Abstract
Natural and anthropogenic tracers in the ocean are widely used not only to better understand water masses circulation and mixing but also to understand and quantify the ocean uptake and storage capacity of greenhouse gases. However, since each tracer is different, it is best to use the complementarity of several tracers to unequivocally identify the various water masses. Here we illustrate the conservative properties and the spatial distribution of the new composite tracer TrOCA ( Tracer combining Oxygen, inorganic Carbon, and total Alkalinity) using oxygen (O 2), dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO 2), and total alkalinity (TA), from the Atlantic Ocean. The significant accuracy improvement of TCO 2 and TA measurements since the 1970s, combined to a large effort in measuring these parameters during large scale cruises throughout the Atlantic Ocean, makes this tracer TrOCA an additional tool in analyzing water mass distribution. This tracer is shown to be conservative in intermediate, deep, and bottom waters. For instance, we show that the independence of TrOCA from other tracers provides further information on the origin and mixing of the main Atlantic water masses. Furthermore, TrOCA combined with the composite tracer NO, in particular the ratio TrOCA/NO, can be used to unequivocally identify and separate the Antarctic Intermediate Water, the Antarctic Bottom Water, and the North Atlantic Deep Water.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.