Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC)

The Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is the equatorward flow of North Atlantic Deep Water along the western margin of the Atlantic, carrying cold, dense water formed by convection in the Labrador and Nordic Seas toward the Southern Hemisphere. It forms the lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and is steered against the western boundary by the beta effect through Stommel-Arons theory. Transport runs on the order of 10 to 30 Sverdrups depending on latitude. The DWBC ventilates the deep ocean and sets the pathway for abyssal heat and carbon transport.