The continent of Antarctica and the waters of the Southern Ocean surrounding it have substantial influence on regional and global climate processes. The principal mechanisms relate to: 1 long-term patterns of change in sea and air temperature and iceextent, relating to the annual cycle of advance and retreat of sea ice and to the melting of ice shelves; 2 longer distance links arising from the Southern Ocean acting as the connection between the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the influence of north-flowing Antarctic bottom water on global climate and ocean/atmosphere links to tropical and more temperate processes such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).
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