A 30 ‐Year Time Series of Transient Tracer‐Based Estimates of Anthropogenic Carbon in the Central Labrador Sea

We use a 30-year time series (1986–2016) of dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12) concentrations with a refined transit time distribution (TTD) method, to estimate the temporal variation of anthropogenic carbon (Cant) in the Central Labrador Sea. We determined that the saturation of CFC-12 and sulfur hexafluroide (SF6) in newly-formed Labrador Sea Water had departed significantly from 100% and varied systematically with time. Multiple linear regression of the time-varying saturation, with the tracer's atmospheric growth rate and the wintertime mixed layer depth as independent variables, allowed reconstruction of the saturation history of CFC-12 and SF6 in wintertime surface waters, which was implemented in the TTD method. Use of the time-varying saturation for CFC-12 gave Cant concentrations ∼7 μmol kg−1 larger than estimates obtained assuming a constant saturation of 100%. The resulting Cant column inventories were ∼20% larger and displayed lower interannual variability compared to conventional TTD-based estimates. The column inventory of Cant increased at an average rate of 1.8 mol m−2 y−1 over the 30-year period. However, the accumulation rate of Cant was higher than this average in the early 1990s and since 2013, whereas inventories remained almost unchanged between 2003 and 2012. The variation in the Cant accumulation rate is shown to be linked to temporal variability in the relative layer thickness of the annually ventilated Labrador Sea Water and the underlying Deep Intermediate Water. The non-steady Cant accumulation highlights the importance of sampling frequency, especially in regions of variable deep mixing and high carbon inventories, and potential misinterpretation of Cant dynamic

The Northeast Water polynya as an atmospheric CO2 sink: a seasonal rectification hypothesis

During the multidisciplinary ‘NEW92’ cruise of the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Polar Sea to the recurrent Northeast Water (NEW) Polynya (77–81°N, 6–17°W; July–August 1992), total dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity in the water column were measured with high precision to determine the quantitative impact of biological processes on the regional air-sea flux of carbon. Biological processes depleted the total inorganic carbon of summer surface waters by up to 2 mol C m−2 or about 3%. On a regional basis this depletion correlated with depth-integrated values of chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon, and the inorganic nitrogen deficit. Replacement of this carbon through exchange with the atmosphere was stalled owing to the low wind speeds during the month of the cruise, although model calculations indicate that the depletion could be replenished by a few weeks of strong winds before ice forms in the autumn. These measurements and observations allowed formulation of a new hypothesis whereby seasonally ice-covered regions like the NEW Polynya promote a unique biologically and physically mediated “rectification” of the typical (ice free, low latitude) seasonal cycle of air-sea CO2 flux. The resulting carbon sink is consistent with other productivity estimates and represents an export of biologically cycled carbon either to local sediments or offshore. If this scenario is representative of seasonally ice-covered Arctic shelves, then the rectification process could provide a small, negative feedback to excess atmospheric CO2

