Sediment trap experiments in the water column off southwestern Taiwan:234Th fluxes

The activity of²³⁴Th (t _1/2=24.1 days) in dissolved, particulate and sediment trap samples was determined in the water column off southwestern Taiwan during 2–4 October, 1993. Vertical²³⁴Th fluxes measured by the free-floating sediment traps ranged from 363 to 2290 dpm m^–2 d^–1 in the upper 450 m. Th-234 fluxes predicted from the irreversible scavenging model concur with those measured by the sediment traps. Comparison of the residence times of particulate²³⁴Th and particulate organic carbon showed that their respective values differ by a factor of approximately 23, which suggests organic carbon is preferentially recycled relative to²³⁴Th in the euphotic zone.     

Nutrient budgets for the South China Sea basin

Varying atmospheric forcing and an elaborate geography make for a complex flow in the South China Sea (SCS). Throughout the year, the surface waters of the Kuroshio flow into the SCS, while the surface waters of the SCS flow out through the Bashi Channel. Cumulatively, there is a small (1 Sv) net outflow of surface water (0–350-m depth) from the SCS in the wet season, but a net inflow (3 Sv) in the dry season through the Bashi Channel. The differences are mainly made up by inflow and outflow of Sunda Shelf Water in the wet and dry seasons, respectively.Seawater, phosphorus, nitrogen and silicate budgets were calculated based on a box model. The results point out an intermediate water outflow (350–1350-m depth) into the West Philippine Sea (WPS) through the Bashi Channel in both the wet and dry seasons, though this, along with the nutrients it carries, is slightly larger in the dry season (2 Sv) than in the wet (1.8 Sv). More importantly, the export of nutrient-laden SCS intermediate water through the Bashi Channel subsequently upwells onto the East China Sea (ECS) shelf. The denitrification rate for shelves in the SCS is 0.11 mol N m⁻² year⁻¹, calculated by balancing the nitrogen budget. The oxygen consumption and the nutrient regeneration rates, based on the mass-balance and the one-dimensional advection–diffusion models, stand between those for the Bering Sea and the Sea of Japan.     

Th isotopes in the Santa Monica basin: Temporal variation,long-term mass balance and model rate constants

Distribution and flux of²³⁴Th,²³²Th and²³⁰Th in the water column of central Santa Monica basin observed over a period of seven years show seasonal and interannual variabilities. A steady-state model is applied to the integrated data to calculate long term average flux and model rate constants of Th isotopes. Mass balance calculations show that the basin acts like a closed system for short-lived²³⁴Th, but not for the long-lived isotopes²³⁰Th and²³²Th. Most²³⁰Th in the basin is transported from elsewhere. Of the incoming Th, 40–55% of the²³⁰Th and 14–26% of the²³²Th enter the surface water in dissolved form. In the upper 100 m, the residence time of dissolved Th with respect to adsorption onto suspended particulates, 70–80 days, is about one order of magnitude higher than the residence time of suspended particles with respect to aggregation into sinking particles, 7–10 days.     

Dynamics of subtidal flow in the Taiwan Strait

Two current meter moorings were deployed in the Taiwan Strait from 3 April to 5 May 1983. The data indicate that the subtidal flow in this rather wide strait can be separated into two parts: the mean flow and wind-driven flow, which make about equal contributions to the overall flow. The mean flow is probably originates from branching of the Kuroshio through Bashi Channel. The magnitude of the current is nearly 30 cm sec^–1 flowing northward, and the corresponding along-strait sea surface slope is on the order of 10^–7. The residual flow is a local wind-driven flow, and reaches a frictionally balanced state in about 4 hr. Assuming a linear drag law for the bottom stress, a hindcast scheme is constructed and the results compare well with the observations.     

