Bottom Temperatures in Drake Passage

Abstract

Long time series of bottom temperatures in the Southern Ocean are rare. The cDrake array with over 40 current- and pressure-recording inverted echo sounders, moored across Drake Passage to monitor the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) variability and transport, measured temperature at 1 and 50 m above the seafloor at depths ≥ 3500 m and at the southern continental margin. The 4-yr dataset provided an opportunity to examine the temporal and spatial scales of bottom temperature variability. High variability was observed; ranges were 0.5°–0.9°C in the northern passage and 0.3°–0.6°C in the southern passage. Standard deviations in the two regions were 0.1°–0.15°C and