Tritium, radiocarbon, 90Sr and 129I in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Authors :: Povinec, P.P.
Lee, S.-H.
Kwong, L. Liong Wee
Oregioni, B.
Jull, A.J.T.
Kieser, W.E.
Morgenstern, U.
Top, Z.
Source :: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B. Apr2010, Vol. 268 Issue 7/8, p1214-1218. 5p.
Publication Year :: 2010
Abstract: Abstract: Anthropogenic radionuclides have been widely used to investigate water circulation on regional and global scales. We observed that 3H, 14C, 90Sr and 129I concentrations in surface water of the Indian Ocean are similar to those measured in the North-western Pacific Ocean. This is due to the transport of water masses from the North-western Pacific via the Indonesian Seas to the Indian Ocean. The observed variations of radionuclide concentrations with latitude in the Indian Ocean are not due to deposition patterns of global fallout, but due to different water masses present in the region. Higher radionuclide concentrations observed in the South Indian Ocean in the latitudinal belt of 20–40°S are associated with the Indian Ocean Subtropical gyre, which acts as a reservoir of radionuclides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]