Nearshore scavenging phenomenon elucidated by <Superscript>234</Superscript>th/<Superscript>238</Superscript>u disequilibrium in the coastal waters off Western Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th activities in surface seawater were determined at 27 stations along the coastline of western Taiwan during 19–23 November 2004. Contrasting scavenging settings were observed between the northern and southern regimes of the nearshore water off western Taiwan, separated by the Cho-Shui River. The northern regime is characterized by a large quantity of suspended load contributed by northward transport of a suspension plume from the Cho-Shui River, while the southern regime, low in suspended load and high in chlorophyll concentration, is a system controlled by biological activity. A scavenging model that takes account of the physical transport was used to estimate the ²³⁴Th budget in order to estimate the scavenging and removal rates from the nearshore water. The scavenging and removal rates ranged from 21 to 127 dpm m⁻³d⁻¹ and from 36 to 525 dpm m⁻³d⁻¹, for dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th, respectively. The removal fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were estimated by multiplying the particulate ²³⁴Th removal flux to the organic carbon/²³⁴Th and nitrogen/²³⁴Th ratios in suspended particles, which ranged from 4.5 to 275.2 mmol-C m⁻²d⁻¹ and from 1.3 to 50.1 mmol-N m⁻²d⁻¹, respectively. These fluxes resulted in residence times of 1∼20 days for the POC in the surface water of nearshore water off western Taiwan.     

Temporal variations of dissolved and particulate Th at a coastal station of the northern Adriatic Sea

Water–particle interactions, particle behaviour and short-time scale variability were assessed at a coastal station adjacent to the Emilia Romagna Region (Adriatic Sea) using dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th analyses. The water column was sampled six times between March and September 1997. Measurements showed that ²³⁴Th is actively scavenged by particles but the dissolved fraction is always prevalent. Changes in hydrological conditions affect to some degree thorium activities and residence times. Dissolved thorium inventories slowly increased from May to July, then decreased in August, and increased again in September. In July, the formation of a sharp pycnocline associated with low productivity led to high dissolved and very low particulate ²³⁴Th activities due to inefficient scavenging. The presence of mucilaginous aggregates, observed in both August and September, may have played a role in scavenging of thorium. In September at 16 m depth, the highest ²³⁴Th particulate activity of the study period was measured, probably due to the presence of mucilage. However, the thorium deficit was scarce, due to the small sinking velocity of these aggregates. Both steady-state and non-steady state models were used to calculate residence times for the whole water column and its topmost part (10 m) obtaining strictly comparable results. Residence times in the whole water column are small, ranging from 15 to 45 and from 0.5 to 24 d for dissolved and particulate thorium, respectively.     

The bimodality of the Luzon Strait deep water

Combined conductivity-temperature-depth(CTD) casts and Argo profiles, 3 086 historical hydrocasts were used to quantify the water column characteristics in the northern South China Sea(SCS) and its adjacent waters. Based on a two-dimensional "gravest empirical mode"(GEM), a gravitational potential(, a vertically integrated variable) was used as proxy for the vertical temperature profiles TG(p,). integrated from 8 MPa to the surface shows a close relationship with the temperature, except in the deep layer greater than 15 MPa, which was caused by the bimodal deep water in the region. The GEM temperature profiles successfully revealed the bimodality of the Luzon Strait deep water, that disparate hydrophic vertical profiles can produce distinct specific volume anomaly() in the SCS and the western Philippine Sea(WPS), but failed in the Luzon Strait, where different temperature profiles may produce a same. A significant temperature divergence between the SCS water and the WPS water confirmed that the bimodal structure is strong. The deepwater bifurcation starts at about 15 MPa, and gets stronger with increasing depth. As the only deep channel connecting the bimodal-structure waters, water column characteristics in the Luzon Strait is in between, but much closer to the SCS water because of its better connectivity with the SCS. A bimodal temperature structure below 15 MPa reveals that there was a persistent baroclinic pressure gradient driving flow through the Luzon Strait. A volume flux predicted through the Bashi Channel with the hydraulic theory yields a value of 5.62×106 m3/s using all available profiles upstream and downstream of the overflow region, and 4.03×106and 2.70×106 m3/s by exclusively using the profiles collected during spring and summer, respectively. No volume flux was calculated during autumn and winter because profiles are only available for the upstream of the Bashi Channel during the corresponding period.     

Bashi channel,Luzon strait: A hydraulic model experiment of the tidal current

Bottom current conditions due to tidal currents in the area of the Bashi Channel, Luzon Strait, are examined using a scaled hydraulic model in a uni-directional flow channel. The geometrical model is scaled in both the similitude of Froude's Number and the similitude of the four-thirds power law of eddy viscosity. The currents obtained from the experiment seem to be consistent in order of magnitude with the estimated currents based on observations made by Offshore Environmental System Ltd. In a quasi-steady tidal phase, formation of a strong core flow is found in the Bashi Channel. It can be explained by a simple theoretical model in which the formation of the strong current is attributed to the submarine topography of the Luzon Strait.     