Boosted Fast Flux Loop Alternative Cooling Assessment

The Gas Test Loop (GTL) Project was instituted to develop the means for conducting fast neutron irradiation tests in a domestic radiation facility. It made use of booster fuel to achieve the high neutron flux, a hafnium thermal neutron absorber to attain the high fast-to-thermal flux ratio, a mixed gas temperature control system for maintaining experiment temperatures, and a compressed gas cooling system to remove heat from the experiment capsules and the hafnium thermal neutron absorber. This GTL system was determined to provide a fast (E > 0.1 MeV) flux greater than 1.0E+15 n/cm2-s with a fast-to-thermal flux ratio in the vicinity of 40. However, the estimated system acquisition cost from earlier studies was deemed to be high. That cost was strongly influenced by the compressed gas cooling system for experiment heat removal. Designers were challenged to find a less expensive way to achieve the required cooling. This report documents the results of the investigation leading to an alternatively cooled configuration, referred to now as the Boosted Fast Flux Loop (BFFL). This configuration relies on a composite material comprised of hafnium aluminide (Al3Hf) in an aluminum matrix to transfer heat from the experiment to pressurized water cooling channels while at the same time providing absorption of thermal neutrons. Investigations into the performance this configuration might achieve showed that it should perform at least as well as its gas-cooled predecessor. Physics calculations indicated that the fast neutron flux averaged over the central 40 cm (16 inches) relative to ATR core mid-plane in irradiation spaces would be about 1.04E+15 n/cm2-s. The fast-to-thermal flux ratio would be in excess of 40. Further, the particular configuration of cooling channels was relatively unimportant compared with the total amount of water in the apparatus in determining performance. Thermal analyses conducted on a candidate configuration showed the design of the water coolant and Al-Hf alloy heat sink system is capable of maintaining all system components below their maximum temperature limits. The maximum temperature of this conduction cooling system, 224.2°C (435.6 °F) occurs in a small, localized region in the heat sink structure near the core mid-plane. The total coolant flow rate requirement for this configuration is 207 L/min (54.7 gpm). The calculated Flow Instability Ratio and Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio for this configuration under nominal conditions are 6.5 and 8.0, respectively, which safely exceed the minimum values of 2.0. Materials and fabrication issues inspection revealed that the neutron absorber would probably best be made from powdered Al3Hf mixed with aluminum powder and extruded or hot isostatically pressed. Although Al3Hf has not been specifically studied extensively, its mechanical and chemical properties should be very much like Al3Zr, which has been studied. Its behavior under irradiation should be very satisfactory, and resistance to corrosion will be investigated to a limited extent in planned miniplate irradiation tests in ATR. Pressurized water systems needed to effect heat removal are already available in the ATR complex, and mixed gas temperature control systems needed to trim experiment temperatures have been engineered and need only be fabricated and installed. In sum, it appears the alternately cooled configuration arrived at can be very successful. The cost estimate for this configuration indicates t

Global oceanic production of nitrous oxide

We use transient time distributions calculated from tracer data together with in situ measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O) to estimate the concentration of biologically produced N2O and N2O production rates in the ocean on a global scale. Our approach to estimate the N2O production rates integrates the effects of potentially varying production and decomposition mechanisms along the transport path of a water mass.We estimate that the oceanic N2O production is dominated by nitrification with a contribution of only approximately 7 per cent by denitrification. This indicates that previously used approaches have overestimated the contribution by denitrification. Shelf areas may account for only a negligible fraction of the global production; however, estuarine sources and coastal upwelling of N2O are not taken into account in our study. The largest amount of subsurface N2O is produced in the upper 500 m of the water column. The estimated global annual subsurface N2O production ranges from 3.1+/-0.9 to 3.4+/-0.9 Tg N yr^-1. This is in agreement with estimates of the global N2O emissions to the atmosphere and indicates that a N2O source in the mixed layer is unlikely. The potential future development of the oceanic N2O source in view of the ongoing changes of the ocean environment (deoxygenation, warming, eutrophication and acidification) is discussed

Use of SF6 to estimate anthropogenic CO2 in the upper ocean

The highest concentrations of anthropogenic carbon (C_ant) are found in the upper layers of the world ocean. However, this is where seasonal variability of inorganic carbon and related parameters due to thermal and biological effects complicates use of back-calculation approaches for C ant . Tracer based approaches to C_ant estimation are unaffected by biological variability and have found wide application. However, slow-down, even reversal, of the atmospheric growth of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) restricts use of these tracers for C ant estimation for waters ventilated since the mid 1990s. Here we apply SF6, a tracer that continues to increase in the atmosphere, as a basis for the C_ant estimation, using samples collected in the midlatitude North Atlantic in 2004. C ant estimates derived from water mass transit time distributions (TTDs) calculated with SF6 are compared to those based on CFC-12. For recently ventilated waters (pCFC-12 > ∼450 ppt), the uncertainty of SF6 based estimates of C_ant is ∼6 μmol kg−1 less than that of CFC-12 based estimates. CFC-12 based estimates remain more reliable for older (deeper) water masses, as a result of the longer input history and more readily detectable concentrations of CFC-12. Historical data suggest that the near-surface saturation of CFC-12 has increased over time, in inverse proportion to its atmospheric growth rate. Use of a time-dependent saturation of CFC-12 in TTD calculations appears to provide more reliable estimation of C_ant

