The Weddell Gyre (WG) is one of the main oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which plays an influential role in global ocean circulation as well as gas exchange with the atmosphere. We review the state‐of‐the art knowledge concerning the WG from an interdisciplinary perspective, uncovering critical aspects needed to understand this system's role in shaping the future evolution of oceanic heat and carbon uptake over the next decades. The main limitations in our knowledge are related to the conditions in this extreme and remote environment, where the polar night, very low air temperatures and presence of sea ice year‐round hamper field and remotely sensed measurements. We highlight the importance of winter and under‐ice conditions in the southern WG, the role that new technology will play to overcome present‐day sampling limitations, the importance of the WG connectivity to the low‐latitude oceans and atmosphere, and the expected intensification of the WG circulation as the westerly winds intensify. Greater international cooperation is needed to define key sampling locations that can be visited by any research vessel in the region. Existing transects sampled since the 1980s along the Prime Meridian and along an East‐West section at ~62°S should be maintained with regularity to provide answers to the relevant questions. This approach will provide long‐term data to determine trends and will improve representation of processes for regional, Antarctic‐wide and global modeling efforts – thereby enhancing predictions of the WG in global ocean circulation and climate.

中文翻译：

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南大洋威德尔环流：目前的知识和未来的挑战

威德尔环流（WG）是南极绕极流以南南大洋的主要海洋学特征之一，在全球海洋环流以及与大气的气体交换中起着重要作用。我们从跨学科的角度回顾了有关 WG 的最新知识，揭示了理解该系统在未来几十年海洋热和碳吸收的未来演变中所扮演的角色所需的关键方面。我们知识的主要局限性与这种极端和偏远环境中的条件有关，极夜、极低的气温和全年海冰的存在阻碍了野外和遥感测量。我们强调了 WG 南部冬季和冰下条件的重要性，新技术将在克服当前采样限制方面发挥的作用、WG 与低纬度海洋和大气连通性的重要性，以及随着西风加强而 WG 环流的预期增强。需要更多的国际合作来确定该地区任何研究船都可以访问的关键采样位置。自 1980 年代以来沿本初子午线和沿约 62°S 的东西部分采样的现有断面应保持规律性，以提供相关问题的答案。这种方法将提供长期数据来确定趋势，并将改善区域、南极范围和全球建模工作过程的代表性，从而增强对全球海洋环流和气候中 WG 的预测。