Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer
This study represents the first use of the artificial radionuclides 129I and 236U, released into the ocean mainly from Nuclear Reprocessing Plants, as a dual tracer in the vicinity of Iceland with novel estimation of ocean circulatory pathways and mixing in the region. Iceland lies at the gateway to...
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Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union
2024
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/685503 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000685503 |
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/685503 2024-09-30T14:29:33+00:00 Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer Dale, Duncan id_orcid:0 000-0002-3258-582X Christl, Marcus id_orcid:0 000-0002-3131-6652 Vockenhuber, Christof Macrander, Andreas Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig Middag, Rob Casacuberta, Núria id_orcid:0 000-0001-7316-1655 2024-07 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/685503 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000685503 en eng American Geophysical Union info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1029/2024JC021211 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001274320100001 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SNF/PRIMA/193091 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101001451 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/685503 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000685503 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129 (7) tracer artificial radionuclides Iceland Nordic Seas I-129 U-236 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2024 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/68550310.3929/ethz-b-00068550310.1029/2024JC021211 2024-09-10T15:45:30Z This study represents the first use of the artificial radionuclides 129I and 236U, released into the ocean mainly from Nuclear Reprocessing Plants, as a dual tracer in the vicinity of Iceland with novel estimation of ocean circulatory pathways and mixing in the region. Iceland lies at the gateway to the Arctic where warm, saline Atlantic waters interact with waters of Arctic origin in ways that have critical consequences for the strength and stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Many of these interactions are not yet fully understood, such as how Atlantic water circulates around the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas and the composition and fate of the major overflows of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. Using new and previous measurements of 129I and 236U in seawater, we present a new method of appraising water mass provenance and mixing in the form of the 129I–236U dual mixing plot. With this method, we estimate that at least half the Atlantic-origin water entering the Arctic Ocean circulates around the Canada Basin before exiting at Fram Strait and that this outflow is increased by about 40% by mixing with Return Atlantic Water “short-circuiting” the Arctic Ocean at Fram Strait. We present tracer-based evidence that water carried by the East Greenland Current has an unbroken pathway to the Faroe-Shetland Channel and that Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) entrains 60% Labrador Sea Water during transit past southeast Iceland. We present an unambiguous way to differentiate ISOW from DSOW after they partially merge in the Irminger Sea. ISSN:0148-0227 ISSN:2169-9275 Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean canada basin East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland-Scotland Ridge Iceland Labrador Sea Nordic Seas North Atlantic ETH Zürich Research Collection Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Irminger Sea ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
topic |
tracer artificial radionuclides Iceland Nordic Seas I-129 U-236 |
spellingShingle |
tracer artificial radionuclides Iceland Nordic Seas I-129 U-236 Dale, Duncan id_orcid:0 000-0002-3258-582X Christl, Marcus id_orcid:0 000-0002-3131-6652 Vockenhuber, Christof Macrander, Andreas Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig Middag, Rob Casacuberta, Núria id_orcid:0 000-0001-7316-1655 Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
topic_facet |
tracer artificial radionuclides Iceland Nordic Seas I-129 U-236 |
description |
This study represents the first use of the artificial radionuclides 129I and 236U, released into the ocean mainly from Nuclear Reprocessing Plants, as a dual tracer in the vicinity of Iceland with novel estimation of ocean circulatory pathways and mixing in the region. Iceland lies at the gateway to the Arctic where warm, saline Atlantic waters interact with waters of Arctic origin in ways that have critical consequences for the strength and stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Many of these interactions are not yet fully understood, such as how Atlantic water circulates around the Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas and the composition and fate of the major overflows of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. Using new and previous measurements of 129I and 236U in seawater, we present a new method of appraising water mass provenance and mixing in the form of the 129I–236U dual mixing plot. With this method, we estimate that at least half the Atlantic-origin water entering the Arctic Ocean circulates around the Canada Basin before exiting at Fram Strait and that this outflow is increased by about 40% by mixing with Return Atlantic Water “short-circuiting” the Arctic Ocean at Fram Strait. We present tracer-based evidence that water carried by the East Greenland Current has an unbroken pathway to the Faroe-Shetland Channel and that Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) entrains 60% Labrador Sea Water during transit past southeast Iceland. We present an unambiguous way to differentiate ISOW from DSOW after they partially merge in the Irminger Sea. ISSN:0148-0227 ISSN:2169-9275 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dale, Duncan id_orcid:0 000-0002-3258-582X Christl, Marcus id_orcid:0 000-0002-3131-6652 Vockenhuber, Christof Macrander, Andreas Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig Middag, Rob Casacuberta, Núria id_orcid:0 000-0001-7316-1655 |
author_facet |
Dale, Duncan id_orcid:0 000-0002-3258-582X Christl, Marcus id_orcid:0 000-0002-3131-6652 Vockenhuber, Christof Macrander, Andreas Ólafsdóttir, Sólveig Middag, Rob Casacuberta, Núria id_orcid:0 000-0001-7316-1655 |
author_sort |
Dale, Duncan |
title |
Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
title_short |
Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
title_full |
Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
title_fullStr |
Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tracing Ocean Circulation and Mixing From the Arctic to the Subpolar North Atlantic Using the 129I–236U Dual Tracer |
title_sort |
tracing ocean circulation and mixing from the arctic to the subpolar north atlantic using the 129i–236u dual tracer |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/685503 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000685503 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Irminger Sea |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Canada Greenland Irminger Sea |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean canada basin East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland-Scotland Ridge Iceland Labrador Sea Nordic Seas North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean canada basin East Greenland east greenland current Fram Strait Greenland Greenland-Scotland Ridge Iceland Labrador Sea Nordic Seas North Atlantic |
op_source |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129 (7) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1029/2024JC021211 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001274320100001 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SNF/PRIMA/193091 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101001451 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/685503 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000685503 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/68550310.3929/ethz-b-00068550310.1029/2024JC021211 |
_version_ |
1811634817603731456 |