Abstract
The mean residence time of river-runoff on the shelves and in the halocline of the Arctic Ocean is estimated from salinity and tracer data (tritium, 3He and the 18O/16O ratio). These estimates are derived from comparison of apparent tracer ages of the halocline waters using a combination of tracers that yield different information: (1) the tritium "vintage" age, which records the time that has passed since the river-runoff entered the shelf; and (2) the tritium/3He age, which reflects the time since the shelf waters left the shelf. The difference between the ages determined by these two methods is about 3-6 years. Correction for the initial tritium/3He age of the shelf waters (about 0.5-1.5 years) yields a mean residence time of the river-runoff on the shelves of the Siberian Seas of about 3.5 ± 2 years.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1053-1068 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Deep-Sea Research Part I |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 1994 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oceanography
- Aquatic Science