Abstract
Anthropogenic 90Sr, 239,240Pu and 241Am were used as tracers of water mass circulation in the Crozet Basin of the South Indian Ocean, represented by three main water fronts—Agulhas (AF), Subtropical (STF) and Subantarctic (SAF). Higher 90Sr concentrations observed north of 43°S were due to the influence of AF and STF, which are associated with the south branch of the Subtropical gyre, which acts as a reservoir of radionuclides transported from the North to the South Indian Ocean. On the other hand, the region south of 43°S has been influenced by SAF, bringing to the Crozet Basin Antarctic waters with lower radionuclide concentrations. The 238Pu/239,240Pu activity ratios observed in water and zooplankton samples indicated that, even 35 years after the injection of 238Pu to the Indian Ocean from the burn-up of the SNAP-9A satellite, the increased levels of 238Pu in surface water and zooplankton are still well visible. The radionuclide concentrations in seawater and their availability to zooplankton are responsible for the observed 210Po, 239,240Pu and 241Am levels in zooplankton.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aarkrog, A., M. S. Baxter, A. O. Bettencourt, R. Bojanovski, A. Bologa, S. Charmasson, I. Cunha, R. Delfanti, E. Duran, E. Holm, R. Jeffree, H. D. Livingston, S. Mahapanyawong, H. Nies, I. Osvath, L. Pingyu, P. P. Povinec, J.-A. Sanchez-Cabeza, J. N. Smith and D. A. Swift (1997): A comparison of doses from 137Cs and 210Po in marine food: a major international study. J. Environ. Radioact., 34, 69–90.
Bayer, R. and P. Schlosser (1991): Tritium profiles in the Weddell Sea. Mar. Chem., 35, 123–136.
Belkin, I. M. and A. L. Gordon (1996): Southern Ocean fronts from the Greenwich meridian to Tasmania. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 3675–3696.
Bhushan, R., K. Dutta, S. Mulsow, P. P. Povinec and B. L. K. Somayajulu (2003): Distribution of natural and man-made radionuclides during the reoccupation of GEOSECS stations 413 and 416 in the Arabian Sea: temporal changes. Deep-Sea Res. II, 50, 2777–2784.
Bowen, V. T., V. E. Noshkin, H. D. Livingston and H. L. Volchok (1980): Fallout radionuclides in the Pacific Ocean: Vertical and horizontal distributions, largely from GEOSECS stations. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 49, 411–434.
Broecker, W. S. and T.-H. Peng (1982): Tracers in the Sea. Eldigio Press, New York, 690 pp.
Broecker, W. S., T.-H. Peng and G. Ostlund (1986): The distribution of bomb tritium in the ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 9, 14331–14344.
Cherry, M. I., R. D. Cherry and M. Heyraud (1987): Polonium-210 and lead-210 in Antarctic marine biota and seawater. Mar. Biol., 96, 441–449.
Coppola, L., M. Roy-Barman, S. Mulsow, P. P. Povinec and C. Jeandel (2005): Low particulate organic carbon export in the frontal zone of the Southern Ocean (Indian Sector) revealed by 234Th. Deep-Sea Res. I, 52, 51–68.
Coppola, L., M. Roy-Barman, S. Mulsow, P. P. Povinec and C. Jeandel (2006): Thorium isotopes as tracers of particle dynamics and deep water circulation in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean (ANTARES IV). Mar. Chem., 100, 299–313.
DeMaster, D. J. (2002): The accumulation and cycling of biogenic silica in the Southern Ocean: revisiting the marine silica budget. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 3155–3167.
Epstein, S. and T. Mayeda (1953): Variation of 18O content of waters from natural sources. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 4, 213–224.
Fowler, S. W., S. Ballestra, J. La Rosa and R. Fukai (1983): Vertical transport of particulate-associated plutonium and americium in the upper water column of the Northeast Pacific. Deep-Sea Res., 30, 1221–1223.
Gaillard, J. F. (1997): ANTARES-I: a biogeochemical study of the Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. II, 44, 951–961.
