Collection of CFC Samples from the Ross, Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas

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9408081 Smethie The proposed work is the collection and analysis of chloro- fluorocarbon samples on an oceanographic cruise of the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer to the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas in early 1994. This region has been sparsely sampled in the past, and little is known about the regional oceanographic processes. The specific objectives of this cruise are to investigate the large-scale oceanographic features, study the evolution of the surface mixed layer and pycnocline in relation to the sea ice cover and the underlying intermediate and deep water masses, determine the location of the Antarctic Slope Front, and to investigate the impact of warm circumpolar water flowing onto the continental shelf. The proposed work complements these objectives of the cruise, since the physical and chemical characteristics of CFCs are well known and well suited for the investigation of subsurface water mass formation and water circulation. Knowledge of the distribution of CFCs in the ocean broadens the time and space scales of the direct observations, and allows inferences about oceanic processes that go beyond the immediate limits of the cruise. ***