Tritium and Carbon-14 Distributions in Seawater from Under the Ross Ice Shelf Project Ice Hole

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Michel, R. L., Linick, T. W., Williams, P. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1979
• Subjects: McMurdo Sound; Ross Ice Shelf; Ross Sea; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.203.4379.445; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.203.4379.445

The tritium and carbon-14 activities of seawater samples collected from 22 to 200 meters below the ice at the Ross Ice Shelf Project ice hole are reported. The tritium results show that the waters below the ice have exchanged with Ross Sea water since the advent of nuclear testing. The carbon-14 results indicate that waters in the upper layer exchange in time periods of less than 6 years. Measurements of these isotopes in seawater under the Ross Ice Shelf in McMurdo Sound show that this water has a different history.