Gambéroni, L., J. Géronimi, P. F. Jeannin and J. F. Murail (1982): Study of the frontal zones in Crozet-Kerguelen region. Oceanol. Acta, 5, 289–299.
Gonfiantini, R. (1978): Standards for stable isotope measurements in natural compounds. Nature, 271, 534–536.
Heinze, C. (2002): Assessing the importance of the Southern Ocean for natural atmospheric pCO2 variations with a global biologeochemical general circulation model. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 3105–3125.
Hirose, K., C. S. Kim, S. A. Yim, M. Aoyama, M. Fukusawa, K. Komura, P. P. Povinec and J.-A. Sanchez-Cabeza (2009): Vertical profiles of plutonium in the central South Pacific. Prog. Oceanogr. (submitted).
Hong, G.-H., Y. I. Kim, S.-H. Lee, L. W. Cooper, S. M. Choe, A. V. Tkalin, T. Lee, S. H. Kim, C. S. Chung and K. Hirose (2002): 239,240Pu and 137Cs concentrations for zooplankton and nekton in the Northwest Pacific and Antarctic Oceans (1993–1996). Mar. Pollut. Bull., 44, 660–665.
Jeffrey, R. A., F. Carvalho, S. W. Fowler and J. Farber-Lorda (1997): Mechanism for enhanced uptake of radionuclides by zooplankton in French Polynesia oligotrophic waters. Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 2584–2588.
Jia, G., C. Triulzi, F. Nonnis Marzano, M. Belli and M. Vaghi (2000): The fate of plutonium, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs in the Antarctic ecosystem. Antarctic Sci., 12, 141–148.
Koide, M. and E. D. Goldberg (1981): 241Pu/239,240Pu ratios in polar glaciers: Antarctica. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 54, 239–247.
Koide, M., R. Michel, E. D. Goldberg and M. M. Herron (1982): Characterization of radioactive fallout from pre-and post-moratorium tests to polar ice caps. Nature, 296, 544–547.
La Rosa, J., W. C. Burnett, S.-H. Lee, I. Levy, J. Gastaud and P. P. Povinec (2001): Separation of actinides, cesium and strontium from marine samples using extraction chromatography and sorbents. J. Radioanalytical Nuclear Chem., 248, 765–770.
Labat, J. P., P. Mayzaud, S. Dallot, A. Errhif, S. Razouls and S. Sabini (2002): Mesoscale distribution of zooplankton in the Sub-Antarctic Frontal system in the Indian part of the Southern Ocean: a comparison between optical plankton counter and net sampling. Deep-Sea Res. I, 49, 735–749.
Lee, S.-H., J. Gastaud, J. La Rosa, L. Liong Wee Kwong, P. P. Povinec, E. Wyse, L. K. Fifield, P. A. Hausladen, L. M. Di Tada and G. M. Santos (2001): Analysis of plutonium isotopes in marine samples by radiometric, ICP-MS and AMS techniques. J. Radioanalytical Nuclear Chem., 248, 757–764.
Lee, S.-H., P. P. Povinec, E. Wyse, M. K. Pham, G.-H. Hong, C.-S. Chung, S.-H. Kim and H.-J. Lee (2005): Distribution and inventories of 90Sr, 137Cs, 241Am and Pu isotopes in sediments of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Mar. Geol., 216, 249–263.
León Vintró, L., P. I. Mitchell, O. M. Condren, A. B. Downes, C. Papucci and R. Delfanti (1999): Vertical and horizontal fluxes of plutonium and americium in the west Mediterranean and the Strait of Gibraltar. The Science of the Total Environment, 237/238, 77–91.
Livingston, H. D. and R. F. Anderson (1983): Large particle transport of plutonium and other fallout radionuclides to the deep ocean. Nature, 303, 228–231.
Livingston, H. D. and P. P. Povinec (2000): Anthropogenic marine radioactivity. Ocean Coast. Manage., 43, 689–712.
Livingston, H. D. and P. P. Povinec (2002): A millenium perspective on the contribution of global fallout radionuclides to ocean science. Health Phys., 82, 656–668.
