Which term refers to a bottom current made up of dense water that flows around seabed projections?

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Multiple Choice

Which term refers to a bottom current made up of dense water that flows around seabed projections?

Explanation:
A contour current is a bottom, density-driven flow that travels along the contours of the seafloor. When water becomes dense—typically by cooling and/or higher salinity—it sinks and spreads along the bottom. As it encounters seabed projections like ridges, banks, or seamounts, the flow is steered around these features, so it follows the bathymetric contours rather than moving straight across the topography. This makes it distinct from vertical processes like downwelling, from large-scale surface boundary currents, or from isolated circular eddies, which aren’t defined by moving along seabed contours around topographic features.

A contour current is a bottom, density-driven flow that travels along the contours of the seafloor. When water becomes dense—typically by cooling and/or higher salinity—it sinks and spreads along the bottom. As it encounters seabed projections like ridges, banks, or seamounts, the flow is steered around these features, so it follows the bathymetric contours rather than moving straight across the topography. This makes it distinct from vertical processes like downwelling, from large-scale surface boundary currents, or from isolated circular eddies, which aren’t defined by moving along seabed contours around topographic features.

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