Pathways of Antarctic Circumpolar Deep Waters into the Western South Atlantic Basin

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) connects the world’s major ocean basins, with substantial implications for the global overturning circulation and the Earth’s climate (Rintoul & Naveira Garabato, 2013). The ACC structure consists of three distinct circumpolar and deep-reaching fronts – from north to south, the Subantarctic Front (SAF), the Polar Front (PF), and the southern ACC front (SACCF) – plus a less distinguishable fourth feature – the southern boundary of the ACC (SB), which sets the southern limit of the current. Our study, based on the 2002-2018 Argo dataset, explores the frontal interconnections between the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean in the Scotia Sea. [...]