Livingston, H. D., P. P. Povinec, T. Ito and O. Togawa (2001): The behaviour of plutonium in the Pacific Ocean. p. 267–292. In Plutonium in the Environment, ed. by A. Kudo, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Mayzaud, P., V. Tirelli, A. Errhif, J. P. Labat, S. Razouls and R. Perissinotto (2002): Carbon intake by zooplankton. Importance and role of zooplankton grazing in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 3169–3187.
Michel, E., L. Labeyrie, J.-C. Duplessy, N. Gorfti, M. Labrachaerie and J.-L. Turon (1995): Could deep Subantarctic convection feed the world deep basins during the last glacial maximum? Paleoceanography, 10, 927–942.
Miyake, Y., K. Saruhashi, Y. Sugimura, T. Kanazawa and K. Hirose (1988): Contents of 137Cs, Plutonium and Americium isotopes in the Southern Ocean waters. Pap. Meteorol. Geophys., 39, 95–113.
Mulsow, S., P. P. Povinec, B. L. K. Somayajulu, B. Oregioni, L. Liong Wee Kwong, J. Gastaud, Z. Top and U. Morgenstern (2003): Temporal (3H) and spatial variations of 90Sr, 239,240Pu and 241Am in the Arabian Sea: GEOSECS Stations revisited. Deep-Sea Res. II, 50, 2761–2775.
Nowlin, W. D. and J. M. Klinck (1986): The physics of Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Rev. Geophys., 24, 469–491.
Park, Y. H., L. Gambéroni and E. Charriaud (1991): Frontal structure and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the south Indian Ocean sector, 40–80°E. Mar. Chem., 35, 45–62.
Park, Y. H., L. Gamberoni and E. Charriaud (1993): Frontal structure, water masses, and circulation in the Crozet Basin. J. Geophys. Res., 98, 12361–12385.
Park, Y. H., R. T. Pollard, R. T. Pollard, J. F. Read and V. Leboucher (2002): A quasi-synoptic view of the frontal circulation in the Crozet Basin during the Antares-4 cruise. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 1823–1842.
Perkins, R. W. and C. W. Thomas (1980): Worldwide fallout. p. 53–82. In Transuranic Elements in the Environment, ed. by W. C. Hanson, US DOE/TIC-22800, Office of Health and Environmental Research, Washington, D.C.
Pham, M. K., J.-A. Sanchez-Cabeza, P. P. Povinec, D. Arnold, M. Benmansour, R. Bojanowski, F. P. Carvalho, C. K. Kim, M. Esposito, J. Gastaud, C. L. Gascó, G. J. Ham, A. G. Hegde, E. Holm, D. Jaskierowicz, G. Kanisch, M. Llaurado, J. La Rosa, S.-H. Lee, L. Liong Wee Kwong, G. Le Petit, Y. Maruo, S. P. Nielsen, J.-S. Oh, B. Oregioni, J. Palomares, H. B. L. Pettersson, P. Rulik, T. P. Ryan, K. Sato, J. Scholowski, B. Skwarzec, P. A. Smedley, S. Tarján, N. Vajda and E. Wysea (2006): Certified reference material for radionuclides in fish flesh sample IAEA-414 (mixed fish from the Irish Sea and North Sea). Appl. Radiation Isotopes, 64, 1253–1259.
Pollard, R. T., M. I. Lucas and J. F. Read (2002): Physical controls on biological zonation in the Southern Ocean. Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 3289–3305.
Povinec, P. P. (2005): Ultra-sensitive radionuclide spectrometry: Radiometrics and mass spectrometry synergy. J. Radioanalytical Nuclear Chem., 263, 413–417.
Povinec, P. P., C. Badie, A. Baeza, G. Barci-Funel, T. D. Bergan, R. Bojanowski, W. C. Burnett, J. Eikenberg, L. K. Fifield, V. Serradell, J. Gastaud, I. Goroncy, J. Herrmann, M. A. C. Hotchkis, T. K. Ikaheimonen, E. Jakobson, J. Kalimbadjan, J. La Rosa, S. H. Lee, L. Liong Wee Kwong, W. M. Lueng, S. P. Nielsen, A. Noureddine, M. K. Pham, J.-N. Rohou, J.-A. Sanchez-Cabeza, J. Suomela, M. Suplinska and E. Wyse (2002): Certified reference material for radionuclides in seawater IAEA-381 (Irish Sea water). J. Radioanalytical Nuclear Chem., 251, 369–374.
