Chinese scientists found giant ‘chimneys’ in deep water that could alter submarine warfare
Chinese researchers have mapped how energy from surface wind surges thousands of metres into the seabed, revealing massive underwater conduits they called “inertial chimneys”. The discovery, based on data collected by a US-funded ocean sensor array off the east coast of Japan, coupled with future long-term underwater monitoring, can provide underwater acoustic environmental support for marine…
Chinese scientists have identified massive, deep-sea "inertial chimneys" that could revolutionize submarine warfare by allowing energy from surface winds to travel thousands of meters into the ocean floor. The discovery, based on data from a US-funded ocean sensor array off the coast of Japan, could improve underwater acoustic environmental support for marine detection and communication.
The research, published in Deep Sea Research Part I, reveals that these chimneys are formed when massive, horizontally-oscillating waves created by surface winds descend into deep water, forming a funnel that directs energy downward. The study analyzed two years of data from 46 monitoring stations spread across a 600km by 600km area in the Kuroshio Extension region, revealing that 68% of the bottom near-inertial wave energy is transmitted downward, while 32% originates from local near-bottom currents.
The finding challenges the notion that the deep sea is a stagnant body of water, emphasizing the need for long-term, continuous, full-depth in situ observations to forecast underwater sound propagation and support submarine activities.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
