Variability in high-salinity shelf water production in Terra Nova Bay polynya, Antarctica

Ocean Science (2020)

Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica is a formation region for high-salinity shelf water (HSSW), which is a major source of Antarctic Bottom Water.

Here, we analyze spatiotemporal salinity variability in Terra Nova Bay with implications for the local HSSW production.

While the general consensus is that the salinity of the HSSW was decreasing from 1995 to the late 2000s in the region, the salinity has been increasing since 2016. In 2018, it returned to values comparable to those in the early 2000s.