Аннотация:The main results of this work are as follows.
1. A steady northward bottom water flow is observed in the southern part of the
Vema Channel north of 33° S. According to our measurements, the velocities
were 10–15 cm/s at the beginning of the channel (32° 17′ S) and 25–30 cm/s in
its middle part (31° 12′ S). The increase in the bottom temperature along the
channel was of the order of 0.01°/100 km. The core of cold waters is displaced
to the east at any section across the channel; the difference between the bottom
temperatures near the eastern and western walls of the channel was 0.02 °C.
2. Numerical modeling revealed two branches of the current in the middle part of
the channel. The major jet was located in the deepest part of the channel; the
additional jet was found at depths of 4300–4400 on the southeastern slope. The
lengths of the jets were 200 km and the maximum distance between them was
50 km. After the outflow from the Vema Channel, the bottom current turns to
the north and propagates along the western boundary of the Brazil Basin.
3. A strong unsteady current was found in the southwestern part of the Santos
Plateau. The bottom velocities here vary from 30 cm/s to the south up to 20 cm/s
to the north. According to our CTD-measurements, the corresponding difference
in the bottom temperatures was 0.31 °C. At 32°–32° 30′ S, the current turns to
the east and propagates along the northern slope of the Argentine Basin.