THE STRUCTURE OF WATER MASSES IN THE DAVIS AND MAWSON SEAS ACCORDING TO EXPEDITION DATA OF THE 67th RAE

Abstract

We present the results of oceanographic studies from 64 stations occupied on the slope and shelf in the Davis Sea and the Mawson Sea during the 67th Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) from the R/V “Akademik Fedorov” in January–February 2022. The analysis of unique highprecision CTD data and hydrochemical indicators, together with a comparison with the results of previous studies, allowed us to obtain valuable information about the interannual variability of thermohaline characteristics of Antarctic shelf water on the shelf in the central part of the Davis Sea, to determine the structure of water masses on the slope and shelf in the western part of the Davis Sea and the eastern part of the Mawson Sea. Cascading and dense Antarctic shelf water not been recorded during the research. The thermohaline characteristics of Antarctic shelf water recorded in the central part of the Davis Sea in 2001, 2017, 2021 and dense Antarctic shelf water presence in the basins in February 2022 suggest the participation of Davis Sea shelf water in the ventilation of deep waters and suggest an irregular nature of the source of Antarctic bottom waters in the Davis Sea.