Significance of the distribution of bomb-produced radiocarbon in the ocean

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5361133

Peng, T H

The pattern of global water column inventories of bomb-produced radiocarbon suggests that a sizable portion of the bomb radiocarbon that entered the Antarctic, the northern Pacific, and the tropical oceans has been transported to the adjacent temperate regions. Models of lateral transport of surface water in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans are designed on the basis of this distribution pattern. Upwelling of bomb-radiocarbon-free water from below takes place in the Antarctic, the northern Pacific, and the tropical regions; and downwelling of surface water occurs in the temperate oceans and in the northern Atlantic. Uptake of excess CO/sub 2/ by these models is calculated using the observed Mauna Loa pCO/sub 2/ record as an input function. Results indicate that 35 percent of fossil fuel CO/sub 2/ is taken up by these model oceans during the period 1958-1980. Considering the observed airborne fraction of 0.55, it appears that about 10 percent of the global fossil fuel CO/sub 2/ is still missing. 24 refs., 5 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5361133
• Report Number(s): CONF-850637-1; ON: DE85016154
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520301 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Water-- (1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 14
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
ISOTOPES
LATITUDE EFFECT
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEAS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SURFACE WATERS
UPWELLING
VARIATIONS
WEAPONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES