The recent paper by Smedsrud (2005) addresses long-term changes in the water masses of the Weddell Sea, and adds to other recent papers concerned with changes in this region (e.g., Venegas and Drinkwater, 2001; Robertson et al., 2002; Zwally et al., 2002; Fahrbach et al., 2004). As the region stands out as pivotal, changes therein haveimpact on the world oceans and climate, and thus itis highly desirable that more knowledge is gained. The paper by Smedsrud (hereafter called S2005) is a welcome addition to this. Some of the other papers that have appeared recently address very similar issues, based partly on the same data (Robertson et al., 2002; Fahrbach et al., 2004). Comparing the methods and results of these papers and the
conclusions drawn, additional discussion appears necessary. Below we discuss some controversial points in S2005, where we emphasize issues related
to our paper (Fahrbach et al., 2004; hereafter called F2004).