The spatial extent of the Deep Western Boundary Current into the Bounty Trough: New evidence from Parasound Sub-Bottom Profiling
Deep currents such as the Pacific Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) are strengthened periodically in Milankovitch cycles. We studied periodic fluctuations in seismic reflection pattern and reflection amplitude in order to detect cycles in the sedimentary layers of Bounty Trough and Bounty Fan, east of New Zealand. There, the occurrence of the obliquity frequency is caused only by the DWBC. Therefore, it provides direct evidence for the spatial extent of the DWBC. We can confirm the extent of the DWBC west of the Outer Sill, previously only inferred by erosional features at the Outer Sill. Further, our data allow an estimation of the extent of the DWBC into the Bounty Trough, limiting the DWBC presence to east of 178.15°E. Using the presented method a larger dataset will allow a chronological and areal mapping of sedimentation processes and hence provide information on glacial/interglacial cycles.