The Hydrological and Hydrochemical Structure of the Waters of the Bransfield Strait in January 2022

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of the abiotic characteristics in the waters of the Bransfield Strait in January 2022. The cross-section of January 2020 was repeated from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Southern Shetland Islands, as well as new data – 2 cross-sections in the eastern and western parts of the Strait. The scheme of currents in the Strait reflects modern knowledge, absolute values have been measured up to 50 cm/s in the northeast direction and up to 35 cm/s in the southwest. In the studied area, the modified waters of the Sea of Bellingshausen are clearly distinguished (warm and least salted, with reduced values of total alkalinity and all nutrients), the modified waters of the Wedell Sea (colder and salty, with reduced values of silicates and nitrates), as well as Circumpolar Deep Water in layer 200–450 m (warm and salty, with low values of dissolved oxygen and pH and an increased content of phosphates, silicates and nitrates). In the bottom waters of the Strait, there were no serious changes in the structure. The amplitude of the interannual variability of the abiotic characteristics of the waters of the Bransfield Strait is poorly expressed, nevertheless it can serve as a marker of climatic changes in the Southern Ocean.