Short-lived thorium isotopes (Th, Th) as indicators of POC export and particle cycling in the Ross Sea, Southern Ocean

Repeated measurements of depth profiles of ²³⁴Th (dissolved, 1–70 and >70 μm particulate) at three stations (Orca, Minke, Sei) in the Ross Sea have been used to estimate the export of Th and particulate organic carbon (POC) from the euphotic zone. Sampling was carried out on three JGOFS cruises covering the period from October 1996 (austral early spring) to April 1997 (austral fall). Deficiencies of ²³⁴Th relative to its parent ²³⁸U in the upper 100 m are small during the early spring cruise, increase to maximum values during the summer, and decrease over the course of the fall. Application of a non-steady-state model to the ²³⁴Th data shows that the flux of Th from the euphotic zone occurs principally during the summer cruise and in the interval between summer and fall. Station Minke in the southwestern Ross Sea appears to sustain significant ²³⁴Th removal for a longer period than is evident at Orca or Sei. Particulate ²³⁴Th activities and POC are greater in the 1–70 μm size fraction, except late in the summer cruise, when the >70 μm POC fraction exceeds that of the 1–70 μm fraction. The POC/²³⁴Th ratio in the >70 μm fraction exceeds that in the 1–70 μm fraction, likely due in part to the greater availability of surface sites for Th adsorption in the latter. Particulate ²³⁴Th fluxes are converted to POC fluxes by multiplying by the POC/²³⁴Th ratio of the >70 μm fraction (assumed to be representative of sinking particles). POC fluxes calculated from a steady-state Th scavenging model range from 7 to 91 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ during late January–early February, with the greatest flux observed at station Minke late in the cruise. Fluxes estimated with a non-steady-state Th model are 85 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ at Minke (1/13–2/1/97) and 50 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ at Orca (1/19–2/1/97). The decline in POC inventories (0–100 m) is most rapid in the southern Ross Sea during the austral summer cruise (Smith et al., 2000. The seasonal cycle of phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II 47, 3119–3140. Gardner et al., 2000. Seasonal patterns of water column particulate organic carbon and fluxes in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II 47, 3423–3449), and the ²³⁴Th-derived POC fluxes indicate that the sinking flux of POC is 30–50% of the POC decrease, depending on whether steady-state or non-steady-state Th fluxes are used. Rate constants for particle POC aggregation and disaggregation rates are calculated at station Orca by coupling particulate ²³⁴Th data with ²²⁸Th data on the same samples. Late in the early spring cruise, as well as during the summer cruise, POC aggregation rates are highest in near-surface waters and decrease with depth. POC disaggregation rates during the same time generally increase to a maximum and are low at depth (>200 m). Subsurface aggregation rates increase to high values late in the summer, while disaggregation rates decrease. This trend helps explain higher values of POC in the >70 m fraction relative to the 1–70 m fraction late in the summer cruise. Increases in disaggregation rate below 100 m transfer POC from the large to small size fraction and may attenuate the flux of POC sinking out of the euphotic zone.     

Impact of the Mediterranean Outflow Water on particle dynamics in intermediate waters of the Northeast Atlantic, as revealed by Th and Th

Over the last decade ²³⁴Th has become increasingly used to study particle transport in the ocean on a timescale of weeks. The application of ²³⁴Th is mainly focused on the determination of particle and associated carbon fluxes from oceanic surface water. However, ²³⁴Th is also suitable for investigating particle dynamic from the upper ocean down to interface sediments, as illustrated by the present work which reports unexpected behavior of ²³⁴Th in intermediate waters associated with the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW). Concentration profiles of dissolved ²³⁸U and ²²⁸Ra, and dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th and ²²⁸Th were measured in the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) near the Gibraltar Straits and at two sites (36°30′N–15°35′W, Nicole; 36°27′N–10°35′W, Yseult) which had hydrographic characteristics of Meddies, i.e. MOW that propagates as eddies in the Northeastern Atlantic at intermediate depths.There are marked differences in the distribution of thorium between MOW and the surrounding Atlantic waters. At the youngest Meddy Nicole salinity maximum at 1000 m depth, ²³⁴Th(total) : ²³⁸U and ²²⁸Th(total) : ²²⁸Ra activity ratios are significantly lower than radioactive equilibrium, indicating an unusual deficit of short half-life thorium nuclides. This implies an export of thorium, presumably on particles, from intermediate Meddy Nicole waters. This process is supported by an increase of particulate thorium fluxes measured in sediment traps deployed for two weeks above and within Meddy Nicole. In contrast, offshore Meddy Yseult has more typical profiles of both thorium nuclides that are nearly in equilibrium with their parents. These results indicate that at intermediate depths, the presence of MOW affects the exchange of reactive elements between particles and dissolved forms and enhances the downward flux of particles from intermediate waters in the Northeast Atlantic.     

