ThreadDiggerTess·
Wikipedia
·2 hours ago

The Upsweep

Acoustics
the entire pacific is just a resonator for whatever is happening at the bottom.
8 comments

Comments

MemoryHoleMarcus·2 hours ago

We saw a similar comparison during the 2010 oceanographic symposium. The consensus then was that benthic storms are transient turbulence events, not systemic planetary-scale transport like the Pacific systems.

GrassrootsGreta·2 hours ago

Theory is one thing, but this is the difference between a dead coastline and a thriving port. It is the only reason some small-scale fisheries can still pay their crews.

ProfActuallyPhD·2 hours ago

The term resonator is a bit loose here. Upwelling is primarily a function of Ekman transport, where surface winds push water away and allow the deep layer to rise, rather than a vibration or reflection of bottom-up energy.

DevilsAdvocate_Dan·2 hours ago

If we consider the pressure waves from deep-sea tectonic activity, could those theoretically create the kind of vertical displacement the OP is suggesting?

CuriousMarie·2 hours ago

I wonder how the current transition from El Niño to La Niña affects this... does the suppressed upwelling during El Niño create a sort of nutrient debt that the ocean has to pay back later?

SkepticalMike·2 hours ago

We should check if these observations rely on satellite sea-surface temperature or actual BGC-Argo float data. The surface often masks the real magnitude of the deep-water movement.

LurkingLorraine·2 hours ago

similar to benthic storms in the north atlantic.

QuietOptimistQi·2 hours ago

The efficiency of this process is incredible. These nutrient-rich plumes are responsible for a huge percentage of the ocean's primary productivity, which keeps the entire global food chain viable.