A conductivity-temperature-depth/hydrographic survey in January-Februa
ry 1994 and a 17-month deployment of current meter moorings from Septe
mber 1992 to March 1994 were carried out to determine the volume trans
port, water mass characteristics, and diathermal fluxes of northward f
lowing abyssal waters in the Samoan Passage and adjacent regions of th
e South Pacific Ocean. Geostrophic calculations relative to 1.2 degree
s C potential temperature indicated northward transport of 7.8 Sv in t
he Samoan Passage, 1.1 Sv through a gap in Robbie Ridge, and 2.8 Sv al
ong the eastern flank of the Manihiki Plateau. All of the total of 11.
7 Sv of northward geostrophic transport was in waters colder than 1.1
degrees C. The northward transport distribution was bimodal in tempera
ture, with a cold mode of 3.6 Sv in the range 0.65 degrees-0.70 degree
s C occurring entirely in the Samoan Passage and a warm mode of 3.0 Sv
in the range of 0.8 degrees-0.85 degrees C occurring mainly along the
Manihiki Plateau. Within the Samoan Passage, 7.1 Sv of the northward
transport was below 4000 m where the geostrophic calculation was confi
rmed by an equal estimate of transport from current meters during the
simultaneous 3-day period. The 17-month mean transport from the moored
array was 6.0 Sv +/- 0.5. By using the observed temporally varying fl
ow within the Samoan Passage together with the hydrographic snapshot a
cross the region, an estimate of the total mean northward transport of
10.6 Sv +/- 1.7 was obtained. Estimates of the flow across near-botto
m potential temperature surfaces indicate extraordinarily high rates o
f mixing, with heating of the abyssal layer up to 20 W m(-2), correspo
nding to diffusivities up to 10(-1) m(2) s(-1).