Satellite infra-red imagery and meteorological data suggest the presence of winter open water (polynya) in the coastal pack ice to the north and west of the Brunt Ice Shelf. Satellite imagery, although only available for a limited number of occasions, provides evidence for the polynya during the austral winter of 1991. Indirect meteorological observations from the British Antarctic Survey's Halley station (75° 36′S, 26° 42′W) provide very strong supporting evidence of open water to the west of the ice shelf in previous years.