Investigation of Cd, Cu, Ni and Th in the colloidal size range in the Gulf of Maine

Size-fractionated seawater samples were collected from the Gulf of Maine to determine the fraction (f_c/d) of total dissolved (< 1 μm) Cd, Cu, Ni and ²³⁴Th in the colloidal size range (1,000 nominal molecular weight, NMW, to 1 μm) using cross-flow filtration. Colloidal Cd, Cu and Ni represents < 1–7% of the total dissolved concentration in these shelf waters and increases with an increase in particle concentration. By comparison, results obtained for particle-reactive ²³⁴Th indicate that < 1–47% of total dissolved is associated with the colloidal size fraction. A revised relationship between the concentration of colloids (C_c) and suspended particles (C_p) is reported (log C_c = 0.66 log C_p −2.01 kg L⁻¹) and used to examine the dependence of f_c/d for these metals on the concentration of suspended particles for C_p = 0.01–100 mg L⁻¹. Results indicate that a significant fraction (˜ 10–30%) of Cd, Cu, Ni and ²³⁴Th in the traditionally defined ‘dissolved’ fraction may exist in the colloidal size range in regions characterized by high particle concentrations (C_p > 1–10 mg L⁻¹), such as in near-shore and estuarine waters.     

Time-series measurements of Th in water column and sediment trap samples from the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Disequilibrium between ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U in water column profiles has been used to estimate the settling flux of Th (and, by proxy, of particulate organic carbon); yet potentially major non-steady-state influences on ²³⁴Th profiles are often not able to be considered in estimations of flux. We have compared temporal series of ²³⁴Th distributions in the upper water column at both coastal and deep-water sites in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea to coeval sediment trap records at the same sites. We have used sediment trap records of ²³⁴Th fluxes to predict temporal changes in water column ²³⁴Th deficits and have compared the predicted deficits to those measured to determine whether the time-evolution of the two coincide. At the coastal site (327 m water depth), trends in the two estimates of water column ²³⁴Th deficits are in fairly close agreement over the 1-month deployment during the spring bloom in 1999. In contrast, the pattern of water column ²³⁴Th deficits is poorly predicted by sediment trap records at the deep-water site (DYFAMED, 2300 m water depth) in both 2003 and 2005. In particular, the transition from a mesotrophic to an oligotrophic system, clearly seen in trap fluxes, is not evident in water column ²³⁴Th profiles, which show high-frequency variability. Allowing trapping efficiencies to vary from 100% does not reconcile the differences between trap and water column deficit observations; we conclude that substantial lateral and vertical advective influences must be invoked to account for the differences.Advective influences are potentially greater on ²³⁴Th fluxes derived from water column deficits relative to those obtained from traps because the calculation of deficits in open-ocean settings is dominated by the magnitude of the “dissolved” ²³⁴Th fraction. For observed current velocities of 5–20 cm s⁻¹, in one radioactive mean-life of ²³⁴Th, the water column at the DYFAMED site can reflect ²³⁴Th scavenging produced tens to hundreds of kilometers away. In contrast, most of the ²³⁴Th flux collected in shallow sediment traps at the DFYFAMED site was in the fraction settling >200 m d⁻¹; in effect the sediment trap can integrate the ²³⁴Th flux over distances 40-fold less than water column ²³⁴Th distributions. In some sense, sediment trap and water column sampling for ²³⁴Th provide complementary pictures of ²³⁴Th export. However, because the two methods can be dominated by different processes and are subject to different biases, their comparison must be treated with caution.     

