Pathways and mean residence times of dissolved pollutants in the ocean derived from transient tracers and stable isotopes

During the past decades, a variety of transient tracers have been used to derive information on pathways and mean residence times of oceanic water masses. Here, we discuss how information obtained in such studies can be applied to studying the spreading of dissolved pollutants in the ocean. The disc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 1999-09, Vol.237, p.15-30
Main Authors: Schlosser, P., Bayer, R., Bönisch, G., Cooper, L.W., Ekwurzel, B., Jenkins, W.J., Khatiwala, S., Pfirman, S., Smethie, W.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arctic Ocean
Oceanic waters
Pathways
Pollutants
Residence times
Tracers
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Summary:During the past decades, a variety of transient tracers have been used to derive information on pathways and mean residence times of oceanic water masses. Here, we discuss how information obtained in such studies can be applied to studying the spreading of dissolved pollutants in the ocean. The discussion focuses on the transient tracers tritium/ 3He and the H 2 18O/H 2 16O ratio of water. These tracers are used in combination with CFCs and 14C in a case study of Arctic Ocean contaminant transport to: (1) separate the freshwater components contained in the near-surface waters; (2) infer mean pathways of freshwater and associated contaminants from the H 2 18O/H 2 16O distribution in the surface waters; and (3) determine mean residence times of the surface, intermediate, deep and bottom waters.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00121-7