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Dense, cold waters formed on Antarctic continental shelves descend along the Antarctic continental margin, where they mix with other Southern Ocean waters to form Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). AABW then spreads into the deepest parts of all major ocean basins, isolating heat and carbon from the atmosphere for centuries. Despite AABW's key role in regulating Earth's climate on long time scales and in recording Southern Ocean conditions, AABW remains poorly observed. This lack of observational data is mostly due to two factors. First, AABW originates on the Antarctic continental shelf and slope where in situ measurements are limited and ocean observations by satellites are hampered by persistent sea ice cover and long periods of darkness in winter. Second, north of the Antarctic continental slope, AABW is found below approximately 2 km depth, where in situ observations are also scarce and satellites cannot provide direct measurements. Here, we review progress made during the past decades in observing AABW. We describe 1) long-term monitoring obtained by moorings, by ship-based surveys, and beneath ice shelves through bore holes; 2) the recent development of autonomous observing tools in coastal Antarctic and deep ocean systems; and 3) alternative approaches including data assimilation models and satellite-derived proxies. The variety of approaches is beginning to transform our understanding of AABW, including its formation processes, temporal variability, and contribution to the lower limb of the global ocean meridional overturning circulation. In particular, these observations highlight the key role played by winds, sea ice, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet in AABW-related processes. We conclude by discussing future avenues for observing and understanding AABW, impressing the need for a sustained and coordinated observing system.

Dense, cold waters formed on Antarctic continental shelves descend along the Antarctic continental margin, where they mix with other Southern Ocean waters to form Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). AABW then spreads into the deepest parts of all major ocean basins, isolating heat and carbon from the atmosphere for centuries. Despite AABW’s key role in regulating Earth’s climate on long time scales and in recording Southern Ocean conditions, AABW remains poorly observed. This lack of observational data is mostly due to two factors. First, AABW originates on the Antarctic continental shelf and slope where in situ measurements are limited and ocean observations by satellites are hampered by persistent sea ice cover and long periods of darkness in winter. Second, north of the Antarctic continental slope, AABW is found below approximately 2 km depth, where in situ observations are also scarce and satellites cannot provide direct measurements. Here, we review progress made during the past decades in observing AABW. We describe 1) long-term monitoring obtained by moorings, by ship-based surveys, and beneath ice shelves through bore holes; 2) the recent development of autonomous observing tools in coastal Antarctic and deep ocean systems; and 3) alternative approaches including data assimilation models and satellite-derived proxies. The variety of approaches is beginning to transform our understanding of AABW, including its formation processes, temporal variability, and contribution to the lower limb of the global ocean meridional overturning circulation. In particular, these observations highlight the key role played by winds, sea ice, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet in AABW-related processes. We conclude by discussing future avenues for observing and understanding AABW, impressing the need for a sustained and coordinated observing system.

To quantitatively assess the inorganic carbon cycle in the eastern Indian sector of the Southern Ocean (80-150 degrees E, south of 60 degrees S), we measured ocean surface temperature, salinity, total alkalinity (TA), the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)), and concentrations of chlorophyll-a (chl a), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and nutrients during the KY18 survey (December 2018-January 2019). The sea-air CO2 flux in this region was -8.3 +/- 12.7 mmol m(-2) day(-1) (-92.1 to +10.6 mmol m(-2) day(-1)). The ocean was therefore a weak CO2 sink. Based on the DIC and TA in the temperature minimum layer, we estimated the change of pCO(2) from winter to summer (delta pCO(2)) due to changes in water temperature, salinity, and biological activity (photosynthesis). The spatial distribution of pCO(2) in the western part (80-110 degrees E) of the study area was mainly driven by biological activity, which decreased pCO(2) from December to early January, and in the eastern part (110-150 degrees E) by temperature, which increased pCO(2) from January to February. We also examined the changes in the CO2 concentrations (xCO(2)) over time by comparing data from 1996 with our data (2018-2019). The oceanic and atmospheric xCO(2) increased by 23 and 45 ppm in 23 years, respectively. These changes of ocean xCO(2) were mainly driven by an increase in CO2 uptake from the atmosphere as a result of the rise in atmospheric xCO(2) and increase in biological activity associated with the change in the water-mass distribution.

Melting ice shelves around Antarctica control the massive input of freshwater into the ocean and play an intricate role in global heat redistribution. The Amery Ice Shelf regulates wintertime sea-ice growth and dense shelf water formation. We investigated the role of warm Antarctic Surface Water in ice shelf melting and its impact on dense shelf water. Here we show that the coastal ocean in summer 2016/17 was almost sea-ice free, leading to higher surface water temperatures. The glacial meltwater fraction in surface water was the highest on record, hypothesised to be attributable to anomalous ice shelf melting. The excess heat and freshwater in early 2017 delayed the seasonal evolution of dense shelf water. Focused on ice shelf melting at depth, the importance and impacts of warming surface waters has been overlooked. In a warming climate, increased surface water heating will reduce coastal sea-ice production and potentially Antarctic Bottom Water formation. Excessively warm and fresh surface water along the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in 2017 led to more ice melt and delayed dense water formation, according to analyses of in situ observations.

The southern boundary (SB) of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the southernmost extent of the upper overturning circulation, regulates the Antarctic thermal conditions. The SB's behavior remains unconstrained because it does not have a clear surface signature. Revisited hydrographic data from off East Antarctica indicate full-depth warming from 1996 to 2019, concurrent with an extensive poleward shift of the SB subsurface isotherms (>50 km), which is most prominent at 120 degrees E off the Sabrina Coast. The SB shift is attributable to enhanced upper overturning circulation and a depth-independent frontal shift, generally accounting for 30 and 70%, respectively. Thirty years of oceanographic data corroborate the overall and localized poleward shifts that are likely controlled by continental slope topography. Numerical experiments successfully reproduce this locality and demonstrate its sensitivity to mesoscale processes and wind forcing. The poleward SB shift under intensified westerlies potentially induces multidecadal warming of Antarctic shelf water.

The climatological structure of the subpolar cyclonic circulation off East Antarctica is delineated with Argo float data from the past decade. Up to 40% of the float profiles in the seasonal ice zone have been without satellite positioning. We refined their position data as following the bathymetry to get appropriate positions in the continental margin. The error of the terrain-following interpolation was estimated by using positioned data to be 23 +/- 27 (78 +/- 70) km for 90 (390) day period. Profiles with the under-ice period shorter than 360 days are adopted. The float trajectories reveal the extent of the subpolar gyre adjoined to the westward Antarctic Slope Current to its south and the southernmost eastward jet of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current along 4,000 m isobath to its north. The subpolar circulation in the Australian-Antarctic Basin comprises of a series of quasi-barotropic subgyre circulations, which are bounded by bathymetric spurs in the continental slope. The temperature field reveals shoreward excursions of Circumpolar Deep Water associated with the subgyres, effectively supplying heat to the continental shelves. An along-slope temperature variation up to 1 degrees C in 27.7-27.8 kg/m(3) sigma(theta) indicates an active cross-slope exchange within the layer. Provided the velocity field and the water mass structure, the subsurface water mass exchange is likely accomplished by a combination of topographically controlled mean flow and the eddy transports. Our findings suggest that the bathymetry primarily determines the structure of the subpolar gyre. Plain Language Summary Subpolar gyres in the Southern Ocean are clockwise circulations that separate cold shelf water from warm offshore water. These circulations are essential for the Antarctic climate since they control heat supply onto the continental shelves. In this study, the physical structure of the subpolar gyre off East Antarctica was investigated using autonomous profiling float data with a