The role of sea ice in the fate of contaminants in the Arctic Ocean: Plutonium atom ratios in the Fram Strait

Atom ratios of 240Pu to 239Pu in bottom sediments from the Fram Strait are used to provide evidence for the long distance dispersion of Pu in the Arctic Ocean. In particular, low (<0.18) 240Pu/239Pu ratios indicate that plutonium from sources in the Kara Sea and Novaya Zemlya is transported acros...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Science & Technology
Main Authors: Masqué, P., Cochran, J. K., Hebbeln, D., Dethleff, Dirk, Winkler, A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Chemistry Society 2003
Subjects:
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Fram Strait
Kara Sea
North Atlantic
Novaya Zemlya
Sea ice
Online Access:https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/1378/
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/1378/1/masque.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1021/es034176n
Description
Summary:Atom ratios of 240Pu to 239Pu in bottom sediments from the Fram Strait are used to provide evidence for the long distance dispersion of Pu in the Arctic Ocean. In particular, low (<0.18) 240Pu/239Pu ratios indicate that plutonium from sources in the Kara Sea and Novaya Zemlya is transported across the basin toward the North Atlantic. The results have implications for the ability of sea ice to incorporate, intercept, and transport contaminants in the Arctic Ocean. They demonstrate that the fates of sea ice and associated contaminants in the Arctic Ocean are closely coupled, with the release of the particulate load and associated chemical species occurring in principal sea ice ablation areas such as the Fram Strait.

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