What is Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)?

Antarctic Bottom Water is the coldest, saltiest water on Earth, and it sinks to the very bottom of the ocean like a heavy stone dropping into a jar.

Imagine a big bowl of soup. If you put the bowl in the freezer, ice forms on top. This ice is fresh because the salt gets pushed out. The water left behind becomes super salty. Because it is cold and salty, it becomes very heavy. Gravity pulls this heavy water down to the floor of the ocean. It is like a sleepy, icy blanket that slides down the slope of the Antarctic continent.

This water acts like a global conveyor belt. Once at the bottom, it slowly flows northward. Think of it as a slow-moving river under the sea. It carries oxygen to deep-sea creatures and helps move heat around the planet. Without this cold water sinking, our weather patterns would change a lot. It is nature’s way of stirring up the world’s oceans.

Fun fact: This water is so dense it can stay at the bottom for hundreds of years before rising again.