Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases
Currently available transient tracers have different application ranges that are defined by their temporal input (chronological transient tracers) or their decay rate (radioactive transient tracers). Transient tracers range from tracers for highly ventilated water masses such as sulfur hexafluoride...
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2015
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Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/1/os-11-699-2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015 |
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:25821 2023-05-15T14:01:20+02:00 Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases Stöven, Tim Tanhua, Toste Hoppema, M. Bullister, J. L. 2015-09-18 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/1/os-11-699-2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015 en eng Copernicus Publications (EGU) https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/1/os-11-699-2015.pdf Stöven, T. , Tanhua, T. , Hoppema, M. and Bullister, J. L. (2015) Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases. Open Access Ocean Science, 11 . pp. 699-718. DOI 10.5194/os-11-699-2015 <https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015>. doi:10.5194/os-11-699-2015 cc_by_3.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2015 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015 2023-04-07T15:14:41Z Currently available transient tracers have different application ranges that are defined by their temporal input (chronological transient tracers) or their decay rate (radioactive transient tracers). Transient tracers range from tracers for highly ventilated water masses such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) through tritium (3H) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) up to tracers for less ventilated deep ocean basins such as argon-39 (39Ar) and radiocarbon (14C). In this context, highly ventilated water masses are defined as water masses that have been in contact with the atmosphere during the last decade. Transient tracers can be used to empirically constrain the transit time distribution (TTD), which can often be approximated with an inverse Gaussian (IG) distribution. The IG-TTD provides information about ventilation and the advective/diffusive characteristics of a water parcel. Here we provide an overview of commonly used transient tracer couples and the corresponding application range of the IG-TTD by using the new concept of validity areas. CFC-12, CFC-11 and SF6 data from three different cruises in the South Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean as well as 39Ar data from the 1980s and early 1990s in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Weddell Sea are used to demonstrate this method. We found that the IG-TTD can be constrained along the Greenwich Meridian south to 46° S, which corresponds to the Subantarctic Front (SAF) denoting the application limit. The Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) describes the limiting water layer in the vertical. Conspicuous high or lower ratios between the advective and diffusive components describe the transition between the validity area and the application limit of the IG-TTD model rather than describing the physical properties of the water parcel. The combination of 39Ar and CFC data places constraints on the IG-TTD in the deep water north of the SAF, but not beyond this limit. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic South Atlantic Ocean Southern Ocean Weddell Sea OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Antarctic Greenwich Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea Ocean Science 11 5 699 718 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
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ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
Currently available transient tracers have different application ranges that are defined by their temporal input (chronological transient tracers) or their decay rate (radioactive transient tracers). Transient tracers range from tracers for highly ventilated water masses such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) through tritium (3H) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) up to tracers for less ventilated deep ocean basins such as argon-39 (39Ar) and radiocarbon (14C). In this context, highly ventilated water masses are defined as water masses that have been in contact with the atmosphere during the last decade. Transient tracers can be used to empirically constrain the transit time distribution (TTD), which can often be approximated with an inverse Gaussian (IG) distribution. The IG-TTD provides information about ventilation and the advective/diffusive characteristics of a water parcel. Here we provide an overview of commonly used transient tracer couples and the corresponding application range of the IG-TTD by using the new concept of validity areas. CFC-12, CFC-11 and SF6 data from three different cruises in the South Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean as well as 39Ar data from the 1980s and early 1990s in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Weddell Sea are used to demonstrate this method. We found that the IG-TTD can be constrained along the Greenwich Meridian south to 46° S, which corresponds to the Subantarctic Front (SAF) denoting the application limit. The Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) describes the limiting water layer in the vertical. Conspicuous high or lower ratios between the advective and diffusive components describe the transition between the validity area and the application limit of the IG-TTD model rather than describing the physical properties of the water parcel. The combination of 39Ar and CFC data places constraints on the IG-TTD in the deep water north of the SAF, but not beyond this limit. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Stöven, Tim Tanhua, Toste Hoppema, M. Bullister, J. L. |
spellingShingle |
Stöven, Tim Tanhua, Toste Hoppema, M. Bullister, J. L. Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
author_facet |
Stöven, Tim Tanhua, Toste Hoppema, M. Bullister, J. L. |
author_sort |
Stöven, Tim |
title |
Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
title_short |
Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
title_full |
Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
title_fullStr |
Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
title_full_unstemmed |
Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
title_sort |
perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications (EGU) |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/1/os-11-699-2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015 |
geographic |
Antarctic Greenwich Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Greenwich Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic South Atlantic Ocean Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic South Atlantic Ocean Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/25821/1/os-11-699-2015.pdf Stöven, T. , Tanhua, T. , Hoppema, M. and Bullister, J. L. (2015) Perspectives of transient tracer applications and limiting cases. Open Access Ocean Science, 11 . pp. 699-718. DOI 10.5194/os-11-699-2015 <https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015>. doi:10.5194/os-11-699-2015 |
op_rights |
cc_by_3.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-11-699-2015 |
container_title |
Ocean Science |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
699 |
op_container_end_page |
718 |
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1766271038099816448 |