Similar to most West Antarctic ice shelves, those in the Bellingshausen Sea have rapidly thinned by hundreds of cubic kilometers over the last decades yet they remain under-studied compared to other regions. The increased melting rates in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) have been linked to warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) that is able to access the continental shelf due to the absence of the Antarctic Slope Current. The exact pathways of CDW flowing on to the shelf and of meltwater flowing away from the ice shelves are essential to understanding the dynamics in this region and how it will change in the future. Here, we propose that the Bellingshausen Sea plays an important role in connecting circulation between the Amundsen Sea and the WAP and may influence water properties that circulate under floating ice shelves throughout the West Antarctica. Using a combination of hydrographic and isotopic data from a recent cruise to the Bellingshausen Sea (December 2018 to January 2019), multiple methods are applied to identify circulation pathways and to quantify glacial meltwater fractions. The meltwater measurements show that the Belgica and Latady Troughs are important pathways for CDW to reach the ice shelves, though almost twice as much meltwater is transported off the shelf via the Belgica Trough. CDW enters the shelf at the deepest part of the Belgica Trough, moving towards the coast along the trough’s eastern side. The largest meltwater fractions are found along the western flank of the Belgica and Latady Troughs. The meltwater signature can be tracked to the western edge of the Bellingshausen Sea, where it is then entrained into a boundary current system that flows over the continental slope towards the Amundsen Sea.