Undersea mountains, known as seamounts, have been identified as major contributors to ocean mixing at a global scale. These massive structures, which can reach heights of thousands of meters, create intense turbulence that influences the way our oceans store heat and carbon. Despite their significance, the process of seamount-induced mixing has been largely overlooked in current climate models used for policymaking. Dr. Ali Mashayek and his team from the University of Cambridge conducted a study to quantify the impact of underwater turbulence around seamounts on ocean circulation, shedding light on a critical mechanism that could enhance our understanding of climate change.
The ocean acts like a massive conveyor belt, with warm water from the tropics moving towards the poles, where it eventually cools and sinks into the deep abyss. This process brings with it stored carbon, heat, and nutrients, which are essential for marine ecosystems. However, the return flow of cold, heavy water to the surface is crucial to maintaining the balance of oceanic conditions. Seamounts play a key role in facilitating this circulation, as their turbulent wake vortices help pull deep water towards the surface, ensuring that the ocean continues to flow in a cyclical manner.
While tens of thousands of seamounts have been identified on the seabed, the actual number could be much higher due to limitations in mapping technology. The turbulence generated by these underwater mountains contributes significantly to ocean mixing, with estimates suggesting that seamounts are responsible for about a third of mixing on a global scale. In regions like the Pacific Ocean, where seamounts are more plentiful, this contribution can be even greater, reaching up to 40%. Given that the Pacific Ocean is a major repository of heat and carbon, understanding the role of seamount-induced mixing is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on oceanic conditions.
The idea that seamounts act as “stirring rods of the ocean” is not a new concept. In the 1960s, renowned oceanographer Walter Munk proposed the hypothesis that seamounts play a critical role in ocean circulation. Recent studies, including the work by Dr. Mashayek and his team, have confirmed the significance of seamounts in driving deep-sea turbulence and enhancing mixing processes. By incorporating the effects of seamount-induced turbulence into climate models, researchers hope to refine predictions about the ocean’s response to climate change and improve our understanding of carbon and heat storage dynamics.
As our knowledge of seamounts and their impact on ocean circulation grows, there is a need to integrate this information into climate models for more accurate forecasting. By capturing the complex interactions between seamounts, turbulence, and oceanic circulation, scientists can better predict how climate change will influence the ocean’s ability to store carbon and heat. Dr. Mashayek and his colleagues are paving the way towards a more comprehensive understanding of deep ocean dynamics, bringing us closer to unraveling the complexities of Earth’s interconnected systems.
Leave a Reply