Role of colloidal material in the removal of 234Th in the Canada basin of the Arctic Ocean

The phase partitioning of ²³⁴Th between dissolved (<10-kiloDalton, kD), colloidal (10 kD—0.4 μm), and particulate (⩾0.5 μm) matter across a horizontal transect, from a coastal station to the deep Canada Basin, and a vertical profile in the deep Canada Basin of the western Arctic Ocean was investigated. Concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), dissolved, colloidal and particulate organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen and nutrients (silicate, phosphate and nitrate) were also measured to assess transport and scavenging processes.Total ²³⁴Th (colloidal+particulate+dissolved) indicated deficiencies relative to secular equilibrium with its parent, ²³⁸U in the upper 100 m, which suggests active scavenging of ²³⁴Th onto particle surfaces. In contrast, at depths >200 m, general equilibrium existed between total ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U. The inventory of SPM and the specific activity of particulate ²³⁴Th in the Canada Basin was about an order of magnitude higher than the profile reported for the Alpha Ridge ice camp station. This higher concentration of SPM in the southwestern Canada Basin is likely derived from ice-rafted sedimentary particles. Inventories of nutrients, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in the upper 100 m of the Canada Basin are comparable to the other estimates for the central Arctic Ocean. Comparison of the mass concentrations of colloidal and filter-retained particulate matter as well as the activity of ²³⁴Th in these phases indicates that only a very small component of the colloidal material is actively involved in Th scavenging. Lower values of the conditional partition coefficient between the colloidal and dissolved phase indicate that the Arctic colloids are less reactive than colloidal material from other regions. The conditional partition coefficient between the filter-retained and dissolved phases (K_f) is generally higher than that for other regions, which is attributed to the higher complexation capacity of glacio-marine sedimentary particles in these waters. The ²³⁴Th-derived export of POC for the shelf and deep Canada Basin ranges between 5.6 and 6.5 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, and is in agreement with other estimates reported for the central Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea.     

Particulate organic carbon export flux by 234Th/238U disequilibrium in the continental slope of the East China Sea

234Th is widely used to quantify the magnitude of upper ocean particulate organic carbon(POC)export in oceans.In the present work,the rates of particulate organic carbon export were measured based on the distribution patterns of234Th/238U disequilibrium in the water column within the continental slope of the East China Sea(ECS)during May 2011.The profiles of particulate and dissolved234Th activities at all three stations showed a relative deficit with respect to238U in the upper 100 m of the water column.The dissolved234Th scavenging rates and the particulate234Th removal rates and their residence times were calculated by a one-dimensional steady state model.The results showed that the dissolved234Th scavenging rates and the particulate234Th removal rates ranged from 12.4–61.4 dpm/(m3·d)andfrom3.8–21.8 dpm/(m3·d),respectively.The residence times of dissolved and particulate234Th were in the range of 3.4–158 d and 63.7–96.5 d,respectively.Combined with the measurement of POC/234Th ratios of suspended particles,POC export flux(calculated by carbon)from the euphotic zone was estimated in the study region,which ranged from 4.14–14.7 mmol/(m2·d),withanaverageof8.21mmol/(m2·d),occupying35%oftheprimeproductivity in the study area.The results of this study can provide new information for better understanding the carbon biogeochemical cycle within the continental slope of the ECS.     

南大洋普里兹湾基于234Th/238U不平衡法的POC输出通量研究

中国第22次南极科学考察(2005年11月至2006年3月)期间,测定了南极普里兹湾海域5个站位的从表层至150 m水深的不同层位水样中溶解态和颗粒态234Th,238U的放射性比活度以及颗粒有机碳.利用234Th/238U在上层水体中的不平衡,计算了南极普里兹湾上层水体中234Th的平均停留时间和输出通量.结果显示,随着纬度的增加,上层水体中颗粒态和溶解态234Th的平均停留时间总体趋向减小,并在中纬度站位出现了最低值,分别为1~8和29~48 d,而颗粒态和溶解态234Th的输出通量则在中纬度站位出现了最大值,分别为21~38和26~39 dpm/(m3·d).运用箱型清除模式,利用两种不同的方法估算了各水柱中从真光层底部输出的POC通量,平均值分别达到104.7 mmol/(m2·d)(E法)和120.6 mmol/(m2·d)(B法),表明南极普里兹湾夏季存在很高的新生产力,它将会对该海域碳的生物泵过程产生重要作用.     

