Do underwater rivers really exist?
Beneath the Black Sea, a hidden river flows along the ocean floor with its own banks and rapids.
The answer
Underwater rivers are channels of dense, sediment-laden or highly saline water that flow along the ocean floor much like rivers on land, complete with banks, floodplains, and even rapids. In 2010, scientists discovered a massive submarine river in the Black Sea that would be the sixth largest river on Earth if it flowed on the surface, carrying 22,000 cubic meters of water per second. These flows, technically called turbidity currents or density cascades, are driven by differences in salinity, temperature, or sediment load compared to the surrounding water.
Source: Geology
- underwater rivers
- Black Sea
- turbidity currents
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