Povinec, P. P., H. D. Livingston, S. Shima, M. Aoyama, J. Gastaud, I. Goroncy, K. Hirose, H.-N. Lang, Y. Ikeuchi, T. Ito, J. La Rosa, L. Liong Wee Kwong, S.-H. Lee, H. Moriya, S. Mulsow, B. Oregioni, H. Pettersson and O. Togawa (2003a): IAEA’97 expedition to the NW Pacific Ocean—Results of oceanographic and radionuclide investigations of the water column. Deep-Sea Res. II, 50, 2607–2637.
Povinec, P. P., R. Delfanti, J. Gastaud, J. La Rosa, U. Morgenstern, B. Oregioni, M. K. Pham, S. Salvi and Z. Top (2003b): Anthropogenic radionuclides in Indian Ocean surface waters—the Indian Ocean transect 1998. Deep-Sea Res. II, 50, 2751–2760.
Povinec, P. P., K. Hirose, T. Honda, T. Ito, E. Marian Scott and O. Togawa (2004): Spatial distribution of 3H, 90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu in surface waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans— GLOMARD database. J. Environ. Radioact., 76, 113–137.
Povinec, P. P., A. Aarkrog, K. O. Buesseler, R. Delfanti, K. Hirose, G.-H. Hong, T. Ito, H. D. Livingston, H. Nies, V. E. Noshkin, S. Shima and O. Togawa (2005): 90Sr, 137Cs, and 239,240Pu concentration surface water time series in the Pacific and Indian Oceans—WOMARS results. J. Environ. Radioact., 81, 63–87.
Povinec, P. P., M. Betti, A. J. T. Jull and P. Vojtyla (2008): New isotope technologies for environmental physics. Acta Physica Slovaca, 58, 1–154.
Povinec, P. P., M. Aoyama, M. Kukasawa, K. Hirose, K. Komura, J.-A. Sanchez-Cabeza, J. Gastaud, M. Ješkovský, I. Levy-Palomo and I. Sýkora (2009): Profiles of 137Cs in South Indian Ocean water along the 20°S latitude—an evidence for accumulation of pollutants in the subtropical gyre. Prog. Oceanogr. (submitted).
Ragueneau, O., N. Dittert, P. Pondaven, P. Tréguer and L. Corrin (2002): Si/C decoupling in the world ocean: is the Southern Ocean different? Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 3127–3154.
Roos, P., E. Holm, R. B. R. Persson, A. Aarkrog and S. P. Nielsen (1994): Deposition of 210Pb, 137Cs, 239,240Pu, 238Pu and 241Am in the Antarctic Peninsula area. J. Environ. Radioact., 24, 235–251.
Samiento, J. L. and T. R. Toggweiler (1984): A new model for the role of the oceans in determining atmospheric carbon pCO2 levels. Nature, 308, 621–624.
Sievers, H. A. and W. D. Nowlin (1984): The stratification and water masses at Drake Passage. J. Geophys. Res., 89, 10489–10514.
Taljaard, H. A. and H. van Loon (1984): Climate of the Indian Ocean south of 35°S. p. 505–601. In Climates of the Oceans, ed. by H. van Loon, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
UNSCEAR (1993): United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. United Nations, New York.
Van Beusekom, J. E. E., A. J. van Bennekom, P. Tréguer and J. Morvan (1997): Aluminum and silicic acid in water and sediments of the Enderby and Crozet Basins. Deep-Sea Res. II, 44, 987–1003.
Weiss, W. and W. Roether (1980): The rates of tritium input to the world oceans. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 49, 435–436.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, SH., Povinec, P.P., Gastaud, J. et al. Radionuclides as tracers of water fronts in the South Indian Ocean—ANTARES IV Results. J Oceanogr 65, 397–406 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-009-0035-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-009-0035-7