Regional oceanographic setting of the southwestern Atlantic.

Abstract

During DSDP Leg 72, the pelagic sediments draping the Rise and those in the deeper Vema Channel and Brazil Basin were the focus of several drilling objectives, including: 1) determine the time of onset of Antarctic Bottom Water flow through the Vema Channel; 2) establish the time of the initial production of a northern source of bottom water; 3) examine the effects of major episodes of ice growth in polar regions upon the production and strength of deep thermohaline currents; 4) investigate the effects of major tectonic reconfigurations upon the thermohaline circulation; and 5) analyze cores obtained by the hydraulic piston corer to obtain time-series observations of geologic 'fingerprints' of paleocirculation, and, by use of these records, achieve a better understanding of the teleconnective linkages between the major water masses. -Author