Monika Rhein

Labrador Sea Water: Pathways, CFC Inventory, and Formation Rates

In 1997, a unique hydrographic and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC: component CFC-11) dataset was obtained in the subpolar North Atlantic. To estimate the synopticity of the 1997 data, the recent temporal evolution of the CFC and Labrador Sea Water (LSW) thickness fields are examined. In the western Atlantic north of 50°N, the LSW thickness decreased considerably from 1994–97, while the mean CFC concentrations did not change much. South of 50°N and in the eastern Atlantic, the CFC concentration increased with little or no change in the LSW thickness. On shorter timescales, local anomalies due to the presence of eddies are observed, but for space scales larger than the eddies the dataset can be treated as being synoptic over the 1997 observation period. The spreading of LSW in the subpolar North Atlantic is described in detail using gridded CFC and LSW thickness fields combined with Profiling Autonomous Lagrangian Circulation Explorer (PALACE) float trajectories. The gridded fields are also used to calculate the CFC-11 inventory in the LSW from 40° to 65°N, and from 10° to 60°W. In total, 2300 ± 250 tons of CFC-11 (equivalent to 16.6 million moles) were brought into the LSW by deep convection. In 1997, 28% of the inventory was still found in the Labrador Sea west of 45°W and 31% of the inventory was located in the eastern Atlantic. The CFC inventory in the LSW was used to estimate the lower limits of LSW formation rates. At a constant formation rate, a value of 4.4–5.6 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) is obtained. If the denser modes of LSW are ventilated only in periods with intense convection, the minimum formation rate of LSW in 1988–94 is 8.1–10.8 Sv, and 1.8–2.4 Sv in 1995–97

Recent advances in observing the physical oceanography of the western Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea has been investigated intensively since the early nineties, using modern techniques and collaborative approaches. This overview summarizes some of the resulting advances that were made concerning the physical oceanography of the western Mediterranean. The water mass formation processes are now much better understood and have been quantified to a large extent. The boundary conditions of the system in terms of surface fluxes and strait transports can be determined with improved accuracy, thus enabling future investigation of interannual variability. The dynamics of the surface and intermediate layers have revealed a variety of eddy and mesoscale processes that are important for the circulation and spreading of water masses. The deep circulation is being investigated with Lagrangian techniques (tracers and floats). First results show a large component of the deep water originating from the Tyrrhenian Sea and intense cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy flows.

Methane in the northern Atlantic controlled by microbial oxidation and atmospheric history

During May - August, 1997, the distributions of dissolved methane and CCl3F (CFC11) were measured in the Atlantic between 50° and 60°N. In surface waters throughout the region, methane was observed to be close to equilibrium with the atmospheric mixing ratio, implying that surface ocean methane is tracking its atmospheric history in regions of North Atlantic Deep Water formation. Despite the different atmospheric history and ocean chemistry of CH4 and CFC11, their spatial distribution patterns in the water column are remarkably similar. One-dimensional distributions have been simulated with an advection-diffusion model forced by the atmospheric histories. The results suggest that the similar patterns result from the increasing input of CH4 and CFC11 to newly formed deep waters over time, combined with the effect of horizontal mixing and the oxidation of methane on a 50 year time scale.

The Bremen mass spectrometric facility for the measurement of helium isotopes, neon, and tritium in water†

We describe the mass spectrometric facility for measuring helium isotopes, neon, and tritium that has been operative at this institute since 1989, and also the sampling and sample preparation steps that precede the mass spectrometric analysis. For water samples in a near-equilibrium with atmospheric air, the facility achieves precision for 3He/4He ratios of±0.4% or better, and±0.8 % or better for helium and neon concentrations. Tritium precision is typically±3 % and the detection limit 10 mTU (≈ 1.2·10−3 Bq/kg of pure water). Sample throughputs can reach some thousands per year. These achievements are enabled, among other features, by automation of the measurement procedure and by elaborate calibration, assisted by continual development in detail. To date, we have measured more than 15,000 samples for tritium and 23,000 for helium isotopes and neon, mostly in the context of oceanographic and hydrologic work. Some results of such work are outlined. Even when atmospheric tritium concentrations have become rather uniform, tritium provides water ages if 3He data are taken concurrently. The technique can resolve tritium concentrations in waters of the pre-nuclear era. †Updated paper: originally presented on the IAEA International Symposium “Quality Assurance for Analytical Methods in Isotope Hydrology” (August 2004, Vienna).

