Résumé
During the NAUTILUS I cruise in February 2015, the carbonate and associated physical properties were measured throughout the water column in the Gerlache Strait-off the southern coast of the Northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP). Part I of this study (Kerr et al., 2017, this issue) focused on the net sea-air carbon dioxide (CO (sub 2) ) flux, whereas the same dataset was used here to estimate the extent of anthropogenic carbon (C (sub ant) ) storage in the Gerlache Strait deep basin. In addition, the impact of C (sub ant) increases on pH and calcium carbonate saturation states for calcite and aragonite (Omega (sub Ca) and Omega (sub Ar) , respectively) were evaluated. The results indicate that, up to the present, 21.2 + or - 16.7 mu mol kg (super -1) of C (sub ant) have been injected to the deep and bottom layers of the Gerlache Strait. Two mechanisms may have contributed to that fact: (i) the pathway of the C (sub ant) follows that of the high salinity shelf waters inflow coming from both the Bransfield Strait and the Northwestern Weddell Sea shelf, and (ii) the Gerlache Strait is absorbing a significant amount of C (sub ant) from the atmosphere. Therefore, pH, Omega (sub Ar) and Omega (sub Ca) are decreasing in the deep waters of the Gerlache Strait. Since Omega (sub Ar) is already very close to 1 at depth, any small additional input of C (sub ant) will trigger the dissolution of aragonite.