The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges
One aspect of ocean flow over mid-ocean ridges that has escaped much attention is the capacity of a ridge to convert oscillatory flows into unidirectional flows. Those unidirectional flows take the form of relatively narrow jets hugging the ridge's flanks. In the Northern Hemisphere, the jets m...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Oceanography Society
2012-03-01
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| Series: | Oceanography |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://tos.org/oceanography/archive/25-1_lavelle.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818019951529689088 |
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| author | J. William Lavelle Andreas M. Thurnherr Lauren S. Mullineaux Dennis J. McGillicuddy Jr. James R. Ledwell |
| author_facet | J. William Lavelle Andreas M. Thurnherr Lauren S. Mullineaux Dennis J. McGillicuddy Jr. James R. Ledwell |
| author_sort | J. William Lavelle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | One aspect of ocean flow over mid-ocean ridges that has escaped much attention is the capacity of a ridge to convert oscillatory flows into unidirectional flows. Those unidirectional flows take the form of relatively narrow jets hugging the ridge's flanks. In the Northern Hemisphere, the jets move heat and dissolved and particulate matter poleward on the west and equatorward on the east of north-south trending ridges. Recent measurements and a model of flow at the East Pacific Rise at 9–10°N show that these ridge-parallel flows can extend 10–15 km horizontally away from the ridge axis, reach from the seafloor to several hundreds of meters above ridge crest depth, and have maximum speeds in their cores up to 10 cm s–1. Because of their along-ridge orientation and speed, the jets can significantly affect the transport of hydrothermal vent-associated larvae between vent oases along the ridge crest and, possibly, contribute to the mesoscale stirring of the abyssal ocean. Because jet-formation mechanisms involve oscillatory currents, ocean stratification, and topography, the jets are examples of "stratified topographic flow rectification." Ridge jets have parallels in rectified flows at seamounts and submarine banks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:58:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ad4b2e8ecd24934a2c789e3f2fdaaac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1042-8275 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:58:38Z |
| publishDate | 2012-03-01 |
| publisher | The Oceanography Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oceanography |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ad4b2e8ecd24934a2c789e3f2fdaaac2022-12-22T02:04:57ZengThe Oceanography SocietyOceanography1042-82752012-03-01251277283The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean RidgesJ. William LavelleAndreas M. ThurnherrLauren S. MullineauxDennis J. McGillicuddy Jr.James R. LedwellOne aspect of ocean flow over mid-ocean ridges that has escaped much attention is the capacity of a ridge to convert oscillatory flows into unidirectional flows. Those unidirectional flows take the form of relatively narrow jets hugging the ridge's flanks. In the Northern Hemisphere, the jets move heat and dissolved and particulate matter poleward on the west and equatorward on the east of north-south trending ridges. Recent measurements and a model of flow at the East Pacific Rise at 9–10°N show that these ridge-parallel flows can extend 10–15 km horizontally away from the ridge axis, reach from the seafloor to several hundreds of meters above ridge crest depth, and have maximum speeds in their cores up to 10 cm s–1. Because of their along-ridge orientation and speed, the jets can significantly affect the transport of hydrothermal vent-associated larvae between vent oases along the ridge crest and, possibly, contribute to the mesoscale stirring of the abyssal ocean. Because jet-formation mechanisms involve oscillatory currents, ocean stratification, and topography, the jets are examples of "stratified topographic flow rectification." Ridge jets have parallels in rectified flows at seamounts and submarine banks.http://tos.org/oceanography/archive/25-1_lavelle.pdfRidge 2000mid-ocean ridgesspreading centersflank jets |
| spellingShingle | J. William Lavelle Andreas M. Thurnherr Lauren S. Mullineaux Dennis J. McGillicuddy Jr. James R. Ledwell The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges Oceanography Ridge 2000 mid-ocean ridges spreading centers flank jets |
| title | The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges |
| title_full | The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges |
| title_fullStr | The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges |
| title_short | The Prediction, Verification, and Significance of Flank Jets at Mid-Ocean Ridges |
| title_sort | prediction verification and significance of flank jets at mid ocean ridges |
| topic | Ridge 2000 mid-ocean ridges spreading centers flank jets |
| url | http://tos.org/oceanography/archive/25-1_lavelle.pdf |
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