HYDROLOGY OF THE BRANSFIELD STRAIT 



23 



water in the north-easterly current near the South Shetland Islands, and that in the 

 remainder of the Bransfield Strait, influenced by the Weddell Sea and by the production 

 in winter of Antarctic bottom water, is nowhere more clearly demonstrated than by a 

 comparison of the temperature at 300 m. at Sts. WS 393 and WS 392. St. WS 393, 

 situated in the north-easterly flowing current, has a temperature of 0-70° C. at 300 m., 

 whereas St. WS 392 has a corresponding temperature of— 1-05° C. Thus a temperature 

 difference of 175 C. is shown at 300 m. between two stations both inside the strait and 

 approximately 12 miles apart. The temperature of 070 C. at 300 m. at St. WS 393 is 

 due to the presence of warm deep water, and that of - 1-05° C. at 300 m. at St. WS 392 

 is due to mixed water containing a high proportion of Antarctic bottom water. The 



-20 



338 3 34-0 



■2 -3 4 5 G 



2 3 -4 5 -6 7 



336 9 340 I 



CD /oo 



Fig. 23. Temperature-salinity diagram for Sts. WS 392 and WS 393. 



diagrams showing the relation between temperature and salinity for these two stations 

 are shown in Fig. 23. The figures alongside the curves represent the depths in metres 

 of the observations. The portion BC of the diagram for St. WS 393 represents the mass 

 of mixed water occurring between the cold nucleus of the Antarctic surface water at 

 40 m. and the intermediate maximum temperature of the warm deep water at 300 m. 

 The diagram for St. WS 392 shows that the mass of mixed Antarctic surface water and 

 warm deep water is missing at this station. 



At St. WS 390 an accumulation of slightly less saline but relatively warmer water 

 in the 0-100 m. layer corresponds to an inflow of surface water from the south-west. 



