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Abstract The recent discovery of warm ocean water near the Totten Ice Shelf (TIS) has increased attention to the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica. We report the result of 6‐day helicopter‐based observations conducted during the 61st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE61), revealing warm ocean water (0.5–1°C) occupying a large previously unsampled area of the Sabrina Coast (116.5°E−120°E) below 550–600 m. Along the TIS front, we observe modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW) well above freezing (∼−0.7°C), consistent with previous work. We identify glacial meltwater outflow from the TIS cavity west of 116°E. No signs of mCDW intrusions toward the Moscow University Ice Shelf cavity are observed; however, those observations were limited to only two shallow (∼330 m) profiles. We also highlight the advantages of helicopter‐based observations for accessibility, speed, maneuverability, and cost‐efficiency. The combination of ship‐ and helicopter‐based observations using the JARE61 approach will increase the potential of future polar oceanographic observations. 

Abstract The Totten Glacier in East Antarctica, with an ice volume equivalent to >3.5 m of global sea-level rise, is grounded below sea level and, therefore, vulnerable to ocean forcing. Here, we use bathymetric and oceanographic observations from previously unsampled parts of the Totten continental shelf to reveal on-shelf warm water pathways defined by deep topographic features. Access of warm water to the Totten Ice Shelf (TIS) cavity is facilitated by a deep shelf break, a broad and deep depression on the shelf, a cyclonic circulation that carries warm water to the inner shelf, and deep troughs that provide direct access to the TIS cavity. The temperature of the warmest water reaching the TIS cavity varies by ~0.8 °C on an interannual timescale. Numerical simulations constrained by the updated bathymetry demonstrate that the deep troughs play a critical role in regulating ocean heat transport to the TIS cavity and the subsequent basal melt of the ice shelf.