umbral / umbrales

English translation: sill

05:43 Mar 25, 2017
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Science - Geography / Mexico
Spanish term or phrase: umbral / umbrales
El Golfo de México es un mar semicerrado de 1,595,210 km2, con una gran complejidad fisiográfica. Tiene una profundidad máxima de aproximadamente 3,700 m pero está comunicado con el Mar Caribe por un umbral con una profundidad máxima de 1,900 (2040) m, y a través del Estrecho de Florida con una profundidad máxima de 900 m. Esto hace que la zona profunda no tenga comunicación directa a través de estos umbrales.

I know this would normally be threshold, but it seems odd here. Searching online in context with the 1,900 m figure + Gulf of Mexico, the only terms I'm finding are "sill" and "channel." Sill seems to fit and can mean threshold in certain contexts, but I'm hoping someone can confirm this or steer me in the right direction. Thanks in advance.
jmf
United States
Local time: 13:13
English translation:sill
Explanation:
From maps of the sea floor of the Gulf, there appear to be two reefs/slopes/banks, one called the 'Florida-Bahamas platform' at the channel flowing into the Atlantic and another one north of Yucatán called the 'Campeche bank', where the Gulf flows into the Caribbean (Cuba separates the two exits). See the map at: https://juragan-poster.com/product/jual-poster-peta-national...

But all that said, in the end I'm going with your idea of 'sill', because that's what it's functioning as, even though the geological description may be different. Here is the text that convinced me:

From: https://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5442.pdf

"BACKGROUND: The flow through Yucatan Channel (upper 1000 m) is known as the Yucatan Current; it is considered the principal forcing agent of the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and its variability has significant implications for the dynamics within the GoM and the circulation in the Western Subtropical Atlantic. The Yucatan Current, characterized by a strong jet on the western side of the channel, becomes the Loop Current within the GoM and exits **through the Straits of Florida over its 700 m sill.** Below 700 m, there is flow into the Caribbean over the Yucatan slope. On the eastern side of channel (east of 86.5ºW), there are flows into the Caribbean, particularly an intermittent near-surface flow close to Cuba, known as the Cuban Countercurrent, and a deeper flow below it."





Selected response from:

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 10:13
Grading comment
Thanks so much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4sill
Muriel Vasconcellos
3canyon / canyons
Ana Vozone
Summary of reference entries provided
Ref.
Taña Dalglish
Glosario de Geología Inglés – Español
Thomas Walker

  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
canyon / canyons


Explanation:
Suggestion.

https://www.google.pt/search?q=www google com&aq=0&oq=www.go...

Ana Vozone
Local time: 17:13
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Muriel Vasconcellos: The area in question is less deep, not deeper.
23 mins
  -> I see what you mean...
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
sill


Explanation:
From maps of the sea floor of the Gulf, there appear to be two reefs/slopes/banks, one called the 'Florida-Bahamas platform' at the channel flowing into the Atlantic and another one north of Yucatán called the 'Campeche bank', where the Gulf flows into the Caribbean (Cuba separates the two exits). See the map at: https://juragan-poster.com/product/jual-poster-peta-national...

But all that said, in the end I'm going with your idea of 'sill', because that's what it's functioning as, even though the geological description may be different. Here is the text that convinced me:

From: https://www.data.boem.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/5/5442.pdf

"BACKGROUND: The flow through Yucatan Channel (upper 1000 m) is known as the Yucatan Current; it is considered the principal forcing agent of the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and its variability has significant implications for the dynamics within the GoM and the circulation in the Western Subtropical Atlantic. The Yucatan Current, characterized by a strong jet on the western side of the channel, becomes the Loop Current within the GoM and exits **through the Straits of Florida over its 700 m sill.** Below 700 m, there is flow into the Caribbean over the Yucatan slope. On the eastern side of channel (east of 86.5ºW), there are flows into the Caribbean, particularly an intermittent near-surface flow close to Cuba, known as the Cuban Countercurrent, and a deeper flow below it."







Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 10:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36
Grading comment
Thanks so much!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie Wilson
24 mins
  -> Thanks, Marie!

agree  Jennifer Levey: If it was on dry land, it would be seen as a col formed in a mountain ridge; but, as you say, from a hydrological viewpoint it's functioning as a sill.
5 hrs
  -> Thank you, Robin. I'm honored!

agree  Taña Dalglish
6 hrs
  -> Thank you, Taña!

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
1 day 4 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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Reference comments


7 hrs
Reference: Ref.

Reference information:
http://www.ocean.fsu.edu/~bunge/page/art1.pdf
1. Introduction [2] The Gulf of Mexico is a semi-enclosed sea with connections to the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatan Channel and to the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits. The total mean transport flowing from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Channel is close to 24 Sv, with RMS fluctuations of 4.6 Sv [Ochoa et al., 2001; Sheinbaum et al., 2002]. The Yucatan Current, which accounts for most of this transport, passes through the Yucatan Channel, where it becomes the Loop Current. This warm surface current shows great variability, either crossing directly toward the Florida Straits, or forming large loops inside the Gulf of Mexico, often followed by the shedding of large anticyclonic eddies. The dynamic reasons for the variations in the path of the current and for the eventual shedding of eddies are poorly understood. Nonetheless, some hypothesis have been explored using mass conservation. Maul [1977] suggested that changes in the Loop Current volume needed to be compensated by deep flows which, ****because of the large difference between the sill depth at the Yucatan Channel (2040 m) and at the Florida Straits (730 m at its shallowest poin*****t, between Miami and Bimini), may only occur at Yucatan. Maul et al. [1985] examined their idea by comparing observations made over a 3 year period with a current meter placed at the bottom of the Yucatan Channel, to the surface area of the Loop Current inferred from satellite infrared observations, but found no relation between the two data sets. Maul and Vukovich [1993] compared the volume transports in the Florida Straits and the Loop Current extension, but again found little correlation.


The difference between the ***sill*** depths at the Yucatan Channel and the Florida Straits suggests the use of a two-layer model, with the lower layer extending from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to the level of the deepest isotherm found in the Florida Straits, and the upper layer from that isotherm to the surface (Figure 1).


Strictly speaking, TF should correspond to the transport across the Key West to Havana section, where all the contribution to the Florida Current originates from the Yucatan Channel and the **sill*** depth is close to 900 m, but the deepest connection with the Atlantic Ocean at the Miami-Bimini section, is shallower than that (730 m) and the minimum temperature observed there is about 6 C [Schmitz and Richardson, 1991].

Taña Dalglish
Jamaica
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thanks so much

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1 day 11 hrs
Reference: Glosario de Geología Inglés – Español

Reference information:
A while back I found a Glosario de Geología Inglés – Español, at:
http://ceramica.wikia.com/wiki/Glosario_de_Geología_Inglés_–...
It is English-Spanish only, but back-checking on "sill" I found this:
sill [marine geol] : umbral submarino [geol marino]

Thomas Walker
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thank you!

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