A fourth production region for the globally important Antarctic bottom water has been attributed to dense shelf water formation in the Cape Darnley Polynya, adjoining Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Here we show new observations from CTD-instrumented elephant seals in 2011–2013 that provide the first complete assessment of dense shelf water formation in Prydz Bay. After a complex evolution involving opposing contributions from three polynyas (positive) and two ice shelves (negative), dense shelf water (salinity 34.65–34.7) is exported through Prydz Channel. This provides a distinct, relatively fresh contribution to Cape Darnley bottom water. Elsewhere, dense water formation is hindered by the freshwater input from the Amery and West Ice Shelves into the Prydz Bay Gyre. This study highlights the susceptibility of Antarctic bottom water to increased freshwater input from the enhanced melting of ice shelves, and ultimately the potential collapse of Antarctic bottom water formation in a warming climate.
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机译：全球重要的南极底水的第四个生产区域归因于南极东部普里兹湾附近的达恩利海角波利尼亚海中密集的陆架水形成。在这里，我们展示了在2011-2013年间使用CTD加固的象海豹的新观测结果，这是对普里兹湾密集的架子水形成的首次完整评估。经过复杂的演变，其中包括三个波尼耶河（正）和两个冰架（负）的相反贡献，致密的架子水（盐度34.65-34.7）通过Prydz通道输出。这为达恩利角（Cape Darnley）底水提供了独特而相对新鲜的贡献。在其他地方，浓水的形成受到Amery和West冰架向Prydz Bay Gyre的淡水输入的阻碍。这项研究强调了南极底部水对冰架融化增强的淡水输入增加的敏感性，并最终在变暖的气候中南极底部水形成的潜在崩溃。
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