Hydrological data and tracer (silicate, oxygen and CFCs) analyses have been performed in order to describe the time and space variability of the characteristics and transport of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) entering the equatorial channel at 35¿W. The 35¿W sections were sampled in the tropical Atlantic during several cruises from 1993 to 1999 as part of the international WOCE and CLIVAR efforts. Data for the 1990s reveal a slight warming trend superimposed on significant variability due to the seasonal changes of AABW transports. Data from previous cruises made in the 1970s and 1980s complete the time-series and show that, over the last three decades, the maximal AABW input occurred in the early 1990s.