Recurring polynyas over the Cosmonaut Sea and the Maud Rise

Two remarkable deep ocean polynyas observed in the Antarctic region during the winter of 1980, here referred to as the Cosmonaut polynya and the Maud Rise polynya, are discussed. It is proposed that both polynyas are products of deep-reaching convection which introduces warmer deep water into the surface layer. Hydrographic data at both sites indicate the existence of localized doming of the pycnocline. This brings warmer, saltier deep water close to the sea surface, which has been demonstrated to be an effective preconditioner for deep-reaching convection. A possible relationship between the two polynyas is sugggested in that both are in the eastern margins of the Weddell Sea.