The aluminium concentrations of water samples from 18 hydrographic profiles and 35 surface samples in the South Atlantic were determined on board ship during leg III of the South Atlantic Ventilation Experiment (SAVE). The observed surface water distributions (range 0.5 to 57 nM) are thought to arise from the partial dissolution of eolian-transported continental dusts coupled with limited lateral transport by prevailing surface currents. In the deep water the greatest enrichments are observed coincident with the depth of the lower north Atlantic Deep Water. The similariry between the Al:Si ratios in this water mass in both the south and north Atlantic is taken as evidence that no significant Al additions are being made to this water during its transit. The lower Al concentrations observed in the water masses of Antarctic origin (~3 nM) are consistent with their formation in areas of limited dust input. The somewhat higher values observed in the Antarctic Bottom Water suggest that the shelf component of this water mass may have elevated Al concentrations. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990