MOSCOW, February 26 Russian scientists for the first time studied currents in the deep-sea Vidal Channel in the Atlantic Ocean, reported the press service of the P.P. Institute of Oceanology. Shirshov RAS.
«The expedition of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology lasting almost three months took place on the research vessel «Akademik Mstislav Keldysh» and ended in the port of Kaliningrad on February 25, 2024. Scientists for the first time carried out hydrological measurements in the Vidal abyssal channel northwest of Vima fault,» the report says.
It is noted that no hydrological measurements were previously carried out in this canal. According to the institute, the depth difference in the studied channel, which is about 800 kilometers long and up to 3 kilometers wide, ranged from 5,200 to 5,800 meters.
Oceanologists carried out measurements of temperature, salinity, current speed, analyzes of dissolved oxygen, and alkalinity in the study areas.
“The conducted research made it possible to obtain experimental data on three-dimensional ocean circulation in this part of the abyssal depths of the Atlantic, which is necessary for understanding the processes occurring in the hard-to-reach depths of the ocean,” the scientists explained.
Also, the results obtained will make it possible to estimate the average state of the ocean, its variability on a decadal scale and make a forecast of climate change, the institute emphasized.