Measurement of Small Volume Oceanic 14 C Samples by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: Radiocarbon
• Main Authors: Schlosser, Peter, Pfleiderer, Christoph, Kromer, Bernd, Levin, Ingeborg, Münnich, K O, Bonani, Georges, Suter, Martin, Wölfli, Willy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1987
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Archeology; Weddell Sea; Weddell
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200043757; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200043757

A technique for 14 C measurement of small volume (0.5L) oceanic water samples by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is described. Samples were taken from a CTD/rosette system used for standard hydrographic work. After CO 2 extraction and target preparation, the samples were measured at the Zürich tandem accelerator facility. On the basis of 14 C data from samples collected on a station in the northern Weddell Sea, the precision of the measurements is estimated to ca ±8‰. The error in the present AMS results is dominated by the statistical error in 14 C detection. From results of duplicate targets, it is concluded that a precision of ±5° can be reached. The 14 C data are discussed in relation to the Weddell Sea hydrography.