Ice drift in the Weddell Sea was studied on the basis of positional and meteorological data from Argos buoys drifting in 1990--1992 and surface pressure analyses from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The drift kinematics showed differences between the eastern and western parts of the Weddell Sea. Close to the Antarctic Peninsula, the ice drifted as an almost nonrotating uniform field at a low speed, having reduced small-scale motions with little meandering, compared to regions further to the east. Inertial motion was detected from the ice drift in areas east of 35 ¿W and in the region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. On timescales of days, wind was the primary forcing factor for the drift. A linear model between the wind and ice drift explained 40--80% of the drift velocity variance. The degree of explanation was higher in the central Weddell Sea (around 40 ¿W) and lower closer to the Antarctic Peninsula. The geostrophic wind was found to provide almost as good a basis for the general drift estimation as the surface wind observed by the buoys, although strong cyclones were not well detected by the ECMWF analyses. The data suggest a dependency upon atmospheric stability such that stable stratification reduces the wind forcing on the drift. For 60--80% of the time the direction of the drift deviated less than 45¿ from the geostrophic wind and for 45--70% of the time less than 45¿ from the ocean current. Ice transport through a transect crossing the Weddell Sea from the Antarctic Peninsula tip to Kapp Norwegia was estimated on the basis of the geostrophic winds, the drift's observed response to the wind, and literature-based information on ice concentration and thickness. The estimated annual mean net export in 1992--1994 varied from 8000 to 22,000 m3/s. Most of the net export took place in winter and spring, export prevailing west of 35 ¿W and import east of it. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996