Victoria Falls in southern Africa is often regarded as the worlds largest waterfalls.
Regarded, because there is no standard method to measure the largeness of a waterfall.
A tall waterfalls might not have enough width, while an extremely wide one might have an insignificant drop.
But Boyoma Falls, in reality, are only rapids on the Lualaba river in central Africa.
In height and width Victoria Falls is rivaled only by Iguazu Falls.
The Victoria Fallsis considered to be the largest waterfalls on earth.
Photo credit: zuhanna/Shutterstock.com
But thats only on land.
These underwater cascades fall silently over immense gorges hidden from our view beneath the ocean.
For comparison, Niagara Falls flow rate is only 2,407 cubic meters per second.
It was not until the 1960s that investigation of the phenomenon became possible with modern equipment.
Abouthalf a dozen cataractshave been discovered in the Atlantic Ocean alone.
All of them are enormous.
Temperature difference between basins of water, however, is not the only driving force of these enormous fluxes.
For example, the cataract in the Strait of Gibraltar is driven by differences in salinity.
Major cataracts of the Atlantic ocean.
The red line traces the part of the 1972-73 expedition to study these cataracts.
Graphics courtesy John A. Whitehead.
Ocean cataracts play a big role in maintaining the salinity and climate of the oceans.
They also have an effect on marine biology.
The spawning grounds lie near an immense Antarctic circumpolar current that sweeps eastward.
Biologists now believe that the eggs sink after they are laid and then carried westward by an underwater cataract.
After hatching, the larvae rise and are carried back eastward to the spawning ground by the Antarctic current.
