Propagation of Antarctic Bottom Water in the Discovery Gap (Northeast Atlantic) Based on Measurements from 2019

Abstract—The results of the analysis of the thermohaline water parameters of the bottom layer in the Discovery Gap (Azores-Gibraltar Fracture Zone, Northeast Atlantic) are presented. The data were obtained during cruise 43rd of the research vessel Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in October 2019. The collected data were supplemented with published hydrological data and a new digital elevation model of the Discovery Gap. The analysis of the potential temperature distribution in the bottom layer and new high-resolution bottom topography data enabled us to refine the pathways, the location of the upper boundary, and the temporal variability of properties of Antarctic Bottom Water in the study area. The presence of water with a potential temperature less than 2°C was detected within the Discovery Gap for the first time.