Radiocarbon in annual coral rings of Florida

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL005i011p00913· OSTI ID:6505725

Druffel, E M; Linick, T W

Radiocarbon measurements on a 175-year (A. D. 1800 to 1974) growth of the coral Montastrea annularis from The Rocks reef off the Florida Keys reveal the rate of local uptake of fossil fuel CO/sub 2/ and bomb /sup 14/C by surface ocean waters of the Gulf Stream. In the nineteenth century, the pre-bomb, pre-industrial ..delta../sup 14/C value of surface ocean waters as seen in these corals of the Gulf Stream in the Florida Straits was -51 +- 2/sup 0//infinity. By 1955, uptake of industrial CO/sub 2/ by these waters had lowered the ..delta../sup 14/C values to about -61/sup 0//infinity. The results can be used to make predictions regarding anthropogenic CO/sub 2/ that can be expected to enter the oceans in future decades. Bomb-produced /sup 14/C is found to be present in the corals in comparable concentrations to that found in the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIOC) of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.

• Research Organization: Mount Soledad Radiocarbon Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
• OSTI ID: 6505725
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 5:11; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580500 -- Oceanography-- (1980-1989)
ANIMALS
ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLIMATES
CNIDARIA
CORALS
CURRENTS
EXPLOSIONS
GULF STREAM
INERT ATMOSPHERE
INVERTEBRATES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER CURRENTS