Trends in marine dissolved oxygen: Implications for ocean circulation changes and the carbon budget

Recent measurements and model studies have consistently identified a decreasing trend in the concentration of dissolved O2 in the ocean over the last several decades. This trend has important implications for our understanding of anthropogenic climate change. First, the observed oceanic oxygen changes may be a signal of the beginning of a reorganization of large-scale ocean circulation in response to anthropogenic radiative forcing. Second, the repartitioning of oxygen between the ocean and the atmosphere requires a revision of the current atmospheric carbon budget and the estimates of the terrestrial and oceanic carbon sinks as calculated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from measurements of atmospheric O2/N2

California Extremely Large Telescope: Conceptual Design for a Thirty-Meter Telescope

Following great success in the creation of the Keck Observatory, scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California have begun to explore the scientific and technical prospects for a much larger telescope. The Keck telescopes will remain the largest telescopes in the world for a number of years, with many decades of forefront research ahead after that. Though these telescopes have produced dramatic discoveries, it is already clear that even larger telescopes must be built if we are to address some of the most profound questions about our universe. The time required to build a larger telescope is approximately ten years, and the California community is presently well-positioned to begin its design and construction. The same scientists who conceived, led the design, and guided the construction of the Keck Observatory have been intensely engaged in a study of the prospects for an extremely large telescope. Building on our experience with the Keck Observatory, we have concluded that the large telescope is feasible and is within the bounds set by present-day technology. Our reference telescope has a diameter of 30 meters, the largest size we believe can be built with acceptable risk. The project is currently designated the California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT)

Long-term trends of temperature, salinity, density and transient tracers in the Central Greenland Sea

We present long-term observations of temperature, salinity, tritium/3He, chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC 11), and chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC 12) for the central Greenland Gyre. The time series span the periods between 1952 and 1994 (temperature), 1981 and 1994 (salinity), 1972 and 1994 (tritium/3He), and 1982 and 1994 (CFCs). The correlation between hydrographic and transient tracer data indicates that low temperatures in the deep water in the early 1950s and between 1960 and 1980 reflect periods of higher deep water formation rates whereas periods of increasing temperatures in the late 1950s and between 1980 and 1994 are related to low deep water formation rates. However, the transient tracer observations obtained in the 1980s and early 1990s indicate that even during periods of low deep water formation, some water from the upper water column contributed to deep water formation between 1980 and 1994. In 1994, the deep water reached temperatures and salinities of −1.149 °C and 34.899, respectively, and no longer fits most of the classical definitions of Greenland Sea Deep Water (−1.29°C< Θ < −1.0°C, 34.88<S<34.90). The temperature increase in the water column between 200 and 2000 m depth between 1980 and 1994 corresponds to an average heating rate of about 5 Wm−2 over this period, resulting in a decrease in density. The 13-year warming could be balanced by intensive cooling in two winters. The surface salinity steadily increased from 34.50 in 1991 to 34.85 in 1994

Bromoform and dibromomethane above the Mauritanian upwelling: Atmospheric distributions and oceanic emissions

Natural sources of bromoform (CHBr3) and dibromomethane (CH2Br2), including oceanic emissions, contribute to stratospheric and tropospheric O3 depletion. Convective transport over tropical oceans could deliver large amounts of these short-lived organic bromine species to the upper atmosphere. High mixing ratios of atmospheric CHBr3 in air masses from the northwest African coast have been hypothesized to originate from the biologically active Mauritanian upwelling. During a cruise into the upwelling source region in spring 2005 the atmospheric mixing ratios of the brominated compounds CHBr3 and CH2Br2 were found to be elevated above the marine background and comparable to measurements in other coastal regions. The shelf waters were identified as a source of both compounds for the atmosphere. The calculated sea-to-air emissions support the hypothesis of a strong upwelling source for reactive organic bromine. However, calculated emissions were not sufficient to explain the elevated concentrations observed in the coastal atmosphere. Other strong sources that could contribute to the large atmospheric mixing ratios previously observed over the Atlantic Ocean must exist within or near West Africa