Antarctic Bottom Water

Antarctic Bottom Water is a cold, dense water mass formed on the Antarctic continental shelf that sinks and spreads through the deepest parts of the global ocean.

Dense Shelf Water: Cold, saline water formed on continental shelves that can flow downslope into the deep ocean. It is the immediate precursor that spills from Antarctic shelves and contributes to bottom-water formation.
Seawater Density: The mass of seawater per unit volume, determined chiefly by temperature, salinity, and pressure. Its unusually high density lets Antarctic Bottom Water occupy the ocean's deepest layers.
Ocean Ventilation: The exchange of surface waters with the ocean interior, renewing deep waters and transporting dissolved substances. Antarctic Bottom Water ventilates the abyss as newly formed water sinks and spreads.
Abyssal Circulation: The movement and mixing of water in the deepest parts of the ocean. Antarctic Bottom Water supplies a major component of the global abyssal flow.
North Atlantic Deep Water: A deep water mass formed in the North Atlantic that flows southward through the global ocean circulation. It is a major deep-water counterpart, formed in the Northern Hemisphere and generally lying above Antarctic Bottom Water.
Brine Rejection: The expulsion of concentrated salt from growing sea ice into surrounding seawater. Salt released during sea-ice formation helps make shelf water dense enough to sink.
Salinity: The concentration of dissolved salts in water. High salinity contributes to the density of Antarctic source waters.
Oceanographic Tracer: A measurable substance or property used to trace water movement and mixing in the ocean. Tracers help estimate the pathways and age of Antarctic Bottom Water.
Deep Ocean Oxygen: The dissolved oxygen present in waters far below the ocean surface. New bottom water carries oxygen into the abyss, while weaker formation can reduce renewal.
Circumpolar Deep Water: A relatively warm, salty deep water mass that circulates around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. It contrasts with the colder bottom water and can supply heat to Antarctic continental shelves.

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