Isotopic composition of neodymium in waters from the Drake Passage

Journal Article · Fri Jul 16 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.217.4556.207· OSTI ID:6795530

Piepgras, D J; Wasserburg, G J

The isotopic composition of neodymium has been determined in seawaters from the Drake Passage. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which controls interocean mixing, flows through this passage. The parameter epsilon/sub Nd/(0), which is a function of the ratio of neodymium-143 to neodymium-144, is found to be uniform with depth at two stations with a value which is intermediate between the values for the Atlantic and the Pacific and indicates that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current consists of about 70 percent Atlantic water. Cold bottom water from a site in the south central Pacific has the neodymium isotopic signature of the waters in the Drake Passage. By using a box model to describe the exchange of water between the Southern Ocean and the ocean basins to the north together with the isotopic results, an upper limit of approximately 33 million cubic meters per second is calculated for the rate of exchange between the Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Concentrations of samarium and neodymium were also determined and found to increase approximately linearly with depth. These results suggest that neodymium may be a valuable tracer in oceanography and may be useful in paleo-oceanographic studies.

• Research Organization: California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena
• OSTI ID: 6795530
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 217:4556; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520301* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Water-- (1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580500 -- Oceanography-- (1980-1989)
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
DATA
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
METALS
NEODYMIUM 143
NEODYMIUM 144
NEODYMIUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACIFIC OCEAN
POLAR REGIONS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH NUCLEI
RARE EARTHS
SALINITY
SAMARIUM
SAMPLING
SEAS
SEAWATER
STABLE ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES