Selected applications of isotopes in studies of ocean climate

Full text: We present and discuss applications of isotope and other tracer data (3H, 3He, Ne and 18O) to studies of ocean climate. Specifically, we address the variability of deep water formation the Greenland Sea, the variability in Arctic Ocean freshwater components, and the addition of glacial meltwater to the shelves around Antarctica. Changes in deep water formation rates in the Greenland Sea (ca. 80% from 0.5 to 0.1 Sv) were determined using a time series of tritium/3He data. Reduction of the fraction of meteoric water along a section across the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean occupied in 1991 and 1996 were derived from δ18O and salinity measurements. Ne and δ18O data were used to calculate fractions of glacial meltwater (ca. 4 per mil) in plumes of ice shelf water flowing out from underneath the Ross Ice Shelf. (author)