The Vema Channel represents a prominent location for the northward flo
w of bottom water in the subtropical western South Atlantic. A recent
multibeam echo-sounding survey of the Vema Sill on board F.S. Meteor r
evealed a narrow and shallow portion of the Vema Channel at 31-degrees
-12'S, 39-degrees-24'W, the Vema Sill. The survey also showed the rema
rkably asymmetric shape of the sill region, suggesting an interaction
between the bottom flow and the shape of the channel.