Abyssal Ocean Reveals Active Bottom Mixing

Researchers published in the journal Ocean Science report that the abyssal Pacific’s bottom mixed layer is highly variable, based on new trans-Pacific surface-to-seafloor measurements and two decades of repeat data. They found layer thicknesses ranging from under 100m to over 700m, driven by seafloor topography and tidal-wave interactions, with implications for climate models, sediment transport and high-seas management.