Thorium isotopes as tracers of particles dynamics and deep water circulation in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean (ANTARES IV)

Dissolved and particulate samples were collected to study the distribution of thorium isotopes (²³⁴Th, ²³²Th and ²³⁰Th) in the water column of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean (from 42°S to 47°S and from 60°E to 66°E, north of the Polar Front) during Austral summer 1999. Vertical profiles of excess ²³⁰Th (²³⁰Th_xs) increases linearly with depth in surface water (0–100 m) and a model was applied to estimate a residence time relative to the thorium scavenging (τ_scav). Low τ_scav in the Polar Front Zone (PFZ) are found, compared to those estimated in the Subtropical Front Zone (STZ). Changes in particle composition between the PFZ and STZ could influence the ²³⁰Th_xs scavenging efficiency and explain this difference. An innovative coupling between ²³⁴Th and ²³⁰Th_xs was then used to simultaneously constrain the settling velocities of small (0.6–60 μm) and large (above 60 μm) particles. Although the different hydrological and biogeochemical regimes visited during the ANTARES IV cruise did not explain the spatial variation of sinking velocity estimates, our results indicate that less particles may reach the seafloor north (60 ± 2 m d^− 1, station 8) than south of the Agulhas Return Current (119 ± 23 and 130 ± 5 m d^− 1 at stations 3 and 7, respectively). This information is essential for understanding particle transport and by extension, carbon export. In the deep water column, the ²³⁰Th_xs concentrations did not increase linearly with depth, probably due to lateral transport of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) from the Atlantic to the Indian sector, which renews the deep waters and decreases the ²³⁰Th_xs concentrations. A specific ²³⁰Th_xs transport model is applied in the deep water column and allows us to assess a “travel time” of NADW ranging from 2 to 15 years.     

Hydrological analysis of Kuroshio water intrusion into the South China Sea

IN~crIONInvestigation of physical oceanography in the sleuth China Sea can be traced back tO the early17th century. America, England, Japan and Russia all carried out investigations in the sea. Butthe survey areas were limited and the data were scrappy. After entering this century big progresshas been achieved in the investigation of the sea both in the scale of survey and the depth ofstudy. So far the papers such as "Wind and drift currents in the mouth China Sea" (Dale, 1956)and "Phys…     

不同潮时对厦门湾水体中234Th/238U不平衡的影响

厦门湾水体中2 3 4 Th 2 3 8U不平衡的时间序列数据表明 ,无论是溶解态、颗粒态2 3 4 Th还是总2 3 4 Th ,相对于母体2 3 8U均严重亏损 ,呈现出与开阔大洋水明显不同的特征。溶解态、颗粒态2 3 4 Th的停留时间介于 0 .5— 41d之间 ,其中低潮时停留时间比高潮时小 2— 4倍 ,证实近岸海域具有强烈的清除、迁出作用 ,且潮汐变化对海域颗粒动力学特征有重要影响。2 3 4 Th停留时间与总悬浮颗粒物浓度 (TSM)、Chl.a的关系则表明 ,近岸海域元素的清除、迁出作用主要受陆源颗粒物输送的影响 ,与生物活动关系并不密切。此外 ,非稳态与稳态清除模型结果的对比证明 ,稳态模型对于具有强烈清除、迁出作用的近岸海域是适用的     

Seasonal changes in thorium scavenging and particle aggregation in the western Arctic Ocean

Seasonal changes in Th scavenging and particle aggregation were determined along two shelf-basin transects in the western Arctic Ocean during the spring (May–June) and summer (July–August) of 2002 and 2004. Measurements of dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th and ²²⁸Th activities were used to quantify Th residence times and reversible rates of Th sorption and particle aggregation. Prior to the spring bloom in 2002, ²³⁴Th and ²²⁸Th residence times were equal and Th scavenging was concordant, indicating predominately steady-state conditions. In contrast, scavenging of ²³⁴Th and ²²⁸Th in the summer of 2002 and the spring and summer of 2004 was discordant, indicating a departure in scavenging rates from steady-state conditions during periods of seasonally high biological activity and particle export. Rates of particle aggregation and disaggregation were calculated using a one-dimensional reversible exchange model and ²³⁴Th and ²²⁸Th activities in small (1–53 μm) and large (>53 μm) particles. Maximum rates were determined coincident with the chlorophyll maximum (25–100 m) and increased by an order of magnitude between periods of low and high productivity. These Th measurements provide evidence that seasonally enhanced rates of particle aggregation might increase the magnitude of the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux in this Arctic regime.