Sea, including the Gotland and Landsort Deeps, are well known for the exceptional occurrence of sedimentary Mn carbonate. Although the details of the mechanisms of Mn carbonate formation are still under debate, a close relationship with episodic major Baltic inflows (MBIs) is generally assumed, at least for the Gotland Basin. However, the few studies on Mn cycling during MBIs suffer from a limited temporal resolution. Here we report on Mn dynamics in the water column and sediments of the Gotland Deep following an MBI that entered the Baltic Sea in December 2014. Water column profiles of dissolved Mn were obtained at a monthly to bi-monthly resolution between February 2015 and March 2017 and revealed an impact of the MBI on the Gotland Deep bottom waters beginning in March 2015. Water column profiles and budget estimates provided evidence for remarkable losses of dissolved Mn associated with the enhanced deposition of Mn oxide particles, as documented in sediment trap samples and surface sediments. In July 2015, subsequent to the nearly full oxygenation of the water column, clear signals of the re-establishment of bottom water anoxia appeared, interrupted by a second inflow pulse around February 2016. However, dissolved Mn concentrations of up to 40 µM in the bottom waters in June 2016 again indicated a pronounced reduction of Mn oxide and the escape of dissolved Mn back into the open water column. The absence of substantial amounts of Mn carbonate in the surface sediments at the end of the observation period suggested that the duration of bottom water oxygenation plays an important role in the formation of this mineral. Data from both an instrumental time series and a dated sediment core from the Gotland Deep supported this conclusion. Enhanced Mn carbonate formation occurred especially between the 1960s and mid-1970s, when several MBIs caused a long-lasting oxygenation of the water column. By contrast, Mn carbonate layers were much less pronounced or even missing after single MBIs in 1993, 2003, and 2014, each of which provided a comparatively short-term supply of O2 to the deeper water column.

Vertical Correlation of the Acoustic Field in Deep Water Measured with Explosive Sources

In this paper we report the measurement and analysis on vertical correlations of acoustic signals received by a vertical line array deployed near the sea bottom in deep water. The source data were from one calibration experiment of sound exposure level of explosive charges. The source–receiver range is about 17 km. The sound transmission duct is the well-known reliable acoustic path (RAP). The vertical correlation coefficients are estimated at center frequencies of 300, 600, 1000 and 1500 Hz with 1/3 octave bands. Two types of explosive charges are used with nominal source depths of 50 and 300 m, respectively. The variation of vertical correlation coefficients strongly relies on source depth and center frequency. For each scene, ten groups of experiment data exhibit uniform variation of vertical correlation coefficients with fractional differences due to the fluctuation of ocean waveguide. Besides, the noise-free numerical modeling results reach good agreements with the measured ones, which reflect the stability of RAP as a sound transmission duct in the space/frequency domain. Due to the obvious arrival structures of rays, the theoretical solution of vertical correlation coefficient is derived based on the ray theory. At last, the effects of source–receiver geometry on the variability of vertical correlation are discussed.

Compositions of foraminifera-rich turbidite sediments from the Shenhu area on the northern slope of the South China Sea: Implication for the presence of deep water bottom currents

The sediments in gravity core DH-1, collected from Shenhu area on the northern slope of the South China Sea, are composed of two dark grey clay silt layers (A1 and A3) and two foraminifera-rich layers (A2 and A4) (A1 is the top layer and A4 is the bottom layer). Major and trace metal contents, along with grain size and mineralogic data suggest that these silt layers represent background hemipelagic sedimentation. Unlike silt layers, the intervening foraminifera-rich layerA4 exhibits a fining-upward trend, is distal turbidite. Grain size CM diagram and the sharp contacts between the foraminifera-rich layer A2 and the upper and lower layers suggest layer A2 is the result of depositional interaction between turbidite and bottom currents. AMS 14C dating of planktonic foraminifera indicate the age of the turbidite in A2 is between15.3ka and 22.6ka. We hypothesize that turbidite formation in this period was related to the increase supply of terrigenous matter since the LastGlacialMaximum. The rapid deposition of each turbidite led to reduced rates of oxygen diffusion into the sediment, allowing anoxic conditions develop in sediments and fostering U enrichment (>3.1μg/g) in foraminifera-rich layer A4b. In contrast, decrease concentration of U and U/Mo ratios in foraminifera-rich layerA2, which is possibly due to U remobilization as a consequence of downward penetration of the oxidation front from the oxygen rich bottom currents. These new data suggest that authigenic U was quite sensitive to the inflow of bottom currents, and U/Mo ratios may indicate the depositional environmental change in relation to the bottom current action on the turbidite.

