Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Low 210Pb in the upper thermocline in the Canadian Basin: scavenge process over the Chukchi Sea

  • Published:
Acta Oceanologica Sinica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

210Pb was measured during the 3rd Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition cruise to investigate its spatial pattern in the western Arctic Ocean, as well as its relation with the thermocline in the Canadian Basin. The specific activities varied from 0.04 to 2.72, <0.013 to 4.37, and 0.1 to 4.85 Bq/m3 for dissolved, particulate, and bulk 210Pb, respectively, corresponding to respective averages of 0.65, 0.43, and 1.08 Bq/m3. In the Canadian Basin, the minimum 210Pb activities occurred in the thermocline, which was characterized by low temperature of −1.52°C and salinity of 33.1. Combining the spatial distribution of 210Pb and hydrographical characteristics in the western Arctic Ocean, this scenario was ascribed to the effective scavenging of 210Pb when the Pacific water flowed across the Chukchi Shelf. Quantitatively, this interpretation was supported by both the shorter residence times and higher scavenging efficiencies (SE) of dissolved 210Pb over the Chukchi Shelf. The highest SE values were observed in the Herald Shoal and bottom waters over the slope.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aagaard K, Coachman L, Carmack E. 1981. On the halocline of the Arctic Ocean. Deep-Sea Research Part A: Oceanographic Research Papers, 28(6): 529–545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bacon M P, Spencer D W, Brewer P G. 1976. 210Pb/226Ra and 210Po/210Pb disequilibria in seawater and suspended particulate matter. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 32(2): 277–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Min, Huang Yipu, Guo Laodong, et al. 2002. Biological productivity and carbon cycling in the Arctic Ocean. Chinese Science Bulletin, 47(12): 1037–1040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Min, Huang Yipu, Jin Mingming, et al. 2003. The isotope tracer in the formation mechanism of the upper and lower thermocline water in Canada Basin. Science in China (Series D), 33(2): 127–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Min, Ma Qiang, Guo Laodong, et al. 2012. Importance of lateral transport processes to 210Pb budget in the eastern Chukchi Sea during summer 2003. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 81–84: 53–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Min, Xing Na, Huang Yipu, et al. 2008. The mean residence time of river water in the Canada Basin. Chinese Science Bulletin, 53(5): 777–783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chung Y. 1981. 210Pb and 226Ra distributions in the circumpolar waters. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 55(2): 205–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chung Y, Craig H. 1983. 210Pb in the Pacific: the GEOSECS measurements of particulate and dissolved concentrations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 65(2): 406–432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochran J K. 1982. The oceanic chemistry of the U- and Th-series nuclides in the oceans. In: Ivanovich M, Harmon R S, eds. Uranium Series Disequilibrium: Applications to Environmental Problems. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 384–430

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran J K, Hirschberg D J, Livingston H, et al. 1995. Natural and anthropogenic radionuclide distributions in the Nansen Basin, Arctic Ocean: scavenging rates and circulation timescales. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 42(6): 1495–1517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochran J K, McKibbin-Vaughan T, Dornblaser M M, et al. 1990. 210Pb scavenging in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 97(3–4): 332–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwell J C. 1985. Sediment accumulation rates in an Alaskan arctic lake using a modified 210Pb technique. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 42(4): 809–814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dibb J E. 1992. The accumulation of 210Pb at Summit, Greenland since 1855. Tellus B, 44(1): 72–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekwurzel B, Schlosser P, Mortlock R A, et al. 2001. River runoff, sea ice meltwater, and Pacific water distribution and mean residence times in the Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106(C5): 9075–9092

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleer A P, Bacon M P. 1984. Determination of 210Pb and 210Po in seawater and marine particulate matter. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, 223(2–3): 243–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glover D M, Reeburgh W S. 1987. Radon-222 and radium-226 in southeastern Bering Sea shelf waters and sediment. Continental Shelf Research, 7: 433–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Wentao. 2012. Radium isotopes in the western Arctic Ocean and the Prydz Bay and its adjacent areas, Antarctic (in Chinese) [dissertation]. Xiamen: Xiamen University

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermanson M H. 1990. 210Pb and 137Cs chronology of sediments from small, shallow Arctic lakes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 54(5): 1443–1451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huh C-A, Pisias N G, Kelley J M, et al. 1997. Natural radionuclides and plutonium in sediments from the western Arctic Ocean: sedimentation rates and pathways of radionuclides. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 44(8): 1725–1743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jin Mingming, Shi Jiuxin, Lu Yong, et al. 2005. Nutrient maximums related to low oxygen concentrations in the southern Canada Basin. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 24(6): 88–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones E, Anderson L. 1986. On the origin of the chemical properties of the Arctic Ocean halocline. Journal of Geophysical Research, 91(C9): 10759–10767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim G. 2001. Large deficiency of polonium in the oligotrophic ocean’s interior. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 192(1): 15–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinney P, Arhelger M E, Burrell D C. 1970. Chemical characteristics of water masses in the Amerasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 75(21): 4097–4104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kipphut G W. 1978. An investigation of sedimentary processes in lakes [dissertation]. New York: Columbia University

    Google Scholar 

  • Lepore K, Moran S, Smith J. 2009. 210Pb as a tracer of shelf-basin transport and sediment focusing in the Chukchi Sea. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 56(17): 1305–1315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Yanping. 2004. Radium geochemical behavior and its oceanic implication (in Chinese) [dissertation]. Xiamen: Xiamen University

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma Qiang, Chen Min, Qiu Yusheng, et al. 2005. Regional estimates of POC export flux derived from thorium-234 in the western Arctic Ocean. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 24(6): 97–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Masqué P, Sanchez-Cabeza J, Bruach J, et al. 2002. Balance and residence times of 210Pb and 210Po in surface waters of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Continental Shelf Research, 22(15): 2127–2146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin F, Carmack E, Macdonald R, et al. 2004. The joint roles of Pacific and Atlantic-origin waters in the Canada Basin, 1997–1998. Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 51(1): 107–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore R M, Lowings M G, Tan F C. 1983. Geochemical profiles in the central Arctic Ocean: Their relation to freezing and shallow circulation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 88(C4): 2667–2674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore R M, Smith J N. 1986. Disequilibria between 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po in the Arctic Ocean and the implications for chemical modification of the Pacific water inflow. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 77(3–4): 285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray J W, Paul B, Dunne J P, et al. 2005. 234Th, 210Pb, 210Po and stable Pb in the central equatorial Pacific: Tracers for particle cycling. Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 52(11): 2109–2139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki Y, Tsubota H, Kasemsupaya V, et al. 1991. Residence times of surface water and particle-reactive 210Pb and 210Po in the East China and Yellow seas. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 55: 1265–1272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki Y, Tsunogai S. 1976. 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po disequilibria in the western North Pacific. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 32(2): 313–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki Y, Zhang Jing, Takeda A. 1997. 2I0Pb and 210Po in the equatorial Pacific and the Bering Sea: the effects of biological productivity and boundary scavenging. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 44(9–10): 2203–2220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts K A, Cochran J K, Barnes C. 1997. 210Pb and 239,240Pu in the Northeast Water Polynya, Greenland: particle dynamics and sediment mixing rates. Journal of Marine Systems, 10(1): 401–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarin M M, Kim G, Church T M. 1999. 210Po and 210Pb in the southequatorial Atlantic: distribution and disequilibrium in the upper 500 m. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 46(5): 907–917

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi Jiuxin, Zhao Jinping, Jiao Yutian, et al. 2004. Pacific inflow and its links with abnormal variations in the Arctic Ocean. Chinese Journal of Polar Research (in Chinese), 16(3): 253–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimada K, Itoh M, Nishino S, et al. 2005. Halocline structure in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(L03605): 1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith J N, Moran S B, Macdonald R W. 2003. Shelf-basin interactions in the Arctic Ocean based on 210Pb and Ra isotope tracer distributions. Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 50(3): 397–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson J, Turekian K K. 1976. 210Po and 210Pb distributions in ocean water profiles from the eastern South Pacific. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 32(2): 297–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingartner T J, Aagaard K, Woodgate R A, et al. 2005. Circulation on the north central Chukchi Sea shelf. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 52(24–26): 3150–3174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingartner T J, Cavalieri D J, Aagaard K, et al. 1998. Circulation, dense water formation, and outflow on the northeast Chukchi shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103(C4): 7647–7661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss H, Naidu A. 1986. 210Pb flux in an arctic coastal region. Arctic, 39(1): 59–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson C, Wallace D W R. 1990. Using the nutrient ratio NO/PO as a tracer of continental shelf waters in the central Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research, 95(C12): 22193–22208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xing Na. 2002. Distribution of 226Ra, 228Ra and 210Pb in seawaters and their implication for marine geochemical processes (in Chinese) [dissertation]. Xiamen: Xiamen University

    Google Scholar 

  • Xing Na, Chen Min, Huang Yipu, et al. 2003. The distribution of 226Ra in the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea and its hydrologic implications. Science in China (Series D), 46(5): 516–528

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Weifeng. 2005. Marine biogeochemistry of 210Po and 210Pb and their implications regarding the cycling and export of particles (in Chinese) [dissertation]. Xiamen: Xiamen University

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang Weifeng, Huang Yipu, Chen Min, et al. 2006. Disequilibria between 210Po and 210Pb in surface waters of the southern South China Sea and their implications. Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences, 49(1): 103–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Weifeng, Huang Yipu, Chen Min, et al. 2009. Export and remineralization of POM in the Southern Ocean and the South China Sea estimated from 210Po/210Pb disequilibria. Chinese Science Bulletin, 54: 2118–2123

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Wangjiang Hu, Min Chen, Weifeng Yang, Run Zhang, Yusheng Qiu & Minfang Zheng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Min Chen, Weifeng Yang & Yusheng Qiu

Authors
  1. Wangjiang Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Min Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Weifeng Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Run Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yusheng Qiu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Minfang Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Chen.

Additional information

Foundation items: The Chinese Polar Environment Comprehensive Investigation and Assessment Programs under contract No. CHINARE2014-03-04-03; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41125020; the 4th Chinese Arctic Research Program; the Polar Science Strategic Research Foundation of China under contract No. 20120307.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hu, W., Chen, M., Yang, W. et al. Low 210Pb in the upper thermocline in the Canadian Basin: scavenge process over the Chukchi Sea. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 33, 28–39 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0486-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0486-6

Key words

Search

Navigation