The bottom water characteristics of the southeast Indian Ocean and southwest Pacific Ocean reveal northward transfer of cold water across the mid-ocean ridge at the Discordance Zone near 120 ¿E and at the Balleny Fracture Zone near 155 ¿E. A principal northward flow, which transfers cold continental margin waters of Antarctic origin to lower latitudes within the South Indian Basin, occurs to the east of Kerguelen Plateau. Within the South Indian Basin, near the 0 ¿C isotherm, the &thgr;/S, &thgr;/O2, and &thgr;/Si relations display significant slope changes. The more variable water below 0 ¿C is of local origin, while the water above 0 ¿C represents larger scale regional effects.