Water mass transformation (WMT) around the Antarctic margin controls Antarctica Bottom
Water formation and the abyssal limb of the global meridional overturning circulation,
besides mediating ocean-ice shelf exchange, ice sheet stability and its contribution to sea
level rise. However, the mechanisms controlling the rate of WMT in the Antarctic shelf are
poorly understood due to the lack of observations and the inability of climate models to
simulate those mechanisms, in particular beneath the floating ice shelves. We used a circum …

Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is the densest water mass of the global ocean and
redistribute heat and salt through the lower limb of the global meridional overturning
circulation (MOC). AABW forms on the Antarctic continental shelf, sinks down the continental
slope and partially fills the ocean's abyss, accounting for about 36% of the global ocean's
volume (Johnson, 2008) and representing a primary ventilation pathway of the deep ocean
(Purkey and Johnson, 2013; Newsom et al., 2016). AABW has become warmer and fresher …