Investigation of the Rate of Shelf-Basin Interaction in the Western Arctic Ocean Using Radium Isotopes

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ABSTRACTOPP-9815132STEPHENS, MARKMIAMI UNIVERSITYThis study will utilyze a radon isotopic study to determine transport rates and mixing patterns of water from the continental shelf to the deep basin. The rate of decay of the naturally occurring radon is known, therefore the activity ratio of radon isotopes will yield information on the oceanographic processes transporting the radon to the basin. The data from the Beaufort Sea derived in the project will be used in a circulation model to validate the results. The project is very important to understanding the rate at which carbon is transported between the continental shelf and deep basin because it controls the availability for biologic production in the Arctic Ocean. The results of this project will provide input for planning a large Phase 2 field program of the Shelf Basin Interactions project in 2002 in the same geographic area.