Chlorofluorocarbons: The Oceans' Inadvertent Canary
Abstract
The phased-out chlorofluorocarbons have been powerful tools in understanding climate-related oceanic processes. About 1% of the CFCs released over the last century are stable compounds in the Earth's oceans. Like bomb tritium, CFCs are transient tracers. They add a "time stamp" to water masses. CFC derived ages are used to calculate rates of biogeochemical processes - including inventories of anthropogenic CO2 and denitrification rates. CFC data are utilized in determining rates of subduction, mixing, and water mass formation. They have aided in identification of new circulation pathways, and in validating oceanic circulation models. We also focus on the application of CFCs to identify changes in ocean ventilation at thermocline and intermediate levels - on decadal time scales. And we will examine how CFCs are employed today in the deep meridional overturning circulation - a major element of the Earth's climate system.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFMOS42A..01F
- Keywords:
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- 4283 Water masses;
- 4513 Decadal ocean variability (1616;
- 1635;
- 3305;
- 4215);
- 4532 General circulation (1218;
- 1222);
- 4536 Hydrography and tracers