Pacific deep water in the southern Ocean

The hydrographic data obtained in the World Ocean Circulation Experiment are used to study the propagation and properties of the Pacific Deep Water (PDW) and the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCPDW) in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Several regional modifications of the PDW are distinguished. The spatial positions of the boundaries between these water masses are found using an original method. The main regions of the PDW propagation into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current zone are distinguished and the regions of the PDW and the UCPDW transformation are found. The role of isopycnal and nonisopycnal processes in the formation of the water masses is estimated. Thic mean values and ranges of variability of the physical and chemical characteristics of the water masses are calculated.