Political-geographical problems of delimitation of Russia’s North and Arctic

This paper is concerned with the political-geographical issues related to determination of the composition and boundaries of the Russian regions in the North and Arctic. It is pointed out that a generally accepted identification technique for the southern boundary of the North is lacking as well as a basic federal law of its regionalization (zoning). It is concluded that the delimitation of the Russian North is the country’s most challenging social, economic and political problem, because it affects the interests of tens of millions of Russian citizens, and not only those living in the Extreme North and in equated localities, but also four times as many people living in adjacent areas, who also receive a cash bonus and northern living allowance. This research unveils the question of unsettledness as to the demarcation of the water area of the Arctic Ocean that arose after the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea became effective in 1982, because its main provisions differ drastically from the historically established division of the Arctic into five polar sectors under the jurisdiction of Russia, Canada, USA, Denmark and Norway. An assessment is made of the following negative consequences of Russia’s retreat from the sectoral principle of division of the Arctic: an actual loss of the national treatment in its own sector, voluntary abandonment of its sovereign rights to a part of the water area and deep-water bottom in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and a likely transformation of the national water transport communications, the Northern Sea Route, to an international route, with its removal from the jurisdiction of Russia. The possibility that Russia retains its maritime arctic spaces within the boundaries of the entire polar sector is substantiated.

Damping of waves propagating over a muddy bottom in deep water: Experiment and theory

Surprisingly, deep water waves in the ocean propagating over mud bottoms can attenuate if wave groups are formed. This is shown in wave tank experiments, where two superimposed short waves with slightly different frequencies were generated to create the wave groups. Associated with the wave groups are long bound second order waves, which can exert wave pressure on the mud bottom, dissipating energy. Attenuation coefficients were measured by using Prony's method for each wave component as a function of distance down the tank. We develop an analytic expression for the nonlinear interaction between the two waves in deep water propagating at arbitrary angles by using Stokes' theory to second order. Finally, we show that the attenuation can be explained by the rate of work at bottom done by the long bound wave using the visco-elastic model MacPherson (1980). The results show that the dissipation depends on the incident wave periods, the bottom pressure and the vertical velocity of the long bound wave at the bottom.

Regeneration dynamics of iron and nutrients from bay sediment into bottom water of Funka Bay, Japan

We studied iron remobilization and nutrient regeneration in bottom water of Funka Bay, Japan, bimonthly from August 2010 to December 2011. The bay basin (bottom depth, 92–96 m) is separated from the northwest Pacific Ocean at its mouth by a sill with a depth of 60 m. After a spring phytoplankton bloom during early March–early April, nutrients in bay bottom water tended to accumulate with time until August–September, and to increase gradually with depth during April–October, by the oxidative decomposition of settling particulate organic matter on the bay bottom. In contrast, the process of iron remobilization into bottom water of the bay is remarkably different from nutrient regeneration. The much higher concentrations of dissolved and total dissolvable iron near the bottom and the seasonally variable relationship between dissolved iron concentration and apparent oxygen utilization in bay bottom water likely reflect a balance between dissolved iron input and removal processes within the bay bottom water. The release of soluble Fe(II) from reducing bay sediments might induce the high concentrations of dissolved and total dissolvable iron in deep–bottom waters of Funka Bay and might be one of the most important sources of iron in Funka Bay. The upward transport of iron from the bay bottom to the surface water during the winter vertical mixing may play an important role in the supply of bioavailable iron for phytoplankton growth in the coastal waters.

In situ observations on behaviour of the ommastrephid squid genus Illex (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the northwestern Atlantic

We compiled observations of ommastrephid squid of the genus Illex, primarily Illex illecebrosus from archived submarine video footage recorded during dives off Cape Hatteras and New England, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Based on the behaviour observed, we derived a partial in situ ethogram, or catalogue of the body patterns and behaviour. In total, 36 components were observed: 16 chromatic components (5 light and 11 dark), 10 postural components and 10 locomotor components. Co-occurrence analyses were used to show that specific sets of components occurred together either more or less often than they would if chosen at random. In addition, some of the components were observed occurring during specific behaviours, such as bottom sitting, hunting, or schooling. Such observations by submersibles also provide very precise, although incomplete, records of depth distribution. We summarize the depths and altitudes above bottom of these observations by time of day. Most of the squid were observed near bottom at depths of about 200–900 m. The deepest depths observed were during daytime and the shallowest during the evening. However, individuals were observed as much as 1000 m above the bottom during daytime whereas others were on or near the bottom in deep water during the evening.

Reconstruction of Pacific Ocean bottom water salinity during the Last Glacial Maximum

AbstractKnowledge of salinity in the deep ocean is important for understanding past ocean circulation and climate. Based on sedimentary pore fluid chloride measurements of a single Pacific site, Adkins et al. () suggested that, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the Pacific deep bottom water was saltier than expected based on lower sea level alone. Here we present high‐resolution salinity profiles from five sites in the South, Equatorial, and North Pacific Ocean. Our study greatly constrains understanding of LGM salinity in the Pacific Ocean. Our results show that LGM chloride concentrations of deep Pacific bottom water were 4.09 ± 0.4% greater than today's values. Pacific Ocean bottom water salinity was also indistinguishable from being homogeneous across the wide range of latitudes studied here. These LGM salinity reconstructions are on average slightly higher (~1.4 to 1% higher) than expected from sea level of the time, which is generally inferred to have been ~120 to ~135 m lower than today.

Revision of the subgenus Parapterygotrigla (Pisces: Triglidae: Pterygotrigla).

The subgenus Parapterygotrigla of the triglid genus Pterygotrigla is revised with a description of a new species. The subgenus comprises P. hoplites, P. jacad sp. nov., P. megalops, P. macrorhynchus, P. multiocellata, and P. robertsi. Two juvenile forms considered to be incertae sedis Dixiphichthys ferculum Whitley, and two larval triglids, are discussed together with Trigla brandesii (Bleeker). Members of the subgenus Parapterygotrigla are distributed in tropical waters of the western Pacific and Indian oceans. All species possess a nasal spine, have long and strong nuchal and cleithral spines and short opercular spines. A new species, P. jacad, found in the western Indian Ocean, has an unusually large eye. All members of the subgenus are rare in collections as they live on the bottom in deep water (>200 m) over rough terrain and are rarely taken by trawlers.

A new model for the Kellwasser Anoxia Events (Late Devonian): Shallow water anoxia in an open oceanic setting in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

The Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction event devastated tropical marine ecosystems and ranks in the top six in taxonomic and ecological severity. The close stratigraphic association between the extinction and the Kellwasser Anoxia Events support a link between oceanographic anoxia and extinction. The Upper and Lower Kellwasser horizons have been identified in epicontinental and basinal settings in Laurussia, Gondwana, Siberia, and South China. The Hongguleleng Formation (Late Devonian) in northwestern Xinjiang, China, contains both the Frasnian–Famennian boundary and the rebound from the Frasnian–Famennian extinction event in a highly fossiliferous shallow marine setting associated with a Devonian oceanic island arc complex (part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, or CAOB). Here we show that the Hongguleleng Formation also records the Upper Kellwasser Anoxia Event through analysis of multiple geochemical proxies. In contrast to previous studies asserting that the Kellwasser Events were restricted to epicontinental seaways and basins, our results indicate that it occurred not only along the shallow continental margins of the closing Rheic Ocean, but also in shallow water in the open oceanic part of Paleotethys. Previous explanations for the Kellwasser Events from epicontinental margins and basins call for the migration of deep anoxic bottom water into shallow water environments as a kill mechanism for shallow marine ecosystems or attribute it to sea level rise and subsequent stagnation. There is no evidence that the Devonian oceans completely overturned during the Kellwasser Events; similarly, many transgressive events in the Devonian are not associated with black shales. We therefore suggest an alternative mechanism for the Kellwasser Events based on new evidence from the CAOB, where anoxia is driven by episodic eutrophication of surface waters.

Decapod crustacean larval communities in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean): Seasonal composition, horizontal and vertical distribution patterns

Decapod crustaceans are the main target species of deep water bottom trawl fisheries in the Balearic Sea but little is known about their larval stages. This work focuses on the species composition of the decapod larval community, describing the main spatio-temporal assemblages and assessing their vertical distribution. Mesozooplankton sampling was carried out using depth-stratified sampling devices at two stations located over the shelf break and the mid slope, in the north-western and southern Mallorca in late autumn 2009 and summer 2010. Differences among decapod larvae communities, in terms of composition, adult's habitat such as pelagic or benthic, and distribution patterns were observed between seasons, areas and station. Results showed that for both seasons most species and developmental stages aggregated within the upper water column (above 75m depth) and showed higher biodiversity in summer compared to late autumn. Most abundant species were pelagic prawns (e.g., Sergestidae) occurring in both seasons and areas. The larval assemblages' distributions were different between seasonal hydrographic scenarios and during situations of stratified and non-stratified water column. The vertical distribution patterns of different larval developmental stages in respect to the adult's habitat were analyzed in relation to environmental variables. Fluorescence had the highest explanatory power. Four clearly different vertical patterns were identified: two corresponding to late autumn, which were common for all the main larval groups and other two in summer, one corresponding to larvae of coastal benthic and the second to pelagic species larvae.

Influence of the hydrodynamic conditions on the accessibility of Aristeus antennatus and other demersal species to the deep water trawl fishery off the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean)

Monthly catches per unit of effort (CPUE) of adult red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus), reported in the deep water bottom trawl fishery developed on the Sóller fishing ground off northern Mallorca (Western Mediterranean), and the mean ocean surface vorticity in the surrounding areas are compared between 2000 and 2010. A good correlation is found between the rises in the surrounding surface vorticity and the drops in the CPUE of the adult red shrimp. This correlation could be explained by assuming that most of the surface vorticity episodes could reach the bottom, increasing the seabed velocities and producing sediment resuspension, which could affect the near bottom water turbidity. A. antennatus would respond to this increased turbidity disappearing from the fishing grounds, probably moving downwards to the deeper waters. This massive displacement of red shrimp specimens away from the fishing grounds would consequently decrease their accessibility to fishing exploitation. Similar although more intense responses have been observed during the downslope shelf dense water current episodes that occurred in a submarine canyon, northeast of the Iberian peninsula. The proposed mechanism suggesting how the surface vorticity observed can affect the bottom sediments is investigated using a year-long moored near-bottom current meter and a sediment trap moored near the fishing grounds.The relationship between vorticity and catches is also explored for fish species (Galeus melastomus, Micromesistius poutassou, Phycis blennoides) and other crustacean (Geryon longipes and Nephrops norvegicus), considered as by-catch of the deep water fishery in the area. Results appear to support the suggestion that the water turbidity generated by the vorticity episodes is significant enough to affect the dynamics of the demersal species.