Changes in the CFC inventories and formation rates of upper labrador sea water, 1997-2001

Abstract Chlorofluorocarbon (component CFC-11) and hydrographic data from 1997, 1999, and 2001 are presented to track the large-scale spreading of the Upper Labrador Sea Water (ULSW) in the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean. ULSW is CFC rich and comparatively low in salinity. It is located on top of the denser “classical” Labrador Sea Water (LSW), defined in the density range σΘ = 27.68–27.74 kg m−3. It follows spreading pathways similar to LSW and has entered the eastern North Atlantic. Despite data gaps, the CFC-11 inventories of ULSW in the subpolar North Atlantic (40°–65°N) could be estimated within 11%. The inventory increased from 6.0 ± 0.6 million moles in 1997 to 8.1 ± 0.6 million moles in 1999 and to 9.5 ± 0.6 million moles in 2001. CFC-11 inventory estimates were used to determine ULSW formation rates for different periods. For 1970–97, the mean formation rate resulted in 3.2–3.3 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1). To obtain this estimate, 5.0 million moles of CFC-11 located in 1997 in the ULSW in the...

The deep western boundary current: tracers and velocities

Abstract In the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) mean velocities obtained by the F11/F12 dating method are far smaller (1–2 cm s−1) than direct velocity measurements (5–20 cm s−1). To resolve this discrepancy, a simple box model is presented that uses the ideas of Pickart et al. (1989, Physical Oceanography, 19, 940–951) to parametrize turbulent diffusion of the current with its surroundings. In contrast to previous models, however, the boundary conditions include all water masses forming the lower part of the DWBC (Denmark Strait Overflow Water, Iceland Scotland Overflow Water and Northeast Atlantic Water). The model-derived mean velocity of the DWBC leads to tracer concentrations that have to fit the observed F11 and F12 distributions, the F11/F12 ratios, and the tritium distributions. Moreover, the model area is extended from south of the Faroe bank along the continental margin of the American continent to 10°S. The model assumes uniform velocity and uniform turbulent mixing along the flow path of the DWBC, and enhanced turbulent mixing in the vicinity of the current compared to the oceans interior allows the surrounding waters, which remain motionless, to accumulate tracers. The highest mean velocity of the DWBC, which results in model F12, F11, and 3H distributions as well as F11/F12 ratios, compatible to measurements of these tracers along the western boundary, are 4.8 cm s−1. Variations in the composition of the DWBC as well as changes in the time history of the source water masses do not increase the range of the model velocities.

The zonal currents and transports at 35°W in the tropical Atlantic

The total of 13 existing cross-equatorial shipboard current profiling sections taken during the WOCE period between 1990 and 2002 along 35°W are used to determine the mean meridional structure of the zonal top-to-bottom circulation between the Brazilian coast, near 5°S, and 5°N and to estimate mean transports of the individual identified shallow, intermediate and deep current branches. One of the results is that, on the equator, a mean westward Equatorial Intermediate Current below the Equatorial Undercurrent exists.

Inventory changes in anthropogenic carbon from 1997–2003 in the Atlantic Ocean between 20°S and 65°N

The oceans absorb and store a significant portion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, but large uncertainties remain in the quantification of this sink. An improved assessment of the present and future oceanic carbon sink is therefore necessary to provide recommendations for long‐term global carbon cycle and climate policies. The formation of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) is a unique fast track for transporting anthropogenic CO2 into the oceans interior, making the deep waters rich in anthropogenic carbon. Thus the Atlantic is presently estimated to hold 38% of the oceanic anthropogenic CO2 inventory, although its volume makes up only 25% of the world ocean. Here we analyze the inventory change of anthropogenic CO2 in the Atlantic between 1997 and 2003 and its relationship to NADW formation. For the whole region between 20°S and 65°N the inventory amounts to 32.5 ± 9.5 Petagram carbon (Pg C) in 1997 and increases up to 36.0 ± 10.5 Pg C in 2003. This result is quite similar to earlier studies. Moreover, the overall increase of anthropogenic carbon is in close agreement with the expected change due to rising atmospheric CO2 levels of 1.69% a−1. On the other hand, when considering the subpolar region only, the results demonstrate that the recent weakening in the formation of Labrador Sea Water, a component of NADW, has already led to a decrease of the anthropogenic carbon inventory in this water mass. As a consequence, the overall inventory for the total water column in the western subpolar North Atlantic increased only by 2% between 1997 and 2003, much less than the 11% that would be expected from the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels.

Deep water formation in the western Mediterranean

Wintertime deep convection was studied in the Gulf of Lions (northwestern Mediterranean) using the chlorofiuoromethane (CFM) distributions (components F11 and F12), from December 1991 and February–March 1992. Convection occurred on small spatial and temporal scales and it was not complete: only convection to 1900 m depth was observed. The vertical mixing of the water column above the convection depth turned out to be of major influence regarding the characteristic of newly formed deep water and regarding the boundary conditions for CFMs in modeling deep water formation. Air-sea gas exchange and entrainment were found to be negligible. These findings are important in estimating deep water formation rates for all water masses renewed by convection (e.g., Greenland Sea Deep Water, Labrador Sea Water) and in evaluating the spreading of deep water masses along the western boundary current. A box model is presented which uses CFM and tritium distributions to estimate formation of Western Mediterranean Deep Water below 1000 m. The model starts with zero tracer concentrations in 1945, the integration step is 1 year, and the deep water formation rate is assumed to be constant from 1945 to 1992. The best fit between CFM model concentrations and measurements were obtained at a mean deep water renewal time of 5–7 years, equivalent to a conversion of 0.46 Sv Modified Atlantic Water (0- to 150-m depth) and 0.76 Sv Levantine Intermediate Water (150- to 400-m depth) into deep water. However, the tritium measurements are only partly matched by the model, by assuming that convection stopped in the years 1964–1968.

Importance of the Gulf of Aqaba for the formation of bottom water in the Red Sea

Received 30 March 2000; revised 8 May 2001; accepted 13 September 2001; published 16 August 2002. [1] Conductivity-temperature-depth tracer and direct current measurements collected in the northern Red Sea in February and March 1999 are used to study the formation of deep and bottom water in that region. Historical data showed that open ocean convection in the Red Sea can contribute to the renewal of intermediate or deep water but cannot ventilate the bottom water. The observations in 1999 showed no evidence for open ocean convection in the Red Sea during the winter 1998/1999. The overflow water from the Gulf of Aqaba was found to be the densest water mass in the northern Red Sea. An anomaly of the chlorofluorocarbon component CFC-12 observed in the Gulf of Aqaba and at the bottom of the Red Sea suggests a strong contribution of this water mass to the renewal of bottom water in the Red Sea. The CFC data obtained during this cruise are the first available for this region. Because of the new signal, it is possible for the first time to subdivide the deep water column into deep and bottom water in the northern Red Sea. The available data set also shows that the outflow water from the Gulf of Suez is not dense enough to reach down to the bottom of the Red Sea but was found about 250 m above the bottom. INDEX TERMS: 4875 Oceanography: Biological and Chemical: Trace elements; 4283 Oceanography: General: Water masses; 4243 Oceanography: General: Marginal and semienclosed seas; 4271 Oceanography: General: Physical and chemical properties of seawater; KEYWORDS: Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, formation of bottom water, tracer oceanography, CFC, overflow