The “interior-downwelling conundrum” identified in Munk’s abyssal recipes has traditionally been resolved through upslope transport within the bottom boundary layer. However, growing evidence suggests that the abyssal ocean—particularly in the Indo-Pacific—is not in a steady state, but instead exhibits widespread isopycnal shoaling. This unsteady regime motivates a re-examination of the conventional interpretation. Here, we revisit this classical problem in physical oceanography and propose an alternative interpretation of Munk’s downwelling paradox under bottom-intensified mixing. This study offers a new perspective on the interpretation of abyssal upwelling in a changing ocean.