title: The suppression of Antarctic bottom water formation by melting ice shelves in Prydz Bay.
abstract: A fourth production region for the globally important Antarctic bottom water has been attributed to dense shelf water formation in the Cape Darnley Polynya, adjoining Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Here we show new observations from CTD-instrumented elephant seals in 2011-2013 that provide the first complete assessment of dense shelf water formation in Prydz Bay. After a complex evolution involving opposing contributions from three polynyas (positive) and two ice shelves (negative), dense shelf water (salinity 34.65-34.7) is exported through Prydz Channel. This provides a distinct, relatively fresh contribution to Cape Darnley bottom water. Elsewhere, dense water formation is hindered by the freshwater input from the Amery and West Ice Shelves into the Prydz Bay Gyre. This study highlights the susceptibility of Antarctic bottom water to increased freshwater input from the enhanced melting of ice shelves, and ultimately the potential collapse of Antarctic bottom water formation in a warming climate.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Julianne Marie vej 30, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4455-801X
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Herraiz-Borreguero
authors.affiliation: Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roquet
authors.affiliation: Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart 7001, Australia.|National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan.|Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Tokyo 190-8518, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Kita-19, Nishi-8, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.affiliation: Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Kita-19, Nishi-8, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukamachi
authors.affiliation: Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart 7001, Australia.|Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Kita-19, Nishi-8, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: The First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, No. 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: The First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, No. 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.affiliation: Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia.|Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4666-2934
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harcourt
authors.affiliation: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hindell