Wilkes Land - Adelie Coast Bottom Water encompasses the bottom waters formed around the coast of East Antarctica in the area east of Prydz Bay and west of the Ross Sea ( 90 degrees E - 150 degrees E). Here we show that these bottom waters have not only characteristic physical properties, but also carry a distinct radiogenic isotope signal that traces their dispersal. The Nd, Hf and Pb isotopic compositions of Circum-Antarctic ferromanganese nodules record the isotopic composition of ambient seawater. Those with the lowest Nd and Hf isotopic ratios and the highest Pb isotopic ratios are from the deep Australian- Antarctic Basin, and they fingerprint Wilkes Land - Adelie Coast Bottom Water. The data illustrate the potential value of these isotope systems as tracers of present and past deep and bottom waters in the Circum-Antarctic